Life, or something close to it.

I am the modern man. Cradled in the lap of luxury, I lead my life in blissful ignorance. My wandering spirit is blinded by my monetary pursuits and I am willing to accept such blasphemies, for I am not a nomad. My spirit can be set free, to roam the wilderness in search for unanswered questions, after my body decays. I am plump, fat, and indulgent. I am an image of today's acceptable gluttony. I worry, not whether my next meal will be but rather what my next meal will be. I have a delicate palate and my body doesn’t know how to digest the common garbage. I am insatiable. I want a better phone, a better car, a better of everything I can think of. I think that's not too much to ask. I do not care if the world is burning outside, when I’m inside I want the weather to suit my needs. Desire may be the cause of all human sorrow, but the fulfillment of desires is the cause of most human happiness. And its suits me well that most of my desires can be bought. I do not wish to see the reason behind spending billions of dollars on big fat machines. Technology is not for the pursuit of scientific knowledge, it is to make my life easier. I do not care how a phone works, all I care is if it’s the latest model and can I afford it. I have judged my dreams to be an irrational proposition and my slavery prudent. I have rendered myself impervious to the temptations of freedom. I accept the cycle of mediocrity. It offers me the security of regular income. And when someone says, why you don’t try for a better job, the first thought that comes to my mind is: better salary. A better job doesn’t entail an escape from the dreary routine that I follow, a better job means I do what I always do but I get paid more to do it, so I can buy that car that always teases me so. My society equates pecuniary abundance with greatness and I am in complete agreement. If I want the things civilization offers, I should be willing to follow its rules. I am content with the way I live. Though my questioning soul says otherwise, it always feels that either I’m too young or too old to be chasing transcendent illusions. My soft and well lotioned hands and my sun screened skin need not face the undeserved punishments of nature. Even now when questions scudder through my unforgiving mind, I have the means to tame it so I can follow the secure circle of society. And though I have allowed myself to get lost this crowd of everyday life and though I have strained my freedom by my own choice and though I push myself away from escape every chance I get, no one seems to think I'm crazy. I figure that's because everywhere I look around people are doing the same. I'm not hedonistic or bohemian. I've compromised my lofty goals for mediocre aspirations to save myself from the possibilities of sordid outcomes. I am normal. I am the modern man.

I do not wish to scale the highest mountain. For then, what do I have left to climb? Once I reach the tallest peak, even the smallest of steps that I take next, will mark the beginning of my decline. I do not wish to cross the widest sea. For then, what do I swim across next? Will then the water that set me free feel the same again? I do not have a set objective for life, neither a definite goal nor a divine purpose. I am not in a resolute pursuit of the ultimate. I am apprehensive about a wholehearted devotion to a singular cause that is supposed to hold the meaning of life. And though I am scared of being a complete and abject failure, I am more fearful of any abrupt success. Because if I somehow fulfill the purpose, that I have prepared my whole life for, will I not be then doomed to a life of glorious reminiscence and regrettable future? If I prepare my whole life to climb the tallest mountain or swim across the widest sea, and once I complete it, will I be able to climb any other mountain with the same passion? Will the sea hold the same sense of freedom she once did? All I have in life are just these, my questions. And all I want my life to be is a defiant pursuit of answers. A pursuit of neither the riches of the coffers of Hades, nor the romantic blessings of Aphrodite but just a simple yearning to pass this life in a journey where on my way I manage to collect a few answers and I wish the answers I do receive lead me to more questions, and my thirst keep increasing, till I reach a point where either I feel comfortable with the answers my life has offered or my quest overwhelms me and renders me motionless. But if I do feel content on having learnt all that I wanted to learn, if I do feel satisfied that I know all that I wanted to know, if I can decree my thirst quenched, I will consider my life fruitful, my purpose complete and I will welcome my death. But for now, I wish for courage to never forget what I am and not give up my pursuit of the unknown.

I asked a few of my friends to define life their way. And it was good. Enjoy :

Well, in retrospect I suppose that life could be measured by the experiences that make us what we are. And I would say that we learn more from adversity as opposed to 'joyous' moments because that is when our mettle is tested most and those are the times that make us grow. And I suppose that 'growing' is an important part of life (in whatever way we do ).

its undefinable,its our reality and an illusion.........its complex yet simple.its there yet here.theres this word palimpsestic,i guess lifes like that......multilayered and you keep writing an rewriting your paths.......

life changes. i have been thinking hard myself too and i found out it keeps changing.it doesnt stay the same forever;you may agree with me or you may not,its your choice. life is what you are living right now.

life is stranger than fiction.. its an illusion we have .. we feel its der for us forever and we never know when and where it will leave us and all that mattered.. your i pod.. your favouraite t shirt.. your bank balance wil all be a thing which is non existent..

Its a lemon n cheese cake when chewed eyes closed and sensually, however if we dare to open eyes its youghurt and mayonaise on bread.

Life is bein alive....bein alive is an opportunity given to prove u bein actually alive..making a diffrence by existing.. lets u think and do what u want..dats al dat differentiates us with da non living ..da ones wit no life..me loves my life..me prays it doesnt end soon.

everything u do is life,,,happiness ,sorrow,,,each n every moment u live is life

life is a like you are in a dark and dense forest and you just have a candle in your hand. So you can only see within the range of that candle. Even if you want to plan everything ahead , you cannnot be sure of what gonna happen until you reaach it. ANd the goal is to get out of that forest.

an illusion of what is actually real..

life for me.. has been dwelling in the past .. wishing how i could ve done things better.. and the future how i want to do things...

life is music!! continue playing other's tones , till your own tune
is to be played!

And a few from more distinguished authors:

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor. -Sholom Aleichem

Life is a long lesson in humility. -James M. Barrie

Life is wasted on the living. -Douglas Adams

The fear of life is the favorite disease of the 20th century. -William Lyon Phelps

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. -Henry David Thoreau

The purpose of life is a life of purpose. -Robert Byrne

We can't plan life. All we can do is be available for it. -Lauryn Hill

When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained. -Mark Twain

Life is what happens to us while we are busy planning for something else.-John Lennon

And my favourite :

"Life is a zoo in a jungle." -Peter De Vries.

PS: send me your definition at revisinglife@gmail.com and i'll add it to this post.

Life. The undying mystery of our existence is astonishing, amazing and quite frankly exasperating. How far does a man have to go before he finds his answer to the ultimate of all queries, what is life? And it will be his answer because I think each of us has a separate answer to be found. In fact, each of us has a separate answer for the separate periods of time that we are going through. What I felt life was, around ten years ago, isn't what I feel now. The meaning of life for me has changed, drastically but also inevitably. Our definitions of life change with time, and so it should. Nothing stays the same. Change is unavoidable. So, for me, (believing that it’s meaning is ever transient), life is the present. And it’s not necessarily along the lines of 'live life as if it’s your last day' mantra. No, none of that, because more often than not, circumstances dictate our course of actions, or rather we let it. Life simply put, is the present. What you are going through now, is life. It might be a rainbow of happiness, with sunny skies and rosy beds. If it is, that's really good. There is no reason why it can’t be so. Or, your present maybe horrible, a dreary tread through the unrelenting motions of frustration that echo day after day after day. If that's what it is, well, tough luck, that is life. The future may change everything. But the future is an illusion and nothing more than a fictional apparition. There is every possibility that things may get better and the struggles you put in today may reap you benefits that you so deserve and you may bring about a change. But change isn’t a guarantee of better things to come. You then plunge into another phase in your life and find a new definition, it may be more blissful or it may be more miserable. Life knows no justice. It knows neither compassion nor disdain. It doesn’t measure out equal amounts of happiness and sorrow to hand out to everyone, so each of us is happy and sad in equality. Happiness and sorrow are your achievements. All life gives you is your present, what you have now, this moment that's alive. The past is gone, it’s dead. You may linger with your memories of how good it all was once, but that is nothing more than a few thoughts circling in your head. It is romantic to remember the good old days, but unfortunately futile. The future is just a hollow promise. It’s something to pin your hopes to, just so to avoid the feeling of absolute dejection. Hopes that maybe based on nothing more than a sincere, illogical wish. The present however, is real. The present is all you have. The present is all you'll get.

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment" - Buddha.

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.
- An excerpt from The Walrus and The Carpenter by Lewis Caroll


When times are harsh and the days are bad, it doesn't take much time for them to get worse. This seems to be the inevitable protocol of bad luck, bad times lead, without fail, to worse times. There is no reprieve, no concession but a constant order of inescapable misery that keep piling up till even a hazy ray of light seems to be as bright as the sun, and we confuse a sliver of hope to be the answer to our prayers, God has finally remembered us. We offer our thanks, we offer our praise. We never wonder why he always lets us go through all that suffering for so long. Can we dare ask what was he waiting for? No, by then our strength to question has been replaced by a willingness to feel grateful to anyone or anything that’ll throw the dog a bone. An angel of god, he'll be to us and we'll be his debtors, his slaves. And god will feel good about himself on having helped an insignificant little man, and we’ll be thankful to our true savior for rescuing us. But what of all the agony we endured, what of the eternity of unanswered prayers, of unjust punishment. ‘Them? Well they’re all in the past. What you need to do is look ahead.” We’ll agree. We’ll keep quiet. We’ll follow.

The fisherman knew about this. Knew about it through experience. Years and years of unwanted experience. Seven years ago, he didn’t catch a single fish for 23 days. He stopped praying on the 24th day. He didn’t catch a fish for another 12 days. When he finally had a decent outing on the 37th day, he wasn't grateful to anyone, he didn’t thank anyone. He ate. Weeks of living off borrowed money, saving every penny, eating only when absolutely necessary had left him hungry. So he ate. If there was someone he should to thank when things are going right, he had every right to blame this entity when things aren’t going well. Since, he had decided not to blame anyone for all the misery he had to go through, he would not thank anyone for his happiness. If he had to go through all his pain alone, he would enjoy every bit of his pleasure alone. He would definitely not share his fish.

Days had just turned worse again. He still liked to say days were just bad, not because he was an optimist but because he knew there was whole level of worse still encroaching. Years and years of unwanted experience. The glass is never half full. It had been two weeks since he had caught anything significant. Today, all that might change. Though he didn’t pray for good luck or divine blessing, he still hoped.

He was out in the sea before the break of dawn. His small boat gently swaying with the waves. He rowed to a calmer area, with his rope already cast, he waited. The hours passed by. The sun was vengeful, with all its fury concentrated on the small boat out in the sea. He took a gulp of water, careful not to drink too much. Time kept moving on. 'This used to be a good spot', he thought, 'have I grown too old? Can’t I tell where I can catch a fish and where I can’t? Is this what it has come to? How can I call myself a fisherman anymore?' The water was almost over. This was the ultimate joke, he thought. There was water as far as he could see, but it was as if he were stranded in a desert. There were so many things he could’ve done in life, but…. It was about time he headed back. 'Two weeks and a day', he thought. Then he felt a tug, but it wasn’t just a tug, it was a pull and a strong pull at that. And in that moment he felt true happiness, there was no past, no future, no God, no Devil, no Right, no Wrong. For that moment, life was now, there was no other time no other place. The world shrunk to him, his boat and the fish. He pulled, the fished pulled back, he pulled harder. One pull at a time, slowly he won the battle. He was a man, adept at his job, the fish was just a fish.

It was a big fish, would get him a good price at the market. Should he wait? There may be another one to be caught. But it was getting dark, and with no water things might turn ugly. He will have to head back he decided and hope tomorrow is just as good as today, or maybe even better. He smiled, let’s not get carried away.

'Please let me go.' he heard. There was nobody around, except him and the fish. Was that the wind? It sounded very clear to be the wind. Was he going insane? Slowly the fish opened its mouth again, 'Please, let me go' it said. 'I have a family.' the fisherman kept quiet, it wasn’t the wind. The fish pleaded again. 'I won’t' he said, not I can't, but I won’t. Because he could, all he had to do was, catch it and throw it back, but he wouldn’t. 'I will not, throw away what I’ve caught. Regardless of whether you are actually talking or just a hallucination. You have a family you say, so did every other fish I’ve caught, if I let you go and feel good that I sacrificed my stomach for a life I will have to endure the guilt of the hundreds of lives I didn’t save. And I feel no guilt, you are like every one of them, by which I do not condemn you but praise them. And I will do what I want to, not because it’s an obligation but because it’s a choice. Even now, when my life seems desperate, I still have a choice. I have survived two weeks on failed expeditions another day will not make a difference. But I choose not to. I choose to, to put it honestly, kill you so I can survive in my terms. I will not patronize you and tell you how sorry I am, because I am not. I feel no guilt or sorrow in having to do what I do. Because what I do is not wrong. You might think it is, you might I am a monster but that is irrelevant. I know what I am and what I do. If I feel sorry for taking your life, I will in essence condemn my entire existence. What I do is not wrong and I am not sorry. I am a fisherman, this is what I do. You're having a bad day. And when days are going bad, it doesn't long for it to turn worse. I know through experience.'
“But I have done you no wrong. Is your need for a few pennies of more value than my existence? Isn’t my life worth more than you being able to afford a good meal.” the fish pleaded.

“No, you have done me no wrong. But this is not your punishment. I do not intend to kill you because you deserve it for your sins. I am not here to issue judgment, no I am here to fish. Me killing you is not about you, it’s about me. This is what I do. Your life is not more valuable than a good meal, not to me, not to all those who will bargain with all their might to get a piece of you. You may disagree, but we have our own perspectives. What you think is the greatest blasphemy, it is for me a daily routine.”

“Have you no mercy?”

“No. Not when I am asked to think that my life’s work is a business entangled in cruel murder, not when I am asked to show mercy that will make me question the work I do. I am a ruthless murderer to you, I am a mere fisherman to the world.”

“You are a heartless man. I pray to god you die in the worst circumstances.”

“I am an honest man. I spoke the truth. I do not wish to mock you with gentle words. You deserve the truth. I hope your prayers are answered.”

The fisherman ate a hearty meal that night. He died three weeks later. For once god was quick to listen.

The reality of life is harsh. We struggle for a cause that doesn’t seem worth the struggle and strive for a future that will never be what we hope. Every day we carry on, knowing that tomorrow won’t be better than today but we do not stop because under the most squalid circumstances we are capable of hope. Hope without logic, without reason. Our fault does not lie in our ability to hope but in our inability to act. We are quick to hope but tentative when we are called into action. We trudge through the repeated, unremitting motions of our existence day after day, hoping for something better but never doing anything to effect a change, just because it’s the way of the world. We rely on tradition, culture, and normalcy. We have forgotten our ability of original thought. We fail to build individual principles, our notions of truth and lies. What we hold as right and wrong, aren’t what we experienced from life. No, they are the convictions of the people who brought us up. We are but mere mirrors of the beliefs of those who sheltered us, and they of theirs who nourished them. It's wrong to cheat, it's wrong to steal, it's wrong to fight. We’ve all been taught and we've accepted without question. It wasn't what we experienced. If we were just allowed to learn it ourselves maybe we would've come to the conclusion that lying isn’t so bad, it gets me out of difficult situations, stealing isn’t so bad I get things for free, cheating isn’t so bad, I get more than what my effort deserved. But we were told these the wrong paths of life, a path we shouldn't play with. So, we try our best to stay far, to stay 'right' and we follow what we’ve been taught, which is good as long as it’s actually right. But we were also taught about the cast system, about every superstition we so arduously follow, about why we should stay away from the untouchables, about why cast comes before love, why faith in God should be without question. Are we not capable of thinking that to discriminate without reason is not rational, that race and cast are illogical, that blind faith in God is what the terrorizes of our era use as their main ammo. We were educated about the flaws of these practices. But the education system of our times is a laughable affair. We do not study to know new things, to understand our subject of choice. We study to pass in examinations. It's not knowledge we're after, it's marks. The thing which is supposed to be our greatest inspiration for original thoughts fails us. What greatness can we achieve if we study about the lives of great men not to get inspired but because it’s important for a short note in examination.
From the day we were capable of original thoughts we've been told what to think. From the day we were capable of individual action we've been told what to do. From the day we were capable of leading we've been told to follow. From the day we were capable of freedom, we've been held captive.
Ours is the thinking mind, the curious mind, the rational mind, a mind capable of amazing discoveries. We can change the way of the world if we take a moment to think, not just play in our minds what we've been taught but actually ponder about the working mechanism of the world. We should take pride in our sense of curiosity and our ability of action. How much more time do we need to understand things need to change with time. We keep moving through, pass each day in detestable normalcy, our potential rotting within the confines of a typical life. This practice that continued unquestioned through generations has now become a habit and will soon turn into an instinct. And then it will be within our genes to fight not to live, but to exist, to struggle not to think but to accept what has been told.
We fight our every instinct that drives us towards freedom, drives towards a cliff and pushes us off into undiscovered lands. We who are yet unaware if our wings are made of feather or of wax. We who might crash and burn or soar through the heights of ecstasy. A dive into the unknown, to not just learn but to experience and build an original perspective. But we dare not follow our freedom path. We hold on to the enticing thread of security that keeps us from plunging into an abyss, an abyss filled with the insane and the genius. An original thought is never a normal thought, and an abnormal thought is never considered a sane thought. That is the price we have to pay for originality. We are either followers of rules of society or we are insane. In this practice of normalcy we've become mere slaves not permitted a thought of originality. We've forgotten in the crowd of society that we are first and foremost individuals. We are capable of questioning the facets of society we feel aren’t right. We need not follow everything society orders us to. A society that is archaic, ragged, and obsolete. We are capable of thought. It’s about time we began thinking.

I am not against god. I quite like the idea of someone watching over us all. It’s like a fairy tale a lot of grownups believe. It’s a way to shift the blames of our inherent shortcomings, because as all of us know, we would have surely succeeded if god had wanted it. The idea of heaven makes us easier to tell children why their grandparents are dead and why snowflakes wont be coming back. And we should embrace everything that makes life a bit easier. What I am against is how God can look down from his throne and do nothing about everything that's happening down here. The people that are born with defects, the deaf, the blind and the dumb, the mentally retarded and the people with missing appendages. How does god allow that? It’s to show us how lucky we are to have all of this, that's what we've been told. Yes, and I do feel lucky to be born with all my senses intact, and the victim, well he's screwed. He just drew the shortest straw. If only he'd been more holy when he was a zygote, he would have had a better life. And how does anyone explain the thousands of innocent lives lost in natural calamities? I know, we are to blame for all the climate change and everything that happens in the future is the result of our past. But god is god. He can do anything he wants. Is it too much to ask for a small wave of his hands that would save thousands of lives. And they all say, god works in mysterious ways. What mystery can there be behind all of this? So many lives lost, while the people who should die, live, and the people who deserve to live, die young. I don’t have the authority to judge whose life is worth extending and whose should be terminated. But god does. And well, he's not really good at his job. And I understand life and death are part of the existence in earth. And people have to die one way or another. And some people lead good lives and some lead horrible ones. This is not my problem with the existence of God.
The problem I have is how he allows everything people are doing, claiming it's his will they are following. Animal sacrifices, religious segregations and terrorism, they do it all in his name. Terrorism has existed long enough in this world for even god to take notice from the proud height of his heavenly abode. How does God allow all these people, to use his name to do the things they do. But can you really blame them? They are doing what they have to do to recruit people and if they can take advantage of a name that everyone thinks is right, then why shouldn’t they? Apparently he has no problems with it. And a promise of heaven for an eternity is a pretty sweet deal. And what makes it even better, is that they think they're doing God's work, that’s what they’ve been told, which leads to a clear conscience. Who are we to question god? If he wants hundreds of innocent people dead, from a device he made someone invent for this very purpose, I am but a medium of his wish, and enforcer his whimsical orders. Either the people who use this pitch are genius or the people who believe in it are idiots. You don’t have to be Einstein to make a fool of fools and even Hitler would be a saint among the demons of hell. And god just allows this to happen. Day after day, he looks down and watches and waits. For what? And I figure there can only be two reasons behind it all.
1. He’s given up hope on us human beings and can’t wait for the apocalypse so he can start it all over again and get it right this time.
2. He agrees with the terrorist and what they are doing is actually god’s work
If I were to believe in god, I’d have to believe that either he's asleep or he's a part of everything that's going on. I’d have to believe that he has empathy for those who take lives in his name. And any god who stays quiet while all of this happens. Who looks down and does nothing except sit in his comfortable cushion of fluffy clouds listening to angels play harp, while lives burn from the flames of hatred raging among the creatures he created in his image, cannot be my god. If this is the image of god that I’ll have been given, that he's a lazy deserter whose mysterious ways are too difficult for me to understand while millions become victim for the satisfaction of his vanity, I’d rather look away. I’d rather not believe he exists than to face the reality of things if he did. So, no, I don’t have a problem with god, but that's probably because I don’t believe he exists. Have a very merry Christmas.

"A question that sometimes drives me hazy:
Am I or are the others crazy"
- Albert Einstein.

Originality. Where can we go to, or what can we do to become original? We are 2009years into the A.D. calendar. Counting the years before that, our civilization has spent more than 2500 years of counted time in this planet. During which it has supported more than a billion lives. A lot more. That’s a lot of different men, women and children wanting to be something. To do something original. And since they had the benefit of being ahead in generation, they did it. Leaving us with no other choice but to redo them. We were born to be followers. Do you want to climb the Mount Everest? It’s been done. Write an epic play about unparalleled love? Been done. Free a nation from tyranny? Done. There really is nothing you can do that hasn’t already been done. Even your thoughts, that you think belong to you, someone's already thought them before. It has already stirred up someone else's grey matter before it did yours. There is no being original in the true sense of the word, but like everything else in life, or like everything else in the world, the meaning we give to originality is also tainted.
To be original, means you should be able to break free from the chains of society and severe the shackles of normalcy. Think for yourself. Everyone has an inspiration. Even following on his/her path, can be considered original, though it itself argues with the definition of being original. Leave conformity. Embrace your inner insanity. Listen to the voice that tells you it’s stupid to do such things, but you should do them anyway. Forget the need to rationalize things. The things we consider normal, are only normal because we've been told they're normal. Who has the right to decide what's normal and what is not? They can tell us what is normal or not, because they have the majority of the votes. But we all know their victory is not unanimous. Be a part of the minority. Enjoy being different, imperfect, crazy. Don’t worry about the world. The only they care about results and outcomes. They will mock you for your stupidity, spit on your endeavors and ridicule your thoughts, till you reach success, and then they'll praise you for your bravery. They are fickle minded morons who can only think what they've been told think, to do what's always been done, and they’ll live and die within the security of their four walls. They are rational, secure, safe, sheltered but a bit too sane. There's a very thin line between insanity and genius. Imagine you have a beautiful wife, a castle for a home, a healthy smart kid for a son, a garage of spectacular vehicles, and a job that has the whole population of the area working under you. All in all, a pretty sweet life. Now imagine leaving all of that, to go live in a jungle! Crazy, right? But turn the clock back a couple of years. Okay, a bit more than a couple of years, the same chain of thoughts weren’t crazy or stupid to Siddhartha Gautama. He left all his possessions and went on a search for answers to questions he couldn't understand. He became Gautama Buddha, the enlightened one, eventually. Stupid, crazy and insane to a genius. The same path that made everyone think he wasn’t all that great in the head, made the same people come to him looking for advice. George Bernard Shaw wrote, “The rational man adapts to fit his environment. The irrational man adapts his environment to fit him. Therefore all progress depends upon the irrational man.”
Shaw also said, “All great truths begin as blasphemies.” Let’s say that the world is not flat, that the earth revolves round the sun. Let’s travel South America on an old motorbike. Let’s say time doesn’t move the same for everyone, that energy and mass are interchangeable. Let’s abolish slavery. Let’s make a metal machine fly in the air while carrying us in it. Let’s fly a kite in a thunderstorm with a metal key attached to the string. Let’s fight a well equipped, well armed British army with nothing but non-violence. Let’s die for the sins of everyone else. These are just some of the insane thoughts that cropped up in a few brilliant minds. And the moral of the story is stay away from conformity and think for yourself. Break free from all things normal. And let the people brand you the they wish. You know who you are, better than them. Decide what you want. And chase it.
I myself am no adventurer, and this piece of writing seems to be drenched in hypocrisy. But these are just thoughts. And a hypocrite or not, I love to write. Cheers.

No, not as a metaphor for race. Anti-racist endeavors are a lost casue. Though I am no ambassador for anti-racism, I think like so many other human frailties, racism is rather stupid. But what's even more stupid is trying to overcome it. It’s almost as futile as fighting global warming. It will never stop. The world is just too big, the people, just too many. The ignorance among the masses is the reality of life. It hides under practice, culture, prejudice and it hides well. And every effort to find and end this affliction will all be efforts in vain. The people who are racist now are more than likely to remain so. If they were capable of changing, they would've done by now. They've had enough time. And for the people who aren't racist, well there's no need explaining to them. So no, this is not about racism and how wrong or stupid it is. This is about the concept of wrong and right.
The title is in fact misleading, because wrong and right aren't as clear as black and white. Far from it. There's always the gray portion. Rather it’s a spectrum of gray with a light portion and a dark portion. Because right and wrong, like so many more human notions, is a matter of perspective. It's relative, depending on where you ask, when you ask and who you ask. My actions may be wrong to you in every aspect, almost blasphemous. But for more than a few the same thing would be acceptable, maybe even welcomed.
It's as simple as giving money to a beggar. "Is it right if I give this 5 Rs. note to this beggar?", "Of course, it's right. You can spare five rupees. You have to learn to share your good luck. Be grateful for what you have and help when you can. It's the right way to live." But then again, “Is it wrong if I give this 5Rs. note to this beggar?" "What are you? Stupid? Of course it's wrong. Do you know how hard people have to work to earn that much? Do you not understand the value of money in this life? How will you ever survive in this world?" Both answers are in a way, right, and both are in a way, wrong. We are damaged goods. We can’t even agree on what is wrong and what is right. "Is Hinduism the right religion? Is Islam? Is Christianity? Is atheism the right way?" Every question has a different answer, everyone has a different outlook. Even the vile act of murder, can be viewed on different levels. Don’t chastise me just yet. Let me explain. We all think murder is wrong. No one has the right to take someone else's life. But it's not really that. What we really think, is that murder of a 'good' person is wrong. We don’t want to punish for murder. We want to punish for the murder of a good person. Nathuram Godse killed Gandhi; John Wilkes Booth killed Abraham Lincoln. The vile disturbed lunatic murderers!! That's what we all think about them. For Nathuram Godse he did what was right by him. He couldn’t forgive someone who would allow his country to be ripped apart. And wasn't Booth right in the eyes of the confederacy? He is a murderer now because the Confederacy lost, else he would be a hero. How would you judge if someone had been able to assassinate Hitler. He would still be a murderer, but would he be wrong in your eyes? And if yes, then isn’t the Lord Rama, a cold blooded murderer? Didn't he kill Ravana? Yes, he was a horrible monster, but he had a life. And murder is murder. But whether it's right or wrong, it’s relative.
So how do you do right in this world? There are way too many people in this world and therefore way too many opinions. Too many ways to be right, and more ways to be wrong. So, in my opinion and in my perspective of what is right and wrong, we should all do what is right by us. There will always be people who judge. It's their unofficial profession. There will always be a wrong and a right. It's not necessary to be right in everyone's eyes all the time. Be right in your eyes. It’s only wrong because you live in a society that says it’s wrong. But don’t worry about society or community or religion. Worry about yourself, and be right for yourself. Sooner or later society will come around to see the wisdom of your ways or it won’t, but why should that matter. Make a mistake, but make a mistake on your own notion.

It started in the heat of Mexico, took a while in its globe spanning course and relatively slowly it may be, but it has surely reached the humble borders of Bangladesh. Yes, unfortunately Swine Flu has arrived. The evidence? Well, there are the boring statistics that will show me the increasing rate of prevalence of this ailment or I could just look out my window and see faces covered with masks, with eyes that stare at any being that even thinks about sneezing without a cover around their infectious noses. Suddenly everyone is health conscious. It’s not a bad thing to be careful, as the adage goes prevention is better than cure and it does stand true, unless of course if you are in the health business. But a sneeze, doesn’t mean you have the flu, leave alone swine flu. It’s good putting on a mask; it’s no good crowding the hospitals just because you have a running nose in the morning. Just like everything other disease, the aura, the fear of the disease has spread faster than the disease itself. What has happened is that, suddenly cold is become one of the most noticed disease. You could’ve sneezed your way through a class, or coughed through a meeting with a minimum of fuss from your colleagues. But those days sadly are gone. If you are in a sneezing phase now, you better be at home resting, where you and your disease belong. Somehow we are forgetting this is also the season of another disease which has symptoms of running nose and headache. It’s called the common cold, and as the name suggests it’s pretty common.
Although, there is a thin line between stoicism and foolishness. You could be bravely trying to fight off the virus of the common cold when in fact you are getting more and more infected by the H1N1 virus or it could be exact opposite where you are just taking up the doctor’s time in an already crowded hospital. But there is a solution. I could search for the symptoms of swine flu in the internet(http://pediatrics.about.com/od/swineflu/a/409_symptoms.htm), correlate with the symptoms I have, and then prudently decide what my next step should be. But the best thing I can do right now, when I don’t have any of the symptoms, is head out and get myself one of those cheap masks, be a responsible citizen and look down on those who are not.