A recent episode revealed to myself the ego, that I possess. Don’t want to get into the details. But I am really discontented with myself. After the event passed by, I realized later the aggression that I possess when I want destroy someone, could actually be put to positive use. The same energy would have taken me places if invested in the right channels of life. But for some strange reason that fire never smolders above a particular level when I want to do something good to the world. I don’t understand this imbalance. Is it the lack of motivation or is it the lack of preference? If the latter is the reality, then I am definitely not a responsible citizen. Still trying to sort my mind through this mess.
But one fact stands true in all these years. I did refer once about loss of innocence vs maturity in one of my previous articles. With the momentum set towards progression in life, I have lost that honesty that I used to have when remembering the almighty. There are so many distractions, so many materialistic wants that is derailing my thoughts. This is a phenomenon that I have been observing for more than 2 years.
I badly want to get that familiar positive attitude that I could boast about at one point of time. I have tried sitting and not thinking about anything else but our bearded old Lordie, but attention span is drastically down.
Maybe I need a break which convolutes into a vacation that I am off to in a week’s time.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The balance between spirituality, religiousness and pragmatism
Generally our country is renowned for its religious beliefs and sentiments that are considered to be very sensitive. Generations have been passed on the knowledge of what our religions are and how we need to adhere to it. Spirituality is definitely not being religious as it requires the subject to figure an inner path to the truth of life. Religion aides this process.
With the context set, my observation rests in the religiousness of this young brigade who have taken their first few steps into their professional career. I do believe that this is a cohort which does hold most of the knowledge that the previous generation passed on and also face stern mental oppression from expediency. This expediency is caused by the innumerable impractical methods that have been advocated by the previous generation which they have followed blindly through their existence. Or rather what the current generation has realized as it being impractical. When one starts to reason religion, there is confusion. This results in leaving some practices out and results in questioning every practice as well. It becomes a habit. There are two sides of the coin to be dealt here with. One that says, do what you believe in and thereby giving complete independence to the individual to decipher every facet and every dime of belief that the previous generation tried to incubate. The other side of the story is to accept what has been done and continue to do it with a stern belief that my ancestors aren’t fools to follow something this long and this may also result due to belief and understanding in what a religion says. It takes a lot on this generation to clearly articulate the path they need to take due to the freedom that has suddenly dropped in from nowhere. One may ask why this didn’t occur before. That’s exactly why I hinted at the professional space. The professional requirements now demand folks to stay for long periods away from their family and this is where the freedom sprouts from.
My concern is not lack of religiousness but is the lack of spirituality. Going to a temple doesn’t mean being religious. It doesn’t mean being spiritual too and hence these are very personal and cannot be measured by a third person. But being religious does imbibe control which in some ways does inculcate spirituality. How? Atleast for a brief moment in a temple, one does think of a power that governs him and seeks its blessings and thereby controls his limits to appease the power though a self developed or a religious doctrine. This brings a lot to the table. The primary being a sense of being. A path. A connect to reality. A curb on ego. One can achieve this anywhere anytime if he seeks it. But given the freedom of the mind in this generation to do anything that they believe in, it does hamper such focus.
How many of today’s generation are found trudging the religious path? Even if they do, they are almost mocked at and perceived as people who lack practical outlook to life. Again, my point is not around going to temple or doing religious rituals. But the simple fact that it is tough for this generation to find the path of reality. And preciously why do you see something like ‘An Art of Living’ or similar entities functioning more than ever. Religion is just a path to spirituality. There is meditation, there is Yoga and these are gateways to spirituality. I am neither an expert nor a propagator of religion. But I do believe in spirituality and I also strongly believe that religion offers light through this long tunnel of finding yourself.
With the context set, my observation rests in the religiousness of this young brigade who have taken their first few steps into their professional career. I do believe that this is a cohort which does hold most of the knowledge that the previous generation passed on and also face stern mental oppression from expediency. This expediency is caused by the innumerable impractical methods that have been advocated by the previous generation which they have followed blindly through their existence. Or rather what the current generation has realized as it being impractical. When one starts to reason religion, there is confusion. This results in leaving some practices out and results in questioning every practice as well. It becomes a habit. There are two sides of the coin to be dealt here with. One that says, do what you believe in and thereby giving complete independence to the individual to decipher every facet and every dime of belief that the previous generation tried to incubate. The other side of the story is to accept what has been done and continue to do it with a stern belief that my ancestors aren’t fools to follow something this long and this may also result due to belief and understanding in what a religion says. It takes a lot on this generation to clearly articulate the path they need to take due to the freedom that has suddenly dropped in from nowhere. One may ask why this didn’t occur before. That’s exactly why I hinted at the professional space. The professional requirements now demand folks to stay for long periods away from their family and this is where the freedom sprouts from.
My concern is not lack of religiousness but is the lack of spirituality. Going to a temple doesn’t mean being religious. It doesn’t mean being spiritual too and hence these are very personal and cannot be measured by a third person. But being religious does imbibe control which in some ways does inculcate spirituality. How? Atleast for a brief moment in a temple, one does think of a power that governs him and seeks its blessings and thereby controls his limits to appease the power though a self developed or a religious doctrine. This brings a lot to the table. The primary being a sense of being. A path. A connect to reality. A curb on ego. One can achieve this anywhere anytime if he seeks it. But given the freedom of the mind in this generation to do anything that they believe in, it does hamper such focus.
How many of today’s generation are found trudging the religious path? Even if they do, they are almost mocked at and perceived as people who lack practical outlook to life. Again, my point is not around going to temple or doing religious rituals. But the simple fact that it is tough for this generation to find the path of reality. And preciously why do you see something like ‘An Art of Living’ or similar entities functioning more than ever. Religion is just a path to spirituality. There is meditation, there is Yoga and these are gateways to spirituality. I am neither an expert nor a propagator of religion. But I do believe in spirituality and I also strongly believe that religion offers light through this long tunnel of finding yourself.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The travel Victuals
Food is not just a simple answer to hunger. Good food stimulates mental ability, unless there is an overdose resulting in cerebral snooze. I am travelling presently in Shatabdi (Chennai-Bangalore) and guess what – They served one of the better meals I have had travelling. This particular train has had a proud history of satisfying customers with outstanding service. They still stand by it.
The menu set for this 5 hour travel encompasses more than just the dinner. With a welcome drink to begin, they satiate your appetite with a crunchy nibble of Samosa , a thin sandwich, a traditional sweet and follow it up with tea/coffee to wash it down. Your tummy then gets rest for a while only if you please to keep the on-demand beverage service away. And at sharp 7 PM, the soup sticks come out with a generous serving of butter, which is followed up with a cup of soup. Ah! The precursor to the victuals thus sets a high expectation to the dinner to come. But they don’t disappoint you. The main course is simple. Two well done rotis which are relatively soft, a chana dal gravy, paneer butter masala, a cabbage-carrot dry curry, a salad and small bowl of rice with pickle and curd. The chana dal is thick and I need a spoon to dig in. The paneer masala has real good paneer in it and has more than 7-8 pieces. The rice is thin and clean. The cabbage-carrot mix has minimal oil and retains their indigenous crunchy taste. The curd is thick and again necessitates the use of a spoon. And yes you aint done yet – If you have a sweet tooth you would be glad to see a cup of amul icecream hop your way. And a little tip can augur well to repeat anything that you like.
If I have to wear my microscopic lens to come out with a suggestion to improve, then I may crib about the salad not being as fresh as the rest. But even that scores much higher than the food that we get in our airline industry. The airlines need to take a lesson or two when it comes to food from this express. It doesn’t mean that I am demeaning the airlines, as they can impart many a lessons on cleanliness, maintenance, infrastructure etc.
As you ponder about this piece of my judgment, let me enjoy my second cup of icecream which has been offered out of bounteousness.
The menu set for this 5 hour travel encompasses more than just the dinner. With a welcome drink to begin, they satiate your appetite with a crunchy nibble of Samosa , a thin sandwich, a traditional sweet and follow it up with tea/coffee to wash it down. Your tummy then gets rest for a while only if you please to keep the on-demand beverage service away. And at sharp 7 PM, the soup sticks come out with a generous serving of butter, which is followed up with a cup of soup. Ah! The precursor to the victuals thus sets a high expectation to the dinner to come. But they don’t disappoint you. The main course is simple. Two well done rotis which are relatively soft, a chana dal gravy, paneer butter masala, a cabbage-carrot dry curry, a salad and small bowl of rice with pickle and curd. The chana dal is thick and I need a spoon to dig in. The paneer masala has real good paneer in it and has more than 7-8 pieces. The rice is thin and clean. The cabbage-carrot mix has minimal oil and retains their indigenous crunchy taste. The curd is thick and again necessitates the use of a spoon. And yes you aint done yet – If you have a sweet tooth you would be glad to see a cup of amul icecream hop your way. And a little tip can augur well to repeat anything that you like.
If I have to wear my microscopic lens to come out with a suggestion to improve, then I may crib about the salad not being as fresh as the rest. But even that scores much higher than the food that we get in our airline industry. The airlines need to take a lesson or two when it comes to food from this express. It doesn’t mean that I am demeaning the airlines, as they can impart many a lessons on cleanliness, maintenance, infrastructure etc.
As you ponder about this piece of my judgment, let me enjoy my second cup of icecream which has been offered out of bounteousness.
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