Change - The Only Constant

In our lives, we come across so many changes. The only thing which is constant throughout our lives is the Change itself. To effectively manage change and be prepared for it, we must anticipate what is coming next. If caught by surprise, we might be in danger of being plagued.

The parable of the boiled frog helps us to understand the nature of change. To boil a frog, you may try one of following two ways:

• If you place a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will leap out of the pan when it feels the heat.


• Alternatively, you can put a pot filled with water on the stove and then place the frog in it. Without sensing the impending danger, the frog stays. When you start to slowly heat the water, the frog relaxes. The heating water slowly drains away the frog's energy. By the time the frog realizes its danger, it is too late to take action.

In this situation, the point is when the change is gradual, it goes unnoticed. To avoid becoming a "boiled frog”, we need to be vigilant enough so as to not let unexpected changes creep up. We must pay close attention to what is going on around us, so that we can notice when the water is getting “hot”.

However, in today’s fast changing world, there is neither time nor energy to alter the change. We can just be prepared for change by being proactive. Knowing far enough in advance that change is on the way allows making plans. Moreover, knowing that change is on the horizon, we can even try to transform it into an opportunity.

Johann von Goethe aptly sums up the truth of Life and Change when he says that Life belongs to the living, and one who lives must be prepared for change.

Paradise Lost; Waiting to be Regained

Of Man's first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the World…

Because of the basic human nature of “Fascination for Abomination”, we all in some way or the other still continue to bring this very death into the world that was caused by man’s original sin.
This article is in continuation to my previous article “Things Falling Apart”, where I spoke about this world coming to pieces. I also emphasized that these actions are fortunately revocable and can be cured by the actions of man.

We can not just wait for the destined fate to fall upon us. The paradise lost waits for us to be regained. It’s the Wake-up call.

In this vision, we need some grand schemes to remake the world. I might sound utopic here, but strong revolution is necessary. There is no scope left for gradual, piecemeal change, and any more compromises.

To create the good society and protect it against the coming anarchy, we needs robust and enduring institutions, which are capable of making the young imbibe and embody the accumulated wisdom of past generations-The wisdom that will guide us to the Clear Day through the apparent changes to come.

We might not be able to control the external forces leading to such transformations, but we can most certainly control our minds and actions.
In today’s whirlwind of change, we must not wait until it is too late to act. Knowing far enough in advance that change is on the horizon gives us ample time and allows us to transform it into an opportunity rather than chance being unexpectedly beset by a crisis.

Let’s regain Paradise.

Things falling Apart

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,”

This was Yeats’ grim observation of the political scene, after the First World War, captured incisively in the poem The Second Coming.

Unfortunately, these words apply not merely to the political scene but to everything and everywhere. It's all coming to pieces- the world we live in.

There are “weapons of mass destruction” across the continents, and if one is used, another will follow and then no body can stop the devastation.

The economy is getting worse each day. The voracity and corruption at the very roots of economy has reached a scale unimaginable.

The environment is unbalanced. It is all about global warming, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, wild fires, earthquakes, Tsunamis, the melting icecaps… and the list goes on.

Does this ring a bell somewhere? We can't just sit back and watch.

It does not require any sixth sense to foresee an immediate future in which the world is hammered by the weather and stumbling from an economic meltdown.

We all thought for years that the future held, although vague, visions of progress and success, and that our problems would be "solved" by science. But now, as it seems, the same science is being held responsible for screwing things. In case of the global warming problem, we may have already done so.

Fortunately, these actions are not irrevocable and can be cured by the actions of man. The predicament of present times from which an escape is not possible apparently, still has a way out left that says “Never lose Hope”.

It’s just that we need to unite and raise our voice. But the problem does not end here. Rather, it begins here. As "the best lack all conviction", the sensible people are honestly confused. They don't know how to put the pieces of a shaken world back together. And so they are silent.We don't need someone else to say these things. We can say these ourselves and must, so that the center holds, and things don't fall apart.

Is Shakespeare Still Alive?

The answer is YES.

He is alive not just amongst those students who, like me once, have had to compulsorily catch up with the Bard (whether they appreciated him or not) but the theatergoers, actors, and writers who celebrate the memory of their favourite playwright, who share a common admiration.

Today, all of us use his words in our day to day communications. His words are so embedded in our common usage that it has become a linguistic second skin.
The impact of isolated words from his works definitely has a deep influence on our language. Through Shakespeare's wordplay, we experience a genius that has become so usual that we are almost ignorant about it. "Refuse to budge an inch" and "tongue-tied" are so familiar that they sound like cliché.
Nothing else can prove this point any better than this quote by Bernard Levin:
" …if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinkin idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut, tut! For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare."
Yet, it is only once we think in tranquility, the instancy and preciseness of such phrases that we realize these have become cliché because they makes the artifice of language seem entirely natural. I often wonder if Shakespeare ever diverged from “Imagination with Precision.”
And why just language? Shakespeare is so close to us that we find our own faces reflected in the characters he created, our own stories refracted through the tales that he tells.
His plays are informative, tragic, romantic and comedy. For instance the Romeo and Juliet is still considered the most tragic drama world-over; As You Like It and the Comedy of Errors are the plays famous for their remarkable comedy; while The Tempest and the Winter’s Tale display great romanticism.
And now that I am recollecting my experience with Shakespeare, how can I forget the theatrical show of Habib Tanvir’s translation and adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, translated as Kamdeo Ka Apna, Vasant Ritu Ka Sapna, (The Love God’s Own, A Spring time Dream), which made us “laugh into stitches.”Though Shakespeare is no more with us, he has become eternal in the form of his words and works, and will forever remain so.

M I becoming a shopaholic?

Thank God, I scored 26!
Of all the thing that I fear, this was something that was boggling me for long. But now I am relieved to know that I am NOT a shopaholic.
Anyways to tell you the fact, I spent 16 K buying clothes last week

Legend:
Total Score is: Over 50 Points: You may have a serious over-spending problem.
Total Score is: 25 to 50 Points: You need to be very careful. You could be headed towards becoming a Shopaholic.
Total Score is: Less Than 25 Points: Relax. You seldom over-spend.

This a simple test to know whether one IS or NOT a shopaholic:

http://www.banksite.com/debtconsolidation/shopaholic.htm

Sailing the ship

Highly inspired by the the Poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley,
I am determined to touch the pinnacle some day.
No matters what obstacle come my way,
No matter how high it may.
Because I know God is with me,
And so is my family.
Now I have my spirits right,
and i need not fright.
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Ready to sail my ship,
Towards the Highest cliff.

PS: This blog could not have been commpleted if I had not taken words from the poem Invictus.
************************
Invictus (By William Ernest Henley )

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Do I exist?

Still Pondering over...

I think therefore I am.

I am therefore I think.

I think ____ therefore I am____.

The truth of Life...

While travelling from Rohini to Gurgaon everday, i often engage myself by listening to music or chatting with friends. But today I was sitting and thinking hard about life.....How it changed from peppy college life to a stressful professional life (Read no social life).

How pocketmoney changed to huge monthly pay cheques but gives less happiness...
How a single plate of samosa changed to a full pizza...but there is less hunger...
How a tea by roadside change to CCD, Barista...but it fell as if the shop is far away...
How a limited prepaid card in mobile changed to postpaid packege...but we don't really have friends to talk to...

this is the truth of life...............

Escape route

It’s important to keep an escape route but not necessary to take it.

Travel on the Wheels

Those two scintillating days in Shivpuri were the most memorable time I had in all these years. It was my first my first trip without any of my family member which turned out to be simply exhilarating.

While heading towards those rocky mountains, everyone was bubbling with energy in the bus. We reached the camp before dawn. It had drizzled. And the picturesque sunrise filled us with enthusiasm. There were mountains all around, and Ganga was flowing in the valley. And on the banks of Ganga was our camp. There was no electricity, no mobile network. Toilets were dry toilets with pits.

The trip was a quick get away from civilization to the lap of the Himalayas. This trip gave us more time to absorb the great outdoors and participate in activities such as a river rafting, bridge slithering, and cannoning.

Each and every activity was hair- raising but rafting was the one which brought a chill in my spine. Somehow I mustered up my courage and prepared myself for this fearful water game. After fastening my life jacket, I remembered all my near and dear ones as I had a very bleak hope of returning from the clutches of those roaring waves. But after crossing the first rapid, I threw my fear far away and enjoyed the upcoming rapids.

After this, we had the skill-full activity of canonying. Very surprisingly, I completed it most efficiently among my friends. Although, when it came to leaving the rope and jumping into the water, my knees went weak. But I did it with a splash.

The entire trip was a roller coaster ride with altogether a different experience. When I go in retrospect and remember those two days, I feel so refreshed and lively and want to revisit the place over and over again.

GOD does Exist!

Following is a story of A man who went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and varioussubjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God,the barber said: "Idon't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.
"Well, you just have to go out in the street torealize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would therebe so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imaginea loving a God who would allow all of these things. "The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.
Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkeept. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber."I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked onyou!" "No!" thecustomer exclaimed."Barbers don't exist because if they did, therewould be no people withdirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! " answered the barber. "What happens, is, people do not come to me. "
"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES Exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."