30 Mar 2005

Joyce-ism

Posted by Oblivion in General | 11:43am


One from Joyce:

"A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery."



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27 Mar 2005

Death, Interrupted

Posted by Oblivion in General | 8:36am


Man's conception of the Universe and his understanding of the world appear to be rooted in his fear of, and failure to understand, Death. So, all his morality, spirituality, belief systems, etc seem to be the effects of thanatophobia. If he knew with certainty what acually happens after death, I doubt if we had such moral codes and schools of thought in place. What, instead, would have existed, depends on the combination of four things:

1.There is life after death
2.There is no life after death
3.There is God (let us assume God is that someone who has no better things to do than keep an account of our deeds, and rewards or punishes accordingly)
4.There is no God

Assumption 1: That there is life after death and there is God is the assumption that is most widely followed. So, there would not be much deviation from the currently prevalent belief systems and codes, if this assumption were true. Little deviation, however, would have happened because man's behavior would be different; the certainty of a second chance makes him take many things for granted. The world would not have been much different, although some schools of thought would've come up a little later, and in a totally different way. Interesting to imagine how Insurance would have been affected.

This holds, however, only if the next life is dependent on the deeds in this life. It is only this dependence that makes man attach any importance to God. If one is assured that he will be born a man again regardless of his actions in this life, I wonder how many people would respect or fear God.

Assumption 2: There is no life after death but there is God. Except for those who fear God or realise the beauty of Truth, all people else would be disillusioned and refuse to attach any importance to God. The effect? More suicides, less virtue, relaxed moral code, more licentiousness, more sanity, more insanity too. Death would be more dreadful than it now is. 

Assumption 3: There is life after death but there is no God. Man would love this. It's akin to a world without police and law. And what more! there's another life to live all over this again! Chaos twice over. Death would be a non-issue. Most philosophers and writers would've committed suicide - some, out of disappointment, but most, out of sheer boredom. The legend of Sisyphus would have inspired more fiction than any other legend possibly could have.

Assumption 4: There is no life after death and there is no God either. Pessimists would have ruled the world. More fear, more violence, more insanity. The rest is not hard to imagine.

Neither of the aforementioned assumptions would have affected the rational man though. He would live the same way no matter what. A rational man derives his points of view from the significance of life; the irrational derive theirs from the fear of death.    



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22 Mar 2005

My Little Sister

Posted by Oblivion in General | 9:53pm


I held her hand firm as we approached the school gate
She is precious to me, but I had to let her go
As she hastened her tread, she turned to bid adieu
My hand still lay open as we looked at each other
Tender tears no more flowed on her baby cheeks
Instead, a cherubic smile adorned her innocent face
With a glimmer of delight she waved me goodbye
Joy of heaven was mine as I looked at my precious one
But, alas! I let her go alone into the ruthless world
And that was why mine were also the pangs of pain
World mocked at me and reminded she is no more a baby
Frozen memories of fourteen years melted by recollection
Grown-up is she for the world, but little she still is for me
Little was she when I held her with care in my arms
When she ran in the sand with abandon, she was little
She was little too when fairy tales were the world to her
Little also was she when cute plaits danced on her shoulders
When she learnt her first rhyme and shared her delight
When, after the day's play, she slept to my lullabies
Little she was when, in pain, she looked at me for a hug
My precious one was little when she believed all my stories
Little was she when her world crumbled on the first day at school
Little is she now as she walks away from me for school
And little shall she be to me however many years may pass
Yes, my little sister shall always be the precious little one to me


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15 Mar 2005

Method in Madness

Posted by Oblivion in General | 9:00pm


Meaninglessness cannot be ascribed to life, for the concept of meaning and the process of inference belongs to the realm of mind, but life does not.

As it might appear, then, sanity is, on the contrary, not in admitting failure and living in disillusionment reminding oneself, "after all, there is no meaning in anything anyways", but in transcending the realm of mind and embracing life with passion.



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11 Mar 2005

Time and Me

Posted by Oblivion in General | 8:49pm


On our journey to nowhere, my feet ached
My feet ached, and I saw the swift flight of a feeling 
A feeling of numbness crept in, and I paused
I paused on our journey to nowhere, and looked back
I looked back into His eyes yet again
Yet again I met with that indifferent stare
Indifferent stare but compassionate eyes His were
His were the eyes with no trace of weariness
Weariness and boredom were my constant companions
Companions in my joy, in my strife, and solitude
Solitude encompassed me as He smiled and beckoned
Beckoned me to walk ahead, and I stood askance
Askance I stood and wondered what lied ahead
Ahead have we been walking for years but reached nowhere
Nowhere have we reached, and futile the walk has proved
The walk has proved futile, or so I thought
I thought and I stood shattered. "Where to?" I asked
I asked and He just smiled. "To nowhere", He said
He said thus and noticed the tear in my eye
My eye, and the eyes, went blurred as I turned
I turned as I mused what I did all along the walk
Along the walk, all along, I wanted to be ahead of Him
Ahead of Him I wanted to be, in speed and in sight
In sight of mine, blinded by ambition, was always the destination
The destination that I now, alas, realise is not there at all
"Not there at all!" tears rushed in a cascade
Cascade of memories, joyful and painful, fleeted past
Past was all life that I lost waiting for a tomorrow
A tomorrow when I believed eternal happiness will be mine
Mine, I believed, will be that happiness for eternity
"Eternity, my son, is always in THIS moment", He said
He said, He also said, "don't run. Just walk. Beside me"
Beside me, He walked now, as I slowed down
Slowed down on my tread, I looked around for the first time
For the first time the million doors of delight opened
Opened were also the crooked, closed windows of mind
Mind rested and flew with the clouds as we walked ahead thus
Thus walked, now as friends, ahead on our journey to nowhere
To nowhere walked ahead both of us - Time and me



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6 Mar 2005

This Moment...

Posted by Oblivion in General | 11:19am


How many people are gorging on sumptuous food?
How many gadget-freaks are typing SMSs?
How many children are blissfully asleep?
How many poor, old women are hungry and praying for crumps of meal?
How many kids are playing in sand?
How many poets are walking on a beach?
How many cancer patients are battling for life?
How many orphans are thinking of their mothers?
How many men on the battlefield are feeling home-sick?
How many tourists are watching at Eiffel Tower?
How many idlers are watching the strangers on the street?
How many citizens are bribing the bureaucrats?
How many lonely hearts are pining for their lovers/beloveds?
How many lovers are holding hands and walking at Bandra?
How many jobless youth are worried about uncertainty?
How many adolescents are running into the chance meeting with their first crushes?
How many beaten and cheated souls are contemplating suicide?
How many frustrated children are deciding to leave their homes?
How many couples are making love?
How many thinkers are trying yet again to make sense of life?
How many scientists are hoping to discover another solar system?
How many composers are going mad to get that final note correct?
How many sons are holding hands of their mothers just about to die?
How many prostitutes are pleasing the men and cursing their helplessness?
How many school-kids are dreaming of becoming an actor?
How many innocent people are being tortured in prisons?
How many politicians are troubled by feelings of guilt?
How many guys are waiting for the moment to sleep with their girlfriends?
How many women are anticipating labour pains?
How many drunkards are on the verge of being inebriated?
How many insomniacs are wondering why there is night?
How many bosses are screwing-up careers of their subordinates?
How many journalists are making up stories to meet deadlines?
How many judges are passing capital punishments?
How many young boys are being initiated into terrorist groups?
How many Priests and Nuns are regretting their decisions?
How many murderers are standing inside confession boxes?
How many frightened kids are lying to their fathers about marksheets?
How many insane men are hacking the heads of helpless hostages?
How many innocent kids are walking to school to return and find their families killed?
How many passengers are traveling in the flight about to crash?
How many brothers are writing letters to their little sisters?
How many readers are disappointed with the latest work of their favorite writers?
How many bored chaps are surfing porn sites?
How many copywriters are preparing copy for Women's Day ads?
How many godmen are foisting another belief on the blind followers?
How many anxious girls are deciding on the reply to the guy-next-door's proposal?
How many compassionate people are shedding tears for the sorrow and injustice in the world?
How many romantic chaps are listening to Moonlight Sonata?
How many mavericks are giving up on everything and just walking away to nowhere?
How many schizophrenics are returning to normal?
How many atheists on the death-bed are praying for the impossible?
How many agnostics on the death-bed are braving the inevitable?
How many young AIDS patients on the death-bed are hankering to live?
How many intelligent girls are uncomfortable with the misconception of women empowerment?
How many businessmen in their Mercedes-Benzs are waiting for that tomorrow when they will be happy?
How many unhappy onlookers are envying those businessmen in their Mercedes-Benzs?
How many happy people are admiring the speeding Mercedes-Benzs without a trace of envy?

How many lazy guys like me are writing junk in their blogs?

Strange world; interesting life!



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5 Mar 2005

Of Sin and Slang

Posted by Oblivion in General | 12:22pm


A: Slanging is sinning.
B: Slanging is slanging. Sinning is sinning. No connecting.
A: I saying slanging is sinning. I insisting. You better listening.
B: ...but slanging is slanging, sinning is sinning. Why you connecting?
A: You acting smarting? If you not listening, I fucking you.
B: Good referencing. You saying fucking - that is slanging. If you forcing fucking, that is sinning.
B: Slanging is simpling. Sinning is complicating. Connecting slanging and sinning is even more complicating.
A: You daring speaking more!? I slitting your throat and killing.
B: But, killing is the biggest sinning.
A: No giving a damning. I eldering, you youngering. You not listening to me is mistaking. And I punishing.
B: You go aheading with beheading. But I believing in no connecting slanging and sinning.
A: You fucking culpriting. No respecting? You deserving punishing. I killing you.
B: Amening!

Life is full of obscenity and vulgarity. By taking so many things for granted, and with heads full of convoluted and illogical belief systems, we commit sins enough to warrant ten sentences in hell and yet are completely blind to this fact.

Sin is deeper than the knife can go into the other person's flesh, and slang is often packaged in the nicest words possible that kicks, imperceptibly at that, deep into the other person's ass and makes him feel guilty! We fuck one another with words and gestures, and yet attach virtue to it.

We make it easy for ourselves to do anything and justify the same, by classifying some definite actions as sins and some definite words as slang. And any action that doesn't belong to that set is not a sin, and any word that is not a part of that word set is not slang.

Brilliant, but blatantly shit logic! Man excels at this.



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