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The Good, the Bad and the Bug up your Arse

Today, we find ourselves living in a world so profound, yet so wretched. We can walk on water, we can fly without wings, we can heal people, and we can build a paradise; such is the magnificence of the human genius, unparalleled and unrelenting. However, at the same time we kill each other inhumanly, we connive and conspire against each other for temporary worldly things; such less is the value of the human genius, unforgiving and ungodly.

So why do we do such things? Why do we choose to be so evil, so corrupt, and so weak in the face of power? What is the root cause of all evils? Is it money? Or is it power? Is it perhaps our failure to accept Jesus as our one true saviour?  – A question ever so clichéd, yet whose answer is ever so elusive.

Perhaps we are meant to be so. Some are good, and some are bad – the usual two sides of the coin. Maybe Satan and God are waging an epic war in the skies, and that is being reflected here on earth; well, the church would certainly like to believe so.

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Well, let’s look at this whole conundrum this way – nobody is black or white, we are all just grey. Who is to decide if someone is right or wrong? It is all a matter of perspective. While we, as humans form rules to set the rights and wrongs apart, we do so knowing that we ourselves are fallible, and full of fallacies. Walter White will definitely concur.

However, there is one thing, one common characteristic that governs the entirety of our human race, and that is the need for something more, a need for something else. Human beings are in this constant search for satisfaction, which they will never get, for the grass is well and truly, greener on the other side.

There is this proverbial bug up every human’s arse that makes him so dynamic. The pauper will direct his whole life towards the quest for wealth, but the moment he finds his treasure, he will drift away towards other new needs. That’s how life works. The beggar with his family will have no money to feed it, and the lonely billionaire will have no family to spend the money on. So we will continue our quests, never stopping, never satisfied.

Even the Rolling Stones agree.

The stone-age man had everything – a barbequed dinosaur, a scantily clothed wife, and a 3-BHK cave to dwell in. He wanted more though, he wanted to explore; so he invented the wheel. You would think that exploring the world would be enough, but no, he now wanted to rule it. So he built armies. So what if people died for his desires? It is desire that drives a man. Man now had the world on his fingers, but of course, he’s not content. He wants more. So now he destroys the forests, kills all dragons, poaches animals, and loots his own people. He then decides that while all this may be okay, the bug up his arse wants more. So he visits the moons and the planets.

Even a 5 year old kid will pester his parents for the latest toy, only to discard it after a new one comes up (Apple fan boys will relate). You see, there is no end. It is not money, or power that propels a man, but man himself, and his constant need for something more.

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Do not mistake that ‘something more’ for greed. It is not greed, but the dynamism of humans. We can’t just stay put, we have to do more! It is because man did more that we can now talk through phones which are smarter than most of us. It is because man did more that we can have unfathomable information on our palms. It is because man did more that we know about those stars which are inconceivable distances away.

Learn to love this bug.

We are humans. We create. We destroy. It is not in our nature to stop. There is no root cause of evil, for there is no good or bad, only perspective …

For that which wasn't lost, and never earned.

I lived in an ocean, dormant & grey,
Full of unmindful mist and nay.

I slept on thorns, blunt as buns,
And woke up to a fallacy of gilded puns.

I mocked the banal for what they were,
Ever to deride, never to concur.

Yet it was that I always yearned,
For that which wasn't lost, and never earned.

I walked on the path of solitude,
Until I met a peahen, elaborately hued.

She told me of a place where I could,
Fly without wings, if I would.

Flummoxed by the vista, into oblivion I stared,
Change maybe good, but change I had not dared.

Unwittingly so, I opened the door,
Oh it was paradise, I wanted more.

But as with things of the world all,
The forest of green too had it's black wall.

Through the opaque wall, I could see,
That to find my soul, I must lose me.

Thusly I endured the committed way,
Lost in the tempest of own my mind’s say.

So I summoned the bird with the radiant tail,
But she alluded forever, always behind a veil.

Then I sat by a pond, silver and green leaved,
I saw myself in it, both happy and grieved.

Feeling queer, I asked myself if I was wrong,
Making a show of someone else’s song?

No came the answer, like a sword to the flesh,
The direction is right, I must hold the thresh.

As night fell upon the verdant trees,
I thought of my mind and it’s violent seas.

I'm at the crossroads when I should have been ahead,
It is so easy, still so difficult done than said.

Think not much, forget it now, sleep in the gloomy sky,
My quest is hard by my own doing, but I shall fly.
...

Reflections - Life of Pi

Life of Pi

Life of Pi was one of the most accomplished films of 2012. It is known for its amazing visual effects, its vibrant appeal, its breathtaking story, its Oscar winning direction and whatnot.

All this may be, but there is another, astounding side to the motion picture too. Recollect one of the last scenes of the film – when the adult Pi (Irrfan Khan), after narrating the alternate story asks the author-

Adult Pi Patel: So which story do you prefer?

Writer: The one with the tiger. That's the better story.

Adult Pi Patel: Thank you. And so it goes with God.

“And so it goes with God.” This, for me was quite a twist ending. The truth as to which story is real and which is false has been left to the viewer’s discretion. Let’s consider the alternate story – the one with the humans in the boat, to be true.

Pi Patel has been subjected to a catastrophic trauma, one which is extremely hard to deal with. He is leaving his beloved homeland behind, his ship gets wrecked in a storm, he somehow manages to escape in a boat, his father is dead, his mother is killed by a monstrous man, and he is stranded without any direction. Safe to say, this is one of the worst forms of hardships that can be faced by an adolescent man. So, what does he do in such a situation? Does he lose hope? Does he rest all the troubles on his tired and miserable shoulders? No; Pi Patel believes in God. He chooses to believe in another story, one which assuages his horrendous experience. He chooses to believe in a better story, because fake as it may be, it eases his pain. And so it goes with God.

One may face a lot of troubles in life, troubles that can destroy a person, make them morose and depressed. In such times, one can take to oneself and hold all these troubles on their shoulders. Or they can believe in God.

Now God does not necessarily mean the bearded old man sitting on top of the sky monitoring all your activities. God can be a higher entity, someone who is a figment of your imagination, an imaginary friend you may call him. You just unload your troubles upon him, and hope for good.

Now some may consider this a cowardly act, not standing up to your troubles isn't the most recommended thing when it comes to life. But think of matters that are out of your hand, like those of Pi. You can't do anything; you are in a sorry state. At such times, you can either choose to face all the pain, or share some with an imaginary friend. It is much like sharing your woes with a beloved person, only that this God of yours won't judge. Moreover, believing in an imaginary entity does not mean that you are going to step down and not face your problems. You are going to tackle them, just that those problems will be easier to deal with.

When did I realise I was God? Well, I was praying and I suddenly realised I was talking to myself. 

- Peter O'Toole

Believing in God is much like praying. When you pray, you are talking to yourself, just accepting your problems. A believer admits to all his misery. He asks God for help. By admitting, he rests his problems on God. This is acceptance, and acceptance is the first step towards solving a problem.

This is what you call faith - believing in good. You don't have to be a religious person to believe. You can be an atheist or an agnostic; it is just a simple matter of sharing your problems with a higher entity. For an atheist, this entity will be imaginary, for a believer, this will be God …

Who are you?

Humans are very interesting beings. We are social, we use language as medium, we are inventive, we are dynamic and we are the most powerful. We have created so many things, so many fields to work upon, and so many domains to ponder about. Among us human beings, there are engineers, economists, doctors, labourers, artists and a multitude of other varied professions.  It is quite marvellous if we give a thought to the magnitude of it all.

We, as people are similar on the outset. But then again, we are so unlike each other.

So, the question is, considering the humongous scale of humanity, how would you end up defining yourself? Who are you? Are you a friendly lad with great social skills and a happy go lucky nature? Or are you a conniving scum who charms people to get their way? Well, you could be both. That is the amazing thing about perspective.

As you walk through life, you meet different groups of people. These people have their own opinions and points of view. People perceive things differently. That is a given. So, everyone has a view of what you are. Some may find you funny, some dull. Some may find you hard-working, some just lazy. But you can’t be two things at the same time, can you?

I have heard the most diverse adjectives about myself. While a group of people would call me a pervert, the other would call me an innocent and simple guy. A man once called me highly mature and philosophical; a woman describes me as childish and immature. Such contrasting opinions.

Hence, one reason for such a difference is people’s perspective. Perspective is an amusing thing. What is good to me may mean bad to you. That is how it works.

The other reason is you itself. As you interact with people, you inadvertently adjust a wee bit to accommodate yourself within the opposite person’s wavelength.  That too, is a given, no matter how much you claim to be yourself.

To the man who calls me mature, maybe I don’t show him my idiocy because we never came to see each other’s larky side. To the woman who calls me childish, maybe the exact opposite happened.

You behave in a disciplined manner at home because of your strict parents. Yet, you perform random idiosyncrasies with your friends. That is because, you are free out there. It is also the other way around. You do the most embarrassing things when at home within the familiar walls, things which you can’t imagine doing with others. Obviously, there will be people who beg to differ with this concept, but in general, we adapt.

Thus, it is the fundamental characteristic of humans to adapt. We know about physical adaptations, how our bodies adjust in different situations. However, mental adaptation is something we don’t always study about.

This is who we are. We are, as they often say, reflections of the people around us. It is very droll and fascinating if given a thought - seeing ourselves from different perspectives. Being conscious of how we change with people. Perspective and adaptation are good words. A change in perspective can make your life easier and make you more optimistic. Adaptation can help you adjust in the most stringent of situations.

As varied and adaptive as we may be, in essence, we are unique. And that is the ultimate truth. While we are different for different people, it is most essential to see ourselves as an integral entity, for living in the shadows of others is not advisable, as heard and read many times. It is primary to know yourself, and secondary to know what others deem of yourself...