Not on a same page

An XYZ argument. A is for, B is against and C has all the fun. Before the advent of social media platform there was hierarchy or a kind of system wherein a chosen argument or point view would get wide circulation in the form of newspaper, radio or TV. Before putting a point of view, people would think twice and try to understand the bigger picture and then react as deemed fit for a collective evolution. There was no way of peeping into other's point of view in anonymity.

With advent of social media and video / message sharing platform even a cow playing football becomes a viral instantly. Its advent of instant reaction. No time to think on pros and cons of an aspect. And this instant reactions gaining viral status is the sad state of matter which attacks the conscience of human thinking ability.

Why is that instant reactions so absurd? Imagine you are visiting a hotel and order a food. The process would be you visiting the hotel, requesting for a menu card or listening to menu from waiter and then deciding on the food you wish to savor. This goes as an order to hotel. This being the normality. But what if there is an instant reaction? You see a beautiful offer of special recipe on the bulletin board of hotel and order for the same from the waiter. You actually missed that special recipe was for only a particular duration of the day. Waiter tries to convince you about it and you are in no mood to listen to the response due to instant reaction syndrome. Resulting in unruly argument. 

Viral factor is that same kind of argument heard by other customers and unruly scenes becoming the order of the day. Ultimate result will be either hotel extending the recipe for entire day or altogether cancelling the recipe from the menu that was prepared to delight the customers. 

These instant reactors form a brigade and involve in trolling people who are not in tune to their short sighted propaganda. But at the end of the day they have to accept the fact that instant reactions is not equivalent to quick decisions and being not on the same page is no big sin.

Science for the needy

Science and technology has become an inseparable part of this world and its advancement is benefiting many through out. You can visit any place on this earth without fear. Just browse on an internet search engine,select a travel counselor and book the tickets for you. Transactions are online. Communications are instant. The world is digital.

Countries are investing heavily in space missions, in missile technology, in electronic warfare and so on. These investments raises an important question regarding priorities. 

When an smart wearable detects the uneven heart beat in person and warns the user of the same. That individual visits the hospital and doctor informs that he was indeed saved from a possible heart attack due to his timely visit to the hospital. This brings a kind of happiness and smile on the face of person thanking the technology for the saving him from a devastation.

A new missile is tested with higher range of attacking capabilities. Yes, there is an advancement but how does this affect a common man. How many smiles will it result in the world? Yet there is no reduction in investing in the sector.

There is a need for setting right our priorities on which sector needs more investment that can save or improvise millions of lives.

Recently around 100 children died of Encephalitis in Bihar. This was not the first time there were similar deaths previously too. A timely investment for establishing a possible solution would have prevented the re-occurence of the deaths. Hundred valuable smiles lost. It would be appreciated if people in power make the science & technology serve such hapless people.

Our technological advancement should bring smiles among commoners rather than using to settle scores and be seen as a race of proud-ism to win.   

Girivalam - Religious Circumambulation

When the time acts tough, we can look upon the people around for peace. But sometimes, we have to be self supportive in order to find the way out of the din.

For me, it was a religious path and heard about Girivalam which many believers carry-out for attaining peaceful state of mind.

In the Tamil language, the process of going around mountain, is called 'giri valam' (giri = mountain and valam = right side), inferring that one should keep the Hill to the right when circumambulating.
At most holy places located on hills, the Deity is found at the top. But here at Tiruvannamalai, the hill itself is the Deity (Lord Annamalaiyar) and one of the ways in which it is propitiated and worshipped is by its circumambulation. In Sanskrit this going around the Hill is called 'giripradakshina' (giri = mountain and pradakshina: Prada = giver of boons; Kshi = destroyer of Karma; Na = giver of Jnana. Also, Pra-Dakshina = going around with center kept to the right).

It almost took 4 hours for me to walk around the hill bottom which has circumference of around 14 kms. The path was full of fellow believers who had come for seeking the blessings of Lord Shiva. Through out the path the only thing to be carried is goodness within us and a sense of forgiveness.

The trip taken to Tiruvannamalai on auspicious pournami night was truly pacifying resulting in enhancement of inner life. 

Om Namah Siva!!!!

Being Common... Being Distinct...

A human being is an amazing individual who leads life according to his / her principles / wishes / needs.

But entire dynamics of life changes once individual becomes a part of group of people. Group of people may be members of a family setup or team members at workplace or friends group at house locality or college locality.

You will not be astonished when I say that you have experienced whatever I am writing henceforth. 

An individual feels like having complete autonomy in deciding his / her life. This is belief of that particular individual but  reality is quite contradictory unless and until the individual has stopped living life true to his / her heart. Because once you start living life true to your heart you need to consider the aspirations or requirement of people around that ultimately makes you part of group of people.

So what exactly is the advantage or disadvantage of being a part of group of people and why certain individuals feel worried about being a part of group of people?

A group generally requires its members to align to a common ideology to exist or have a common point of interest to thrive upon. You need to get convinced or keep convincing others when there is a deviation from this commonness. But on the other-hand individuals have their attachment towards safeguarding their distinct behavior.

Hence in any group there exists a tug of war between person who believes in commonness and a person who believes in being distinct.

The most common reason for people avoiding being a part of group is the fear of being cheated. Yes, most people act like being convinced and but in reality safeguard their distinct behavior to end up deserting the person who actually get truly convinced based on the promises of falsely convinced person.

So what is way the best way to lead life? Is it being common or being distinct? Neither is going to have great impact on your life. But having good intentions for people around as well as for yourself and identifying the people with wrong intentions to correct the same is going to make your life quite memorable to recall. 

Fast and furious art of driving

At the traffic signal, a biker with his girl friend leaning on his back, a truck loaded with steel rods to be delivered at a construction site, a delivery guy with lots of couriers to be delivered at various sites, a company cab with employees waiting to return home, several others staring at the traffic light to go green.  Digits count down to zero, from red to yellow and get set go it is green.

Throttling vehicles zoom past me at speeds not suitable to the Bangalore traffic nor suitable to safety of the road travelers. 

Yeah, I was once upon a time a fast and furious kind of driver unless and until I met with an accident. It was usually an empty road which I generally prefer to be free from crowdy environment and this encouraged me to test the high speeds of my bike. on one fine day riding from my office to home with my colleague on my back seat, I was zooming. A sharp turn and a group of kids, a sudden brake, an accident. I fell unconscious. Luckily my colleague escaped a little hurt and after sometime I was able to get back to conscious state to see my knee bleeding.

The kids who crossed the road in split of a second advised me to drive carefully. I did not know whether to get angry on them or laugh at their advise. I was in confused mode and with a shaken outlook I reached my home after dropping my colleague on the way, who was also shaken.

It took almost two weeks to get the injury cured.

When I try to recall the incident, more than me getting injured, I feel satisfied that none of the kids got injured in the run which would have made things worse and a bad accident to remember. 

Before that accident, when I used to see people riding at safe speeds, it looked as if these people were afraid of hurting themselves  from high speed accidents. But after that incident, I did realize that people who are riding at safe speeds are actually caring for the lives of fellow travelers and acting as messiah who control the speedsters and prevent many possible accidents.

Back to the traffic signal, a cab carrying employees was continuously honking behind me as I was according to him blocking the road with my normal driving speed. I stopped my vehicle and allowed him to move past to only find him waiting for a green signal at the next traffic signal. Funny indeed.

So the next time when you see someone driving at normal speed, please don't irritate them honking on their back for sake of your thrill moments. They are indeed the speed controllers on road, saving many lives on road.

What is your interest....??

When there was no digital media, people used to quench the thirst of interest in others in various different forms. For example, spending time while moving to work on a vehicle by checking with the worries/ happiness of the co-traveller. This would automatically create a kind of bond which no other fb friends request / linked in request would create.

But things have changed. If some interest arises with reference to a person we go to their fb wall and based on the kind of posts they offer we create a mental picture in our minds and pacify our hearts saying that concerned person is in no way expecting any personal interaction from our end. There is a termination of the interest. Or we just see that there is nothing special about the person and ignore them altogether. Its same case with the other end.

Social sites have more or less facilitated faking emotions. I see many pictures on internet wherein person might be living in a hut but his/ her selfies showcase him/her a millionare. 

We are so connected that divine hearty relationship between couples has become a totally non existent topic. Earleir if couple were in love and his/her friend hears gossip about the one among pair cheating the other, the friend would defend the love between the couple to his /her core. But in today's scenario the same friend would like to check if the boy/girl would be available for second round of date with him/her. Tastes have soured to such cheap level. And it is just another passing news.

Lack of self censorship and self dignity is driving the world towards a direction where-in one is losing the interest in others as well as interest in his/her own life which ultimately leads to a goal-less life that would gradually lead to a death trap/depression.

Studies will keep us interested till we graduate, work will keep us interested till we earn enough for our living, God will keep us interested till will feel it BUT only love has that ability to keep us interested till we die. So keep loving the world around you, not necessarily the filthy minded people around but it can be a small flower in your garden or a puppy in your neighbour. Nature never stops sharing its love with you. 

BIG PICTURE

How many times you have been criticized by your superiors or friends who complain about you not understanding the BIG PICTURE?

I don't know about you, but I have been criticized many times for sure.

I just want to decode the secret behind that BIG PICTURE.

There are two kinds of people who speak about the BIG PICTURE.

A mother who sees her kid always roaming wasting his/ her time and not interested in education feels sad and complains to father that kid doesn't understand the BIG PICTURE.

A businessman goes to a sincere government servant and offers bribe for authenticating illegal activities. When the government servant refused to accept bribe, the businessman makes fun of the upright officer saying that latter doesn't understand the BIG PICTURE.

You are right, two types of people and two types of BIG PICTURE. For a mother big picture is bright future of her kid, for a businessman big picture is term used to seduce the sincere person to amass illegal wealth through his illegal activity.

It is this trap of big picture which many innocent people get into and loose their upright character due to deceptive incitement. 

Remember to believe in the big picture that makes your heart, mind and soul big enough.