A Time for Everything

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by maverick

Came across this a few days ago, and simply loved it:

There is a time for everything, and
A season for every activity under heaven:

A time to be born and a time to die,
A time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal,
A time to tear down and a time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh,
A time to mourn and a time to dance,

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
A time to embrace and a time to refrain,

A time to search and a time to give up,
A time to keep and a time to throw away,

A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent and a time to speak,

A time to love and a time to hate,
A time for war and a time for peace.

- The Holy Bible (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

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When do we let go?

Saturday, July 25, 2009 by maverick

"Never, never, never give up", said Winston Churchill. This is one of the most common motivational quotes I have come across. It's powerful; encouraging you to keep on trying. Everything's attainable if yo just try. One of my friends recently put up a post "When do you know that you've tried enough?" She demonstrates beautifully the power of hope and perseverance. But then, when do you let go?

I don't believe letting go is defeatist. Maybe, many people think so, maybe that's why people don't talk about it. But,is 'letting go' the antonym of perseverance? I don't think so. I admire people who stick it against all odds and keep the bit of optimism alive. I believe in staying positive and optimistic and having a never-say-die attitude. Then, when do you let go?

You let go when things are outside your control. You let go when you realize that there are some things that you just cannot change. Is that easy?? Hell, no! As human beings we love to cling to every little bit of hope that we have. Letting go of a thought that was all-consuming and replacing it with vacuum is not easy. You just simply get lost.

So, it requires a lot of strength to let go. Let go of the thought, the person, the object; let go of the hope, the dream , the aspiration. It doesn't mean to just stop trying. It means to weed that thought away from your mind, to weed away the hope you had so tenderly nurtured in your heart. You cannot force a person to love you even if you have all the love in the world for him. You cannot make your boss see the truth if he is an absolute idiot. You cannot force your son to be a doctor if he is just not made for it. In all the instances, you get bitter and cynical and blame the universe for conspiring against you. It's when you get into this cycle of negativity that you let go and move on.

Let go to start afresh! Let go to prepare for a new race! Let go to discover yourself again!

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Hail the rains !

Friday, July 24, 2009 by maverick

It's raining and the air is filled with that heavenly scent again. I have never come across any sweeter smell than this; the smell of earth. It'so magical and makes me feel so alive. Maybe that's the reason why I love rains.

Rains can be a messy affair: Overflowing drains, slushy roads, wet and stinky clothes, traffic jams, honking vehicles; they don't present a good picture. But after the rains, everything is sparkling clean; a cool breeze and a pleasant weather. There is new life infused in everyone. Maybe that's how bad experiences in our life are. As long as they last, they are terrible and messy. But come out of it, and a fresh new world awaits you....

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When was the last time..

Friday, January 16, 2009 by maverick

When was the last time
You laughed your heart out
Your eyes glinting with joy
Your heart free of fear

When was the last time
You heard the birds chirping
Spreading joy and happiness
There they cheered in unison

When was the last time
You had a good conversation
Sat alongside your long-time friend
And the words just kept flowing

When was the last time
You danced like no one's watching
Your feet moving with the rhythm
Totally lost in the music

When was the last time
You picked up a fight
Argued nonsensically
And ended it bitter and messy

When was the last time
You cried uninterrupted
Those tears were non-stop
And the pain so blinding

When was the last time
You felt completely lonely
While laughing with the crowd
Alone were you weeping

When was the last time
You made those resolutions
A determination to change
A step to self-transformation

When was the last time
You paused and saw the wonders
The beauty was overwhelming
How could you have missed it?

When was the last time
You gave some time for yourself
Relived all those moments
Those good ol' happy memories

When was the last time
You played a prank on others
The plan was ingenious
And the reactions so priceless!!

So many years down..
Several more to go..
It is these little details
That I'll treasure for sure...

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Do you have a philosophy in life?

Thursday, September 18, 2008 by maverick

I never thought i will make a post on philosophy in my blog. What the heck, I never thought i had a philosophy in life. But, when compelled to write, I was amazed to see that i did have a personal philosophy; something underlying all my actions. Here it goes (Meanwhile, you can think about your own philosophy):
"The basic philosophy of my life has been to remain optimistic, no matter what happens. This has what has driven me in my life. I wouldn’t say I have been like this throughout; I have had my bouts of depression and pessimism. However, such experiences shaped my philosophy and now I try to look for the positives in everything. There have been instances when all my efforts would go in vain and I would wallow in self-pity, torture myself with the question, “Why me?” But then, I noticed that everyone keeps on asking the same question, and I was no exception. I observed that people rarely celebrate their successes or congratulate themselves. But when it comes to failure, we are extra harsh on ourselves, blaming ourselves and brooding over it. Thus, consciously or unconsciously, I decided to be less harsh on myself even if I fail.

I believe in the grand design in life. Everything happens for a purpose; be it failure or success, selection or rejection. The purpose may not be visible to us now. But I think each event is like the piece of a jigsaw puzzle, it might take a whole lifetime for the picture to emerge. Each failure, each success lends a different hue to the canvas called life. This is what gives me the strength to face disappointments. But there is this lurking fear, what will happen if ultimately there is no design, no higher purpose? I admit that as of today, am not prepared to face such a turn of events.

Others say that we have to remain happy at all times. Some people misinterpret it as taking the easy way out in all things. I believe that true happiness comes when you achieve something after a lot of struggle and effort. Therefore, there is always an intervening period of sorrow, of depression and struggle. I believe in giving my best shot during such adversities, never giving up, never stop believing in myself. The success tastes all the more sweet then. It gives you a lot of satisfaction when you fight against odds: against a disease, against bullying classmates, against your own low self-confidence, against a teacher who shows favouritism, against unfavourable circumstances.

I would compare life to a long road, the kind of road we travel in our day-to-day life. It may or may not have potholes, may or may not be smooth at times. However, it is never-ending, the only sense of distance being the milestones placed at regular intervals. Our achievements are like those milestones. Some reach the milestones, some fade away; some reach it earlier, some much later; some reach it laughing, some cursing. But there is no consistent winner or loser. There is no finish line either. Hence, what matters more is how we travel along that road, rather than how fast or how long. "
It got a bit too abstract towards the end i guess. But somehow, i enjoyed jotting it down. It's like i can define myself better now.

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Educa(u)tion

Saturday, June 07, 2008 by maverick

Shocking news this is:

http://in.news.yahoo.com/indiaabroad/20080608/r_t_ians_nl_general/tnl-academic-pressure-led-to-five-suicid-b9e311f.html


A student in IITK commits suicide after she failed in 2 of her final semster exams. This is the 7th suicide in IITK in 3 years. Speaks a lot about our education system, doesn't it? It speaks about vehemently about 2 things:

  1. How rotten our education and evaluation system has become
  2. The kind of pressure today's youngsters are subjected to, and the escape routes that they determine for themselves

Even though the news item is about IITK in specific, i am sure the situation is not better anywhere in our country.

Education has increasingly become a tool in the hands of the manipulators: politicians and religious leaders. And why not? If there's anything that bothers the common man more than price rise, its the education of their children. And what better way to influence the masses than retain control over this domain

Why do parents put so much pressure on their children? Are we so chronically short of jobs? Wasn't this suppsoed to be a new, resurgent India offering lots of job opportunities. The answer is that we are not short of jobs, but yes, we are short of good universities, good schools even. Nowadays, children are trained from a pretty young age so that they get admission in the best ( "elite") schools. For them, it's life long training, starting from school. But do they have any other choice? Not really, if they don't slog to get into a good place, then they (or their parents) end up paying huge amounts of money to the managements of private colleges for the ever-in-demand management quota seats. That's the purpose of these management quota seats, which are nothing but money churning machines.

There are many advocates of privatisation of education. But with the kind of private colleges existing now, am not sure if privatisation or liberalisation is the answer. The question is : can education be treated like a business? There is something ennobling about teaching, and making it a business is a jarring thought. But sadly, the situation has turned out to be that way.

We urgently need to develop a good model of education for our country. Else, all our talks of India being the next big superpwer (!!) will be in waste, and the next generation will just rot away. The ones not making it to the elite colleges being branded as "not too good", and the ones who actually make it, resorting to such extreme acts. Where are we headed to?

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Tagged!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008 by maverick

@ Poinblank : I know what you are thinking," Finallly"

Well, I am not the perfect person to be tagged. With neither the time nor the patience to sit and think about all things that I like/dislike or wanna do in life, dunno why my sis tagged me. But while filling this, I realized how much out of tune I am with myself. I thouroghly miss those regular soul-searching episodes i used to have when I had the luxury for that. I have even forgotten to write about myself now--such a tragedy!! Anyways sissy, this is for you

Eight things I am passionate about

Music : I am not this 'musical' kinda person. Iam a sucker at signing too. But there's something about music that liberates me. I can do with music anytime, anywhere.

Life : I am a perpetual optimist. I dunno how I became one, coz it certainly doesnt run in my family (lol!!). But I am one of those lofty philosophers who believes in the grand design that life is, and who loves being a part of it. It's often said that you appreciate the value of something when it is snatched away from you. I guess it's a string of unfortunate happenings that made me realize the value of life.

Chocolates : Yummy...need i say more?

Dance : Love the rhythm

Reading : I guess I was a voracious reader once upon a time. Now books have been replaced by blogs. But still I am not able to devote enough time for it. And I really, badly, terriblly miss it. Books are the fodder to my thoughts ( Iam coming to that) , and without reading I feel like a lifeless void (:D)

My thoughts!! : I value them coz I can call them my own. They may be crzay, idiotic, senseless, but still they are mine

Family: Just cannot do without them. All the above holds good only when they are there, and I know that they are there.

Friends : The spice in my bland life, the laughter among my tears.

Eight things I want to do before I die (In no particular order):

Visit exotic places : Yeah, I know everyone wants to do that. But this has been like my chilhood dream.

Do crazy stuff – bungee jumping : It's like losing my inhibitions for once. Guess it will be fun!!

Learn many musical instruments : Since I love music, I always wish I could if possible create that magic with my own fingers.

Learn dancing (!!) : Should never have discontinued I suppose

Go for a long drive : It's one of those things people do to unwind. And I so dont like it that I have never been able to do it. A long drive along a staright road, with the breeze caressing your hair--lovely imagery na!! I already feel transported there..

Write a book (: D) : I really have no idea how I will manage one coz i just seem to run short of things to write. And the pain of making it into a coherent whole. But the challenge of creation, and the ultimate beauty that it might turn out to be, I think that's what still inspires me.

Be the person I want to be : Very difficult one, coz my concept of who I want to be is vague and keeps on changing. But rest assured, I am nowhere near my ideal.

Leave a mark in this world : Oh! I really dont know..

Eight things I say often:
Oh shit!!
That’s nice
Really??
I am sleepy :(
It’s ok
Why?
Ooooooooooh
That’s not humanly possible

Eight books I’ve read recently:
Not recently actually ..Been a reallylong time since I read some of them..

Bridget Jones
Google story
Memoirs of Geisha
It happened in India
The Kite Runner
Castle
Life of Pi
The God of Small things

Eight songs I could listen to, over and over:
There are much much more..and these are just a sample

Ek din aap youn
Youn hi tum mujhse
The Reason ( Hoobastank)
When you say nothing at all
Pehla Nasha
Mausam ke Sargam
In aankhon ki masti
Only Hope (Mandy Moore)

Eight things that attracts me to my best friends

Warmth

Genuineness

Intelligence

Sensitiveness : Is there such a word? What I mean to say is that they should be sensitive. The last thing I would want is someone laughing at my misery.

Frankness : I would highly appreciate that, though I don't consider myself as being highly frank (:D)

Innocence : Shrewdness is something I just cannot put up with.

The comfort level : I would want to be myself with my friend.

Personality : You can say it to be a combination of all the above factors. But then, its something above it all. I guess I want to respect my friends too

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