Saturday, August 9, 2008
Life
Life is like a box of crayons. Most people are the 8-color boxes, but what you're really looking for are the 64-color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. I fancy myself to be a 64-color box, though I've got a few missing. It's ok though, because I've got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. I have a bit of a problem though in that I can only meet the 8-color boxes. Does anyone else have that problem? I mean there are so many different colors of life, of feeling, of articulation.. so when I meet someone who's an 8-color type.. I'm like, hey girl, magenta! and she's like, oh, you mean purple! and she goes off on her purple thing, and I'm like, no - I want magenta!
Never Back Down
Revenge !
Doing nothing has consequences too. You cannot give up and sit down. Sometimes, fighting the fight means that you have to do the one thing that you don't want to do. You have to fight. You can't just hide forever.
Yes I can't. It isn't just right. And I am going to stop this guy here. Win ! Loose! That makes no difference.
It is my fight. And everyone's got one !
Whatever happens. I will control the outcome. It's on me.
Doing nothing has consequences too. You cannot give up and sit down. Sometimes, fighting the fight means that you have to do the one thing that you don't want to do. You have to fight. You can't just hide forever.
Yes I can't. It isn't just right. And I am going to stop this guy here. Win ! Loose! That makes no difference.
It is my fight. And everyone's got one !
Whatever happens. I will control the outcome. It's on me.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The Gambler
You must know when to fold them
You must know when to fool them
You must know when to walk away
You must know when to run
You never count your money when you are sitting at the table
You can only count them when the deal is done.
You must know when to fool them
You must know when to walk away
You must know when to run
You never count your money when you are sitting at the table
You can only count them when the deal is done.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Gone Baby Gone
I always believe that it was the things that you don’t choose, that make you who you are. Your city; your neighbourhood; your family. People here take pride in these things. Like it was something they had accomplished. The bodies around their souls. The cities wrapped around those.
I lived on this block my whole life. Most of these people have. When your job is to find people who are missing, it helps to know where they started. I find the people who started in the cracks, and then fell through. This city can be hard. When i was young i asked my priest, how you could get to heaven and still protect yourself from all the evil in the world.
He told me what God said to his children.
"You are sheep among wolves.
Be wise as serpents,
Yet innocent as doves."
Saturday, March 29, 2008
I Dream Now....
“I cannot rest from travel; I will drink
Life to the lees. All times I have enjoyed
Greatly, have suffered greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone…
I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known - cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments…
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet experience is an arch where through
Gleams that untraveled world, whose margin fades
Forever and forever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!..
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought…
Come, my friends,
‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
For my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
Life to the lees. All times I have enjoyed
Greatly, have suffered greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone…
I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known - cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments…
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet experience is an arch where through
Gleams that untraveled world, whose margin fades
Forever and forever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!..
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought…
Come, my friends,
‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
For my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
Ulysses
By Alfred Lord Tennyson
In his last speech to his mariners, Ulysses asks them to travel towards the unknown horizon and continue living a life of adventure till the end.
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield is what my philosophy of life has been.
To strive for improvement, to seek knowledge, to find happiness, and not to yield to fear.
Monday, March 24, 2008
In the heart of BIT MESRA
Kab milenge ye na jaane hum
Yaroon phir se sabhi
Laut kar ab na ayenge wo
Masti bhare din kabhi
Dil ye apna kahe ke Aye Doston !
I'm really gonna miss this place
I'm gonna miss my college days
.....
Yaad ayega ye Mesra
Humko dil se humesha
Yaad aya phir wo campus
Aur uski apni duniya
Yaad ayega humesha ye aashiyan
I really miss my college days.
Forever grateful to Birla Insititute of Technology, Mesra - My Alma Mater
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Choice
Whatever comes our way,
Whatever bad we have raging inside us,
We always have a Choice.
My friend taught me that.
He choose to be the best of himself.
Its the choices that make us who we are,
And we can always choose to do what is Right.
Whatever bad we have raging inside us,
We always have a Choice.
My friend taught me that.
He choose to be the best of himself.
Its the choices that make us who we are,
And we can always choose to do what is Right.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Namesake
How many roads have I wondered?
None and each my own
Behind me the bridges have crumbled
No question of return
Nowhere to go but the horizon
Where, then, will I call my home ?
None and each my own
Behind me the bridges have crumbled
No question of return
Nowhere to go but the horizon
Where, then, will I call my home ?
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Journey to GoNdOLiN
1.1 DUNSHEN
The sun shone harshly over the brazen fields of Dunshen. The clear cloudless sky had no sign of life, and darkness inevitably was sooner or later to be summoned. Once a beautiful landscape blessed by the gods, Dunshen now is a lifeless wasteland withered with the corpse - the dead floating on bloody puddles left behind by the raiders.
Above at the approaching dark end of Dunshen stood the great forest of Volden. A symbol of myth and enigma to the aborigines of Dunshen. None dared to venture into the deeps of Volden. It had been cursed by a wicked spell when they banished the king in to the jungles of Volden.
Darkness far below the lower reaches of the jungle sheltered a small hut that sparkled in the desolate night with a fire by its side. The cool breeze carried with it the smidgen smell of food hanging by a pot above the fire. Near the fireplace, sitting below an alpine tree a shadow played a strange kind of music, with an instrument as strange as him. It was a golden pipe, long and slender. With every note of music he piped in, a presto of sparkling bells swiveled at the other end of the pipe. The fire cast a shade of crimson to the skin on his old face. Wrinkles shown above his high cheekbones with his eyes sparkling sharply let a long silver beard run down the red cheeks. He wore a grey robe, and to his left, on a stone by his side was kept the long pointed hat, and a long uninteresting wooden stick. The phoneme carried itself far into the silence of Volden, piercing through the deep-rooted, closed camaraderie of the trees, and the wilderness. The maudlin sound of his music made a call into the jungle, attempting to summon something that would relieve him of his age-old bondage. From some dark curse.
As time passed through the night, the piper’ music and the darkness vanished into the jungle. Dawn approached with the nearby Malena treating the fauna that visited her waters. Malena, the river ran across Dunshen, down from the great mountains of Moldor to spread across the land of Dunshen. Moldor was at Far East of Dunshen and rose up to the heavens. Moldor wide and huge was home to the once mighty dwarves. The dwarves of Moldor, once an ally of the gods of heaven fought arm to arm alongside men against the Gondolins. Since then, no one heard of them except that there exists no gateway into the Moldor to the dwarves.
At Dunshen beautiful species of butterflies fluttered with their colorful wings over the placid water of Malena. Pebbles and miniature rocks emanating from the surface looked like gemstones jaded into the heart of Malena. It was spring that added to the soluble joyfulness of the morning. But a hint of cold wind brought with it the melancholic paleness of the fate of Dunshen. The raiders had ripped its heart open and the serenity of the water marked yet another phase of calmness before an even more terrible storm arrived upon this land.
The orange starfish, ciliated with spots on its body lay slipshod below the shallow surface of the clear water. Under the sunlight these spots gleamed like pearls. Purple flowers like flakes of snow ascended from the dark barked redwood trees above on the huge reef overhanging the river. When suddenly the thud of a spear smashed into the creature. White blood oozed out and dissolved itself into Malena. Faint gallops sounded somewhere near the banks. Someone was being chased while the starfish served as a victim of the unforeseen wrath. Was it the fate of Malena to smelt all the pain of Dunshen into itself?
Elish’ steed splashed swiftly across the water. Three mercenaries sped behind her ferociously. Heavily armed with spears and swords they carried along a red banner that bore an ancient golden insignia. Armored from head to bottom, their eyes razed into the terrain they cast them upon. Dry leaves rustled away from the path with every gallop their horses took, and the wind seemed to come to a stand still. She rode fast with a somatic fear, her rein being weakened by a prolonged chase. Unknown to the terrain of Dunshen, she quickened frantically towards Volden. The majestic coniferous of wooden Volden seemed to be her only hope of escape.
There was little time left when the orb- the gateway would close forever. As time slipped by, the orb shrunk. She had to reach to it as soon as possible. The hunters were closing in on her. She had almost reached the woods leaving the raiders still a few yards away when Elish pulled back the reins of her steed. Raising its forelimbs high up against the sun, the steed turned back in an effort to obey its master’s command. Her face shone brightly with the striking cerise beauty she was. Her grip loosened on the mane. And she fell back elegantly to collapse up on the meadows. Slowly she parted her lips to utter but her propinquity faded away with a dazzle as ephemeral as a fleeting thought. What was left behind was a haversack.
The guards astonished at the outcome of the ambush hideously rushed to seek the contents and vanished away.
1.2 THE REBELS
Moknd cleaned his tomahawk …….. (to be continued once the author finds some time ;)
The sun shone harshly over the brazen fields of Dunshen. The clear cloudless sky had no sign of life, and darkness inevitably was sooner or later to be summoned. Once a beautiful landscape blessed by the gods, Dunshen now is a lifeless wasteland withered with the corpse - the dead floating on bloody puddles left behind by the raiders.
Above at the approaching dark end of Dunshen stood the great forest of Volden. A symbol of myth and enigma to the aborigines of Dunshen. None dared to venture into the deeps of Volden. It had been cursed by a wicked spell when they banished the king in to the jungles of Volden.
Darkness far below the lower reaches of the jungle sheltered a small hut that sparkled in the desolate night with a fire by its side. The cool breeze carried with it the smidgen smell of food hanging by a pot above the fire. Near the fireplace, sitting below an alpine tree a shadow played a strange kind of music, with an instrument as strange as him. It was a golden pipe, long and slender. With every note of music he piped in, a presto of sparkling bells swiveled at the other end of the pipe. The fire cast a shade of crimson to the skin on his old face. Wrinkles shown above his high cheekbones with his eyes sparkling sharply let a long silver beard run down the red cheeks. He wore a grey robe, and to his left, on a stone by his side was kept the long pointed hat, and a long uninteresting wooden stick. The phoneme carried itself far into the silence of Volden, piercing through the deep-rooted, closed camaraderie of the trees, and the wilderness. The maudlin sound of his music made a call into the jungle, attempting to summon something that would relieve him of his age-old bondage. From some dark curse.
As time passed through the night, the piper’ music and the darkness vanished into the jungle. Dawn approached with the nearby Malena treating the fauna that visited her waters. Malena, the river ran across Dunshen, down from the great mountains of Moldor to spread across the land of Dunshen. Moldor was at Far East of Dunshen and rose up to the heavens. Moldor wide and huge was home to the once mighty dwarves. The dwarves of Moldor, once an ally of the gods of heaven fought arm to arm alongside men against the Gondolins. Since then, no one heard of them except that there exists no gateway into the Moldor to the dwarves.
At Dunshen beautiful species of butterflies fluttered with their colorful wings over the placid water of Malena. Pebbles and miniature rocks emanating from the surface looked like gemstones jaded into the heart of Malena. It was spring that added to the soluble joyfulness of the morning. But a hint of cold wind brought with it the melancholic paleness of the fate of Dunshen. The raiders had ripped its heart open and the serenity of the water marked yet another phase of calmness before an even more terrible storm arrived upon this land.
The orange starfish, ciliated with spots on its body lay slipshod below the shallow surface of the clear water. Under the sunlight these spots gleamed like pearls. Purple flowers like flakes of snow ascended from the dark barked redwood trees above on the huge reef overhanging the river. When suddenly the thud of a spear smashed into the creature. White blood oozed out and dissolved itself into Malena. Faint gallops sounded somewhere near the banks. Someone was being chased while the starfish served as a victim of the unforeseen wrath. Was it the fate of Malena to smelt all the pain of Dunshen into itself?
Elish’ steed splashed swiftly across the water. Three mercenaries sped behind her ferociously. Heavily armed with spears and swords they carried along a red banner that bore an ancient golden insignia. Armored from head to bottom, their eyes razed into the terrain they cast them upon. Dry leaves rustled away from the path with every gallop their horses took, and the wind seemed to come to a stand still. She rode fast with a somatic fear, her rein being weakened by a prolonged chase. Unknown to the terrain of Dunshen, she quickened frantically towards Volden. The majestic coniferous of wooden Volden seemed to be her only hope of escape.
There was little time left when the orb- the gateway would close forever. As time slipped by, the orb shrunk. She had to reach to it as soon as possible. The hunters were closing in on her. She had almost reached the woods leaving the raiders still a few yards away when Elish pulled back the reins of her steed. Raising its forelimbs high up against the sun, the steed turned back in an effort to obey its master’s command. Her face shone brightly with the striking cerise beauty she was. Her grip loosened on the mane. And she fell back elegantly to collapse up on the meadows. Slowly she parted her lips to utter but her propinquity faded away with a dazzle as ephemeral as a fleeting thought. What was left behind was a haversack.
The guards astonished at the outcome of the ambush hideously rushed to seek the contents and vanished away.
1.2 THE REBELS
Moknd cleaned his tomahawk …….. (to be continued once the author finds some time ;)
Numb
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless lost under the surface
Don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
Feeling so faithless lost under the surface
Don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
November Rain
It was one of those rare sunny days when colors seemingly filled the day with brightness. It was the green of the grass beneath my feet. And the blue of the sky above my mind. Life blossomed with hurried enthusiasm. The flowers made a frenzy of moves, seeming again to make a dance. Faint breeze drizzled to the sweet music.
And I said to Me, ‘It feels like heaven.’
Sudden’ed’ by numbness again. Pins and needles dropped in my mind. The violence overcame the silence. It ran again through my mind. The unpurged images of the day crossed me. And I thought, ‘Do I have the thought to write anymore?’
My thought let the faint breeze invade my space, and it blew the unstained sheets of paper all around.
I looked at the river flowing nearby. It somehow seemed unreachable. I tried to write but the pen wouldn’t write. Only because I had wished it to. I frantically jerk the pen. I wish to fill the river into it. But no pain could bring in even tears to fill it. I could write no more. The river could not either. Not even dried water.
What would I write upon?
Life at times becomes the loneliest place you can ever imagine - Like the silence of its own graveyard.
The sun brought parched grass all around. And the moon’s absence turned the dream into a nightmare.
I don’t know why I spend my time writing things I don’t believe. With words that tear me apart. They try to force me.
All that I once held seem false. All that I once held is True. Whom else can I trust?
Now I stand alone without beliefs. The only truth that I know is You. And when I watch through the window pane, it’s the drops of rain. And it reminds me of the pain. I know I am not like them.
Shall time dwell and heal?
Written sometime in the March of 2006
And I said to Me, ‘It feels like heaven.’
Sudden’ed’ by numbness again. Pins and needles dropped in my mind. The violence overcame the silence. It ran again through my mind. The unpurged images of the day crossed me. And I thought, ‘Do I have the thought to write anymore?’
My thought let the faint breeze invade my space, and it blew the unstained sheets of paper all around.
I looked at the river flowing nearby. It somehow seemed unreachable. I tried to write but the pen wouldn’t write. Only because I had wished it to. I frantically jerk the pen. I wish to fill the river into it. But no pain could bring in even tears to fill it. I could write no more. The river could not either. Not even dried water.
What would I write upon?
Life at times becomes the loneliest place you can ever imagine - Like the silence of its own graveyard.
The sun brought parched grass all around. And the moon’s absence turned the dream into a nightmare.
I don’t know why I spend my time writing things I don’t believe. With words that tear me apart. They try to force me.
All that I once held seem false. All that I once held is True. Whom else can I trust?
Now I stand alone without beliefs. The only truth that I know is You. And when I watch through the window pane, it’s the drops of rain. And it reminds me of the pain. I know I am not like them.
Shall time dwell and heal?
Written sometime in the March of 2006
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Why EVIL wins ?
The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it.
- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
-Edmund Burke
The spread of evil is the symptom of a vaccum. Whenever, evil wins, it is only by default by the moral failure of those who evade the fact that there can be no compromise on basic principles.
- Ayn Rand
- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
-Edmund Burke
The spread of evil is the symptom of a vaccum. Whenever, evil wins, it is only by default by the moral failure of those who evade the fact that there can be no compromise on basic principles.
- Ayn Rand
Monday, October 29, 2007
Who am I ?
I am caught up in a paradox between “who I am” and “who I want to be”. This question could be about the fact of my being or the ontology of self.
What is existence? What does it mean to say that something does not exist? Why are we here?
“What exists”, “What am I”, “What describes me”, all seem to be the unfathomable questions, for which understanding their real meaning itself is so strange to me.
Or are these questions a result of who I am willing to be publically and who I am in my private life. Today we live in a celebrity culture where we have eroded the distinction between our public and private lives. They have become difficult to be defined individually. This has more to do with the system of the society today and what it preaches and what it does. It has something to do with our desire to be exhibitionistic.
I am still figuring out what it means to live, how to live and adapt to this fast changing world. I am really clueless about what I am doing and what I want to look forward at. More so, why I want to look at what I want to look or am looking. At times I try to deceive myself with an irrational excuse of temporary numbness and loss of focus. Such recklessness and loss of focus will lead me to nowhere.
What do we live for? People say the answer is happiness. But aren’t we busy chasing short lived, unfulfilling, and always thirsty pleasures and voyeurisms. One question that comes to my mind is that why can’t we starve these desires of the same temporary pleasures just as they starve us. Will that be the kind of mastery I am looking for?
My life flashes past by me. Which one is faster, the flashing past or the blazing present? Or am I not able to catch up with anything? How excruciatingly painful it becomes when you realize that time has made you succumb to mediocrity. Where is that unbeatable euphoria to respond to the challenges that seemed unconquerable? Is it all about the adrenalin rush that you have for a shot span of time when you want to achieve something. Something for your happiness. But I have long back shoved that euphoria under my pillow. The dreams have gone underground. But what makes me do that is the same question about the purpose of doing everything and anything. What will I achieve by conquering another challenge? What is its purpose? I know, it will just add another black feather to my ego and my exhibition of achievements. But this ego does not give me any real happiness.
Every human being longs to be happy and remain untainted by sorrow. We have the greatest love for ourselves. How selfish? In the fight for livelihood & sustaining ourselves we forget to live. We fail to identify that happiness is inherent deep inside us. Happiness is for us to discover. I need to wake up from the sub conscious sleep and experience the joy of life. But how do I do it? Do I need to be more sensitive towards my surroundings? Do I need to be more responsive to the world?
Should I revisit the question – “Who am I?”
Am I just this physical body and the five – eye, tongue, ear, nose & skin - organs of sensory perception? I am not the five organs of external activity. Am I the five – respiration, digestion, circulation of blood, perspiration & excretion - vital forces? I am not the five vital forces. I am not even the thinking mind. Neither am I the unconscious state that has the latent impressions. I am a being free from all functional activities and am unaware of the existence of the objects of perceptions around me. What I am is an awareness, of existence, consciousness and bliss. If my mind subsides then the perception of the existence of this world ceases. But then after the perception of the world as an objective reality ceases, can we realize the Self.
What is the mind made up of? Is it thoughts? This mind is a unique power. Can we remove all thoughts from our mind without realizing that mind is made up of thoughts? It is the mind that is referred to as ‘I’ and the very form of Self. It is the mind that is called the ego or the soul.
Any thought that comes to our mind is primarily the ‘I’ thought and for me my bundle of thoughts has been just ‘Who am I?’ This ‘I’ thought generally manifests itself into either selfishness or a consummation of the suppressed desires. I think that any thought arising in my mind is constantly a quest to enquire ‘Who I am?’ This has led to an introversion of my mind and ultimately my thoughts subside. I have practiced this method of self enquiry since my early adolescent days and I feel that my mind has acquired the power and strength to believe in its source. I want to preserve this strength but what worries me is the threat from the lack of focus in life that I have started to feel.
It is always pleasant under the shade of a tree. A person toiling under the sun seeks the shade of the tree. However once he stays there for a while under the cool shade, he moves about and again not being able to bear the merciless heat of the sun. Such unwise men keep on repeating the same mistakes but he wise one never leave the shade. The mind of the ignorant one succumbs to and experiences the pain and anguish of this world whereas the wise one experiences the happiness. This happiness lies nowhere but within our thoughts.
To question “Who am I in bondage?” and to know one’s own nature is liberation. It is important to keep one’s mind tuned within and believe in self. Mind can be associated to good as well as evil. Other people generally appear evil minded but it should not affect us in any way. Also one should not interfere with the life others.
If the ego rises all else will also rise. If it subsides, all else will subside. The deeper the humility, the better it is for us.
Like oil in the seeds, butter in cream, water in the sea bed, fire in the tinder, the self is within the soul. Fire though present in the fire stick is not perceived unless on stick is rubbed against the other. Thus the self is hidden within the soul and it can be realized only through meditation. For the purpose of self realization we need to first control our senses and then harness our mind. The self, the inner reality can be seen behind the physical presence.
What is existence? What does it mean to say that something does not exist? Why are we here?
“What exists”, “What am I”, “What describes me”, all seem to be the unfathomable questions, for which understanding their real meaning itself is so strange to me.
Or are these questions a result of who I am willing to be publically and who I am in my private life. Today we live in a celebrity culture where we have eroded the distinction between our public and private lives. They have become difficult to be defined individually. This has more to do with the system of the society today and what it preaches and what it does. It has something to do with our desire to be exhibitionistic.
I am still figuring out what it means to live, how to live and adapt to this fast changing world. I am really clueless about what I am doing and what I want to look forward at. More so, why I want to look at what I want to look or am looking. At times I try to deceive myself with an irrational excuse of temporary numbness and loss of focus. Such recklessness and loss of focus will lead me to nowhere.
What do we live for? People say the answer is happiness. But aren’t we busy chasing short lived, unfulfilling, and always thirsty pleasures and voyeurisms. One question that comes to my mind is that why can’t we starve these desires of the same temporary pleasures just as they starve us. Will that be the kind of mastery I am looking for?
My life flashes past by me. Which one is faster, the flashing past or the blazing present? Or am I not able to catch up with anything? How excruciatingly painful it becomes when you realize that time has made you succumb to mediocrity. Where is that unbeatable euphoria to respond to the challenges that seemed unconquerable? Is it all about the adrenalin rush that you have for a shot span of time when you want to achieve something. Something for your happiness. But I have long back shoved that euphoria under my pillow. The dreams have gone underground. But what makes me do that is the same question about the purpose of doing everything and anything. What will I achieve by conquering another challenge? What is its purpose? I know, it will just add another black feather to my ego and my exhibition of achievements. But this ego does not give me any real happiness.
Every human being longs to be happy and remain untainted by sorrow. We have the greatest love for ourselves. How selfish? In the fight for livelihood & sustaining ourselves we forget to live. We fail to identify that happiness is inherent deep inside us. Happiness is for us to discover. I need to wake up from the sub conscious sleep and experience the joy of life. But how do I do it? Do I need to be more sensitive towards my surroundings? Do I need to be more responsive to the world?
Should I revisit the question – “Who am I?”
Am I just this physical body and the five – eye, tongue, ear, nose & skin - organs of sensory perception? I am not the five organs of external activity. Am I the five – respiration, digestion, circulation of blood, perspiration & excretion - vital forces? I am not the five vital forces. I am not even the thinking mind. Neither am I the unconscious state that has the latent impressions. I am a being free from all functional activities and am unaware of the existence of the objects of perceptions around me. What I am is an awareness, of existence, consciousness and bliss. If my mind subsides then the perception of the existence of this world ceases. But then after the perception of the world as an objective reality ceases, can we realize the Self.
What is the mind made up of? Is it thoughts? This mind is a unique power. Can we remove all thoughts from our mind without realizing that mind is made up of thoughts? It is the mind that is referred to as ‘I’ and the very form of Self. It is the mind that is called the ego or the soul.
Any thought that comes to our mind is primarily the ‘I’ thought and for me my bundle of thoughts has been just ‘Who am I?’ This ‘I’ thought generally manifests itself into either selfishness or a consummation of the suppressed desires. I think that any thought arising in my mind is constantly a quest to enquire ‘Who I am?’ This has led to an introversion of my mind and ultimately my thoughts subside. I have practiced this method of self enquiry since my early adolescent days and I feel that my mind has acquired the power and strength to believe in its source. I want to preserve this strength but what worries me is the threat from the lack of focus in life that I have started to feel.
It is always pleasant under the shade of a tree. A person toiling under the sun seeks the shade of the tree. However once he stays there for a while under the cool shade, he moves about and again not being able to bear the merciless heat of the sun. Such unwise men keep on repeating the same mistakes but he wise one never leave the shade. The mind of the ignorant one succumbs to and experiences the pain and anguish of this world whereas the wise one experiences the happiness. This happiness lies nowhere but within our thoughts.
To question “Who am I in bondage?” and to know one’s own nature is liberation. It is important to keep one’s mind tuned within and believe in self. Mind can be associated to good as well as evil. Other people generally appear evil minded but it should not affect us in any way. Also one should not interfere with the life others.
If the ego rises all else will also rise. If it subsides, all else will subside. The deeper the humility, the better it is for us.
Like oil in the seeds, butter in cream, water in the sea bed, fire in the tinder, the self is within the soul. Fire though present in the fire stick is not perceived unless on stick is rubbed against the other. Thus the self is hidden within the soul and it can be realized only through meditation. For the purpose of self realization we need to first control our senses and then harness our mind. The self, the inner reality can be seen behind the physical presence.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Supply Chain @ SINGAPORE
A combination of state-of-the-art information technology, financial expertise, and a professional talent pool makes Singapore the optimal place for a supply chain nerve centre and logistics hub. Several MNCs, including IBM and Volvo have capitalised on the smooth flow of information, goods, and funds in Singapore for their global supply chain needs.
Singapore has a sturdy infrastructure along with the world's busiest container transhipment port and one of the busiest and best-connected airports all across Asia. Singapore's vibrant logistics ecosystem has also led to more than 3000 logistics providers coming here. More than 50% of the world's top 25 third-party logistics providers have set up substantial operations here.
Currently there is a high demand for value added logistics services both in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. The industry has moved from basic needs such as supplying transportation and warehousing to providing total integrated logistics solutions. Specialists with good training and education in the area of supply chain and logistics are required to fuel and sustain the targeted competitive growth.
In order to achieve some awareness, the Supply Chain Council organised an event discussing about how to make the supply chain ready for the future. The event – Supply Chain World South East Asia Conference & Exposition held on the 6th & 7th of September, 2007 at Singapore which is attended by supply chain professionals from across the globe was also attended by some of the Global Logistics & Supply Chain Management students from S P Jain Center of Management, Singapore (SPJCM).
During the proceedings of the conference, Victor Tay, Director, Enterprise Development Group, said that Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore are the top countries in Asia for Supply Chain Management. This was based on a report released by KPMG. Mr Tay talked about collaborative supply chains as the future of supply chain management. The large market players will keep on growing and for the smaller companies to challenge them, they need to form alliances and collaborations to increase their level of participation in the market. This would require integration of their systems with another company. Process integration is the biggest challenge in supply chain collaboration.
Dr John Paul, Managing Director, iCognitive Pte Ltd, spoke about how the limitations of sharing employees, shareholders and management of an organization could act as another hindrance for collaborative supply chains. It is a huge challenge to collaborate internally within and the partners need to know how to share profits based on their strengths and contributions.
Mr Koh Juay Meng, the President of SCC – SEA Chapter stressed the need of building mutual trust among collaborators. The hindrance in collaborations can be removed by trust building as the initial step.
In the discussions with the industry leaders, Mr Ashish Kumar from SPJCM talked about the importance of sustainability of profits and sharing of information. In collaborative supply chains, can a company look into the books of accounts of the other collaborator or share knowhow about their systems and processes?
Dr. Krizz spoke about the line that needs to be drawn within collaborations. Generally collaboration is perceived as a win-win situation where, amalgamation of strengths of organizations is the key performance factors. The field of supply chain has not become leaner by collaborations. Collaborations are focusing on maximising of profits which alone could backfire. He suggested better application of technology to improve supply chains. Technology not as a mere tool for computing but solution can lead to improvement in secured flow of information. Dr. Krizz Chantjiraporn is the President of Thai Logistics & Production Society.
Finally, technology is only a tool. It is not always the latest technology that can give us the best solution. Technology will evolve and human thinking cannot be stopped. The industry needs better managers who can improve and emerge with the global business of supply chains.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)