Things that hit us eventually

Things that we were stupid about
Things that we did not care about
Things that we turned our back on (passed the responsibility on)

The biggie (and the seemingly most unfair one)
Things that we were ignorant about 

Learning from (others') mistakes!

I remember that night I was standing in the balcony many years ago, holding a cigarette in my hand. I was playing out a deep dilemma whether I wanted to take in my first cigarette or not. My friend walked into the balcony, and was shocked to see the cigarette in my hand.

"What are you doing with that cigarette?"

"I am just thinking if I should smoke this or not."

"Why would you want to smoke that?"

"Just experimenting"

"Take my advice. My addiction with cigarettes started with that first one, and I am still struggling. Don't take it."

I did take it - his advice that is! And I am glad I did. Given how I handle things in my life, I am sure I would at this point be "trying" or "planning" to quit smoking. But is there anything wrong in experimenting? No! But why would you want to experiment with something that his been tried already and a historical legacy of the results are available? One reason I think is that "experimenting" results in "experience" which engages multiple dimensions of yourself to register the results. The pleasure or the mistake (pain/suffering) is stored and can be accessed, perhaps, without even thinking. The way of intelligence is different. It involves short-circuiting to the end result without experience. Which means it needs insight - shallow or deep depending on the circumstance. The deeper the insight, more are the vistas that are available for making decisions without experience. While experience is a powerful communicator of results, it is a very slow process of creation and evolution. With intelligence, very rapid strides can be made in progress (any form of progress - learning, spiritual or decision making) because bypassing experience allows leaps in the journey.

It is quite intelligent to rely on intelligence!

Creating a protective atmosphere

I feel that a lot of restlessness in the world might be loosened if only we took away some silly constraints we have. I imagine there are people who might feel a lot better if they just let out one high pitched scream. What are the possibilities of doing that today without being judged or labeled? I think even bathroom singing is an outcome of this fear of judgement.

All of this started when we asked children jumping around in the house to shut up. For a better world, I think we need to reverse this. At least in our homes. There should be at least one place where people can be without their defenses.

Help me

I takes a lot of courage to say those words.

One the one side, people might think it is a matter of finding the right person to say those words. Right person in terms of not exploiting or not looking down upon someone asking help.

But there is a larger obstacle beyond the first one - which is that of exposing one's vulnerability in asking help. This is nothing less than a stumbling block - because it involves putting all or a part of oneself aside in the process of asking help.

When you encounter such a person who can help you, the sooner you say those words, the better. And it need not be verbal.

a million shades of gray

the sky a giant canvas
on that cool dusk
a million shades of gray
splashed on it
as strokes of light and cloud
the mountain ranges afar
might have been silhouettes
the one with a peak perched on the peak
standing out on the sight
eerie to behold, 
an ominous tone it all struck
but a feeling of awe said otherwise
a thought it gave rise to
"only you can show off so much and yet be humble"

Note: I am glad I didn't have a camera then. Now it's all left to your imagination :)

Is Global Warming for real?

On the one end, we have people like Lewis Pugh swimming in the north pole, trying to gather the attention of world leaders to the momentum global warming is gathering. On the other hand, we have the people who can actually amass momentum towards the direction of reducing our emissions and in turn reduce the impact of (the hypothesized) global warming. But they are in very firm denial. Me, honestly, every cell in my body thinks GW is real. But I have no proof. I've seen people splitting their hairs arguing both sides of it. But there is a reality - and what it is, we will know in ten years from now. What if it is too late then? Seriously, either the deniers are sincerely convinced that the GW threat is a fad, or that is their pitch to maintain status quo. The latter would be such a crying shame!

The video below shows Lewis Pugh's talk at TED and a snippet of his north pole swim project. The footage that showed the polar bear and its cub brought tears to my eyes. This is such an amazing creation - and if we lose this from here, I will never be able to forgive myself. We have no capability to create an iota of this magnificence, so how come we are so irresponsible with the destruction!