Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Time Travel

Suma tagged me to reveal what I did 10 years ago and plan to do 14 years hence.

Two questions in each category answer them and then tag your friends from the blog-o-sphere. (Simple enough right) Leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and you are all set.
Yesterday - Your oldest memory - What were you doing 10 years ago?
Today -Your first thought today morning - If you built a time capsule today what would it contain?
Tomorrow - This year ….What do you see yourself doing 14 years from now?

Yesterday:
Oldest Memory: When I was a first grader, I had a school uniform tunic, into which I could get in easily but had great difficulty taking it out. Every afternoon after my mom was back from work, we had a comic scene at home when my grad pa will hold my hands and my mom would use her full force to take the tunic off my head.

10 years ago: Oct 1998. My friends and me got our job placements and we went to Shimla on a class trip. There are wonderful memories of endless chat, playing cards late into mid night and singing for 8 hours straight while travelling in a bus.

Today:
First thought in the morning: Woke up smiling. Did not have any dream but something is giving me peace.

In a time capsule: All the wonderful moments in my life which I would like to treasure for ever with the same fervor.

Tomorrow:
This Year: I would become an aunt in couple of weeks. I am looking forward to meet the new arrival.

14 years hence: If I could.... Okay let me be practical. Hopefully I would still be writing something. I wonder if travel to Antarctica or moon would have become affordable.

I tag Arc, Archana, Madhu, Dinker, Subha and any one else who wants to take it up.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Interpreter of dreams

A beautiful dream is worth thousand thoughts. I have not read Freud and other psychological geniuses but dreams have always amazed me. For most mornings, I forget what I dreamt at night. To be honest I don't know whether I dream or not everyday. I think we need to dream in some time period at night to remember it in the morning.

I used to have a friend whose dreams came true, literally. She would have dreams like one of her friends or family getting sick or how she would fare in a future exam. Once she actually figured out her grandma’s death. This is actually little eerie. Though we all love to know our future, it is the uncertainty that keeps us going. Another friend of mine would have funnier dreams about the characters she read in books. When Delhi was under terrorist threat, she dreamt how she used machine guns to keep her place safe from invaders.

The dreams become bizarre when we try to link things not related to each other. We can laugh at these as we know they do not convey much meaning. But there are some, which help us steer in the right direction. If my mind is disturbed for sometime, many times I have found answer in my dreams. I have actually solved few of my physics problems like that. I have also read that many solutions dawn human mind when mind is at rest. May be that is the state when our conscience is in play and it advices us what is right for us. Whether the answer is in favor or not, there is peace in heart and this feeling can be a cure to depression.

I have never tried to interpret my dreams too much because I feel sometimes over analysis deviate from the path of actual cause. It is just the moment of tranquility in the morning that I look for. We seek for peace outside because there is so much chaos within us but the reality is peace is within us.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Life isn't a bowl of cherries

Biologist proved long time back that life is always the survival of the fittest. By fittest, you can say the mightiest and the most powerful. Of course others always try to stand up and are successful in their own ways, balancing how much they can fight and how much they can adapt. Let me clarify beforehand that I am not advocating anyone. I am just trying to highlight the fact that we need to look within before shouting.

For the current economic condition, all have to take the blame. In the recent prosecution of Richard Fuld in the Capitol Hill, the congressmen were trying to make Lehman CEO as the scapegoat. They know everyone is in a mess and are just pointing fingers to save themselves. It takes courage to take responsibility and not to point fingers. When the going was good, all the politicians and the investment bankers made money. Even when it was not so good, their earnings were not bad. The treasury secretary himself and few other politicians who were CEO of the biggest investment firms have already made their millions and I don't think that they have the right to find someone to take the blame. They are all responsible for this big mess. If they feel so horrible, they can try to give back to the system by not accepting this year's compensation. I don't think it would even affect their multimillion savings.

This reminds me of some excerpts from My Life by Bill Clinton. His impeachment was not depended on what he did but who was in the power. In his second tenure, the Republicans were in majority in Congress. Had it been Democrats, it’s possible the impeachment might not even come through. I am not supporting what he did was right, all I am trying to say is others are equally bad too. The fact is so many people are trying to accuse others when they themselves are swimming in the same waters. Of course this is what politics is but is the human side completely lost?

What we need now is a leader to looks beyond and focuses on getting the results. This is such a simple statement and all would know but I wonder if the system so bad that none of the leader is able to make a break through. Of all the Indian politicians, Abdul Kalam is the only one I respect, maybe because he is not politician in the first place. He is a scientist who believes in betterment of humanity. I know there are many more like him across the world. I wonder if the power of communication could be strong enough to make them come together. In all world crises, it has never been a question of right or wrong but has always been a power play.

To evolve or not...