Sunday, December 8, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
#IDontGiveAFuck
Ideally we are all friends on facebook , whatsapp etc and we are in "touch". Which means apart from occasional likes and all that we don't really talk with each other. Who has the time? So this is fine.
Now when You really like a person you have to go OUT OF YOUR way to act cool and not really talk much.First of all "You don't ADD the person you like on your FB". The whole calculation of "How many you wrote vs How many she replied" comes into play. Now if you like someone more than your non-existent facebook list you obviously want to talk more to them than you do with your non existent facebook list.
Try doing that.
You are labelled frustrated, despo, weird , at best : awkward.
I sometimes feel the only conversations which are cool are the ones which have "#Indifference" as the dominating emotion. "Nthn Much, Good for you, Yeah cool, Do what you gotta do, Hmm, yeah, I guess......." These kinda indifferent expressions which can be interpreted as "I dont give a fuck if you drop dead" are the ones which are normal. Plain Silence I guess is the going Fad these days. Just go silent on someone who pinged, its cool. The one who pings is a lame one anyway.
Have an iota, an infinitesimal emotion attached to a conversation and it's basically #Awkward.
This post in itself makes me qualified for being lame enough to lament. I have had problem embracing indifference. I hate to do it but I am now going to do it.
Now when You really like a person you have to go OUT OF YOUR way to act cool and not really talk much.First of all "You don't ADD the person you like on your FB". The whole calculation of "How many you wrote vs How many she replied" comes into play. Now if you like someone more than your non-existent facebook list you obviously want to talk more to them than you do with your non existent facebook list.
Try doing that.
You are labelled frustrated, despo, weird , at best : awkward.
I sometimes feel the only conversations which are cool are the ones which have "#Indifference" as the dominating emotion. "Nthn Much, Good for you, Yeah cool, Do what you gotta do, Hmm, yeah, I guess......." These kinda indifferent expressions which can be interpreted as "I dont give a fuck if you drop dead" are the ones which are normal. Plain Silence I guess is the going Fad these days. Just go silent on someone who pinged, its cool. The one who pings is a lame one anyway.
Have an iota, an infinitesimal emotion attached to a conversation and it's basically #Awkward.
This post in itself makes me qualified for being lame enough to lament. I have had problem embracing indifference. I hate to do it but I am now going to do it.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Unfinished Symphony
Talking about unfinished stories, I am afraid I am becoming almost a Ninja at it. Everything I scribble, I leave it unfinished. Since I've met you and your unfinished story kept the memories so vivid in my mind, Ive wondered if I should even try to finish anything I write? Every moment which has an unfinished story, I remember everything about it.
Why?
It's because a lot times Ive wanted to go back that to that moment and ask what happens next. My mind doesn't let go of it.
Are we not, You and I.....Unfinished stories? Everybody around us, are unfinished stories. That is precisely why its beautiful, this concept, it leaves uncertainty in the air.It's life.
Completed stories are like dead corpses, their story has ended.
Is it this romance I have with the unfinished which stops me from finishing what I write?
Perhaps it does.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
This Sandwich is served with WonderLand Slice and Less Sanity.
Alice was walking confused and Hatter was sharpening a knife by roadside. Alice looks at the weird rabbit and immediately decides his side of the road is not the way to go. She tells Cat she is lost and Cat replies "But this is not wonderland and You are not Alice"
Alice kills the cat, feed it to hatter and they kiss.
Alice kills the cat, feed it to hatter and they kiss.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Climate Change: Tibet
This is a part of the volunteer work I did for the CONTACT magazine, in McLeodganj.
Climate Change: Tibet
*representation
of detailed article by Leslie Hook in the September 2, 2013 at Financial
Times/Tibet.net
Here is a quick Fact: One in five people in the world get their water from river systems that are linked to the Tibetan plateau.
Tibetan plateau governs the Asian weather system, brewing the
monsoonal rains each summer and steering westerly wind currents. Its lakes,
glaciers and wetlands act like a huge water tower for all of Asia. Quite
rightly, the plateau is often referred to as “The Third Pole“ by the scientists.
Climate change has gripped the Tibetan plateau with fervor. Just
like the North Pole, the Tibetan plateau has been warming much faster than the
rest of the world over the past 50 years. In fact, Of the 46,000 glaciers on
the Tibetan plateau, many are shrinking.
Signs of global warming surfaced in 1980s and 1990s. The
plateau observed severe impacts in ecological balance. Lakes started drying up,
Pika mammals populations increased at exponential scales. Valuable resources
such as caterpillar fungus: a medical aphrodisiac often referred to as “Himalyan
Viagra” has been depleting.
In 1997, the Yellow River dried up over a 700km stretch. – it
lasted more than eight months.
While the impact of global warming is apparent, the government
and the locals seem to be in a clear disagreement over pointing out the cause.
In order to deal with the massive impact of climate change, a
region known as the “Three River Source”, or Sanjiangyuan in Chinese was
identified by the government and it began to come up with policies to protect
it.
The government decided that the region’s traditional Tibetan
herders had to go.
Across all Tibetan areas more than 600,000 nomadic herders
have been moved into government-built towns and are given stipends. Herders say
the government stipend is barely enough to live on.
Aggressive steps by the state include use of toxins to
control pika, setting up of fences at grazing grounds and even artificial
rains.
More and more research has shown that the science behind the
state’s aggressive policies is misguided or incomplete. The government
has already spent more than a billion dollars on “restoring” the plateau.
The government however, is ready with the next plan of Rmb20
billion. It will intensify its aggressive invasive policies. The locals for now
have little choice but to adapt.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
On boredom
Now that I am not under constant idiotic deadlines, I experience what one can never envisage while trapped in a cubicle running towards targets : Boredom!
Immediately a lot of people will argue that in spite of being busy and overworked they feel a constant undercurrent of boredom. Maybe, but I am talking about more direct forms here. Like waiting in a line at a dentist's, that kinda boredom.
Experiencing boredom can be due to a lack of a routine. Perhaps breaking of a routine.
Thing is, One starts thinking when bored. About his identity, his essence. People then get into remorse and hatred. Self Hatred to be more precise.
They get evil.
Empty mind is devil's workshop. Isn't empty mind also like meditation? Like Buddha. He achieved Nirvana by meditation. Meditation requires you to be indifferent to your surrounding and your fellow beings while you meditate with your inner self.
How Selfish? Is Buddha and the other sages then the most selfish people ever to exist?
Being a Hermit or a Sociopath Criminal are extremities which stem from same causality, an excessive free mind.
Both are same. Both swim in Insanity.
Immediately a lot of people will argue that in spite of being busy and overworked they feel a constant undercurrent of boredom. Maybe, but I am talking about more direct forms here. Like waiting in a line at a dentist's, that kinda boredom.
Experiencing boredom can be due to a lack of a routine. Perhaps breaking of a routine.
Thing is, One starts thinking when bored. About his identity, his essence. People then get into remorse and hatred. Self Hatred to be more precise.
They get evil.
Empty mind is devil's workshop. Isn't empty mind also like meditation? Like Buddha. He achieved Nirvana by meditation. Meditation requires you to be indifferent to your surrounding and your fellow beings while you meditate with your inner self.
How Selfish? Is Buddha and the other sages then the most selfish people ever to exist?
Being a Hermit or a Sociopath Criminal are extremities which stem from same causality, an excessive free mind.
Both are same. Both swim in Insanity.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Noodle Noose -2
Nonsensical reactions to Nirbhaya Hearing. Celebrating death doesn't make one a concerned citizen. We have shown how concerned a nation we are when no one stopped as she lay bleeding on the roadside. Things will not change by hanging these people. That is just law taking its course.
Things will change when we resolve we will always stop when we see someone in distress on roads. When our government and Police can install enough confidence in us that we will not be robbed and hacked to death if we stopped to help someone in middle of the night.
Things will change when for once people start respecting status of women in their house, when we learn to respect as a society the freedom women are entitled to.
Things will change when we start contributing to the society and not just keep expecting.
Things will change when we become our own government and take responsibility towards positive changes in our surroundings. When we embrace #Nimbyism.
#WhatDoesItTake #Why
Things will change when we resolve we will always stop when we see someone in distress on roads. When our government and Police can install enough confidence in us that we will not be robbed and hacked to death if we stopped to help someone in middle of the night.
Things will change when for once people start respecting status of women in their house, when we learn to respect as a society the freedom women are entitled to.
Things will change when we start contributing to the society and not just keep expecting.
Things will change when we become our own government and take responsibility towards positive changes in our surroundings. When we embrace #Nimbyism.
#WhatDoesItTake #Why
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Silent Whistles
#Vanzara's argument that
"I did it because I had superior orders" and it's not him but the
"policies" which are to be blamed raise serious questions. How far is
the "I was following Superior Orders" plea acceptable? This whole
episode shows that the human rights violation is actually the last thing in the
minds of powerful people. DG Police has now written a 10 page letter exposing
the truth only because he has been betrayed? This means he would have continued
his glorious service had he been saved from the crime?
There is no written order of this kind. No written policy of this kind.
Why did he not hand his resignation the day he was asked to kill innocent people? Aren't the famous Nuremberg Trials enough to clarify that "Superior Order" Plea is unacceptable?
Even if it was a written policy of government to go out and kill innocents,
Nuremberg Principle II responds to this by stating: "The fact that internal law does not impose a penalty for an act which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person who committed the act from responsibility under international law."
This man is not a national hero as some media reports hail him. Neither is he an example of IAS/IPS officers who face trouble because of their ethics. There are countless heroes who suffer life threatening transfers and forgo their promotions because they refuse to such unreasonable demands of the politicians. This man is simply a disposable pawn who was left behind
There is no written order of this kind. No written policy of this kind.
Why did he not hand his resignation the day he was asked to kill innocent people? Aren't the famous Nuremberg Trials enough to clarify that "Superior Order" Plea is unacceptable?
Even if it was a written policy of government to go out and kill innocents,
Nuremberg Principle II responds to this by stating: "The fact that internal law does not impose a penalty for an act which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person who committed the act from responsibility under international law."
This man is not a national hero as some media reports hail him. Neither is he an example of IAS/IPS officers who face trouble because of their ethics. There are countless heroes who suffer life threatening transfers and forgo their promotions because they refuse to such unreasonable demands of the politicians. This man is simply a disposable pawn who was left behind
#WhatDoesItTake #Why
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Noodle Noose
Delhi Rape case first verdict will be out anytime now. Accused is a juvenile and maximum possible sentence he can get for his heinous crime is 3 years. In a matter of hours facebook walls, news, TV is going to get a flood of messages saying we need to hang these culprits.
Hanging is being advocated with the point that it will install fear in other prospective criminals. I say even if all these five accused were hanged tonight it wouldn't make a difference. Crimes will diminish when people have fear of law in general. Ground reality is that we are reminded how fickle the law is on everyday basis. The powerful and the rich are able to twist and use the law as they please. And "God" Forbid if you have a public support then you have a sort of a "immunity". It's because no political party will dare to mess with its potential vote bank.
People need to realize the supremacy of the law of the land. That is what we need to demand. We need to demand dignity of an individual. We need to draw lines on how far one would go to achieve one's aim. How far would the governments go to reserve their votes?
#HowFar #WhatDoesItTake #Why
Hanging is being advocated with the point that it will install fear in other prospective criminals. I say even if all these five accused were hanged tonight it wouldn't make a difference. Crimes will diminish when people have fear of law in general. Ground reality is that we are reminded how fickle the law is on everyday basis. The powerful and the rich are able to twist and use the law as they please. And "God" Forbid if you have a public support then you have a sort of a "immunity". It's because no political party will dare to mess with its potential vote bank.
People need to realize the supremacy of the law of the land. That is what we need to demand. We need to demand dignity of an individual. We need to draw lines on how far one would go to achieve one's aim. How far would the governments go to reserve their votes?
#HowFar #WhatDoesItTake #Why
Friday, August 30, 2013
Faust in the Front
How far would one go
to achieve one's aim? How devious can means get, to reach the desired end?
Every single policy decision these days makes me question the timing. The
food bill is so audacious I don't even know where to begin with.I read that off
the 67,000 crore fuel subsidy 30,000 Cr will now go to Food Subsidy. How and
Why are these landmark paradigm shifting decision being taken when elections
already have one foot on the doormat?
Successful Election campaign is basically effective manipulation of public mindset it seems. This is the reason why no stone is left unturned. They are in the cinema now.Next for all I know, Saas Bahu's will talk on screen about amazing Government we have.
Teachers are using Barrels of insecticides to cook food for kids. Doctors push in Saline water instead of life saving vaccines to save money. Defence buys substandard weapons. Bureaucrats touch feet of Mafia Politicians for a transfer.
How Far would one go to reach one's aim? How is everything turning into a Faustian Exchange where the soul is the first thing to leave the scene?
#WhatDoesItTake #HowFar #Why
Successful Election campaign is basically effective manipulation of public mindset it seems. This is the reason why no stone is left unturned. They are in the cinema now.Next for all I know, Saas Bahu's will talk on screen about amazing Government we have.
Teachers are using Barrels of insecticides to cook food for kids. Doctors push in Saline water instead of life saving vaccines to save money. Defence buys substandard weapons. Bureaucrats touch feet of Mafia Politicians for a transfer.
How Far would one go to reach one's aim? How is everything turning into a Faustian Exchange where the soul is the first thing to leave the scene?
#WhatDoesItTake #HowFar #Why
Mystical Mammoths in the Mansion
I have never advocated for religion to be a part of politics
in anyway. It's when politics become a part of religion when things touch the
live wire. I was watching the debate on #BarkhaDutt 's Show and it was surprising to see that politicians simply refuse to
acknowledge the fact that religion is a motivation factor for terrorists. The
only guy to stand ground was Subramanian Swamy. In fact, Mani Shankar Aiyar even refused to acknowledge existence of Indian Mujahideen,calling it
"mystical". He repeatedly kept talking about how army and
intelligence agencies were callous and "innocent" muslim youth is
being targeted. This was his response to arrest of #yasinbhatkal !!
Just because election is round the corner you will start giving demotivating comments about intelligence agencies? Intelligence agencies and Army deserve a pat on the back from everyone. How is it that these politicians in the guise of supporting minority end up question the basic intelligence of an Indian Muslim? Does an average Muslim not know that Yasin Bhatkal is a terrorist? Does an average Muslim deny the existence of organizations like IM? It's similar to me being a Hindu and denying the existence of Hardline Hindu extremists. Do we do that?
No.
These politicians are trying to create a rift between us with asinine comments.
If policymakers dealing with the chaotic problem of terrorism refuse to even acknowledge the very cause of the problem, solution can never reached.
#WhatDoesItTake #HowFar #Why
Just because election is round the corner you will start giving demotivating comments about intelligence agencies? Intelligence agencies and Army deserve a pat on the back from everyone. How is it that these politicians in the guise of supporting minority end up question the basic intelligence of an Indian Muslim? Does an average Muslim not know that Yasin Bhatkal is a terrorist? Does an average Muslim deny the existence of organizations like IM? It's similar to me being a Hindu and denying the existence of Hardline Hindu extremists. Do we do that?
No.
These politicians are trying to create a rift between us with asinine comments.
If policymakers dealing with the chaotic problem of terrorism refuse to even acknowledge the very cause of the problem, solution can never reached.
#WhatDoesItTake #HowFar #Why
Image Courtesy: Adbusters UK
Sunday, August 25, 2013
The Unequal House
One critical aspect of Mumbai rape is that henceforth everyone will think twice before sending their daughter to an unconventional field like Photography, Journalism or NGO's.
A normal Indian woman leads her life in the prison consisting of Home-Office-Car-Mall/Restaurant. It's almost that this girl was punished was for breaking this cage. Almost every woman I know accepts this cage as her free world.
A normal Indian woman leads her life in the prison consisting of Home-Office-Car-Mall/Restaurant. It's almost that this girl was punished was for breaking this cage. Almost every woman I know accepts this cage as her free world.
It kills me to write this but I feel that if you are born as an Indian Man you live in a totally different nation which has more freedom. I wouldn't think twice before walking inside that abandoned Mill to do some photography. I could right now at 2 AM drive to India Gate and take a walk. I could catch the next local bus to an unknown village in Himachal.
Why is it that I am petrified to even think about my sister doing the same?
When will we start living in the same country?
When will we be equals??
#WhatDoesItTake #Why #HowFar
Why is it that I am petrified to even think about my sister doing the same?
When will we start living in the same country?
When will we be equals??
#WhatDoesItTake #Why #HowFar
Monday, July 29, 2013
The "blue" sky
Monday Morning Story of a five figure salaried guy.
You ignore the tear drop which falls while you are driving to office. You dont know where it came from . You don't have time to think about it.
You reach office, you don't come to know how the next Sunday arrives.
===============================================================
Monday Morning of guy who lives with his Parents.
Curtains drawn, you wake up to the beautiful sunlight. Before you realize what is happening, you have your Mom and your Dad hugging you tight and wishing you good morning. You haven't grasped the happiness of the moment before you are surprised with a cup of earl grey tea, served proper English style by your maid. House fills with laughter and surprise.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Miisa
[Plot : Day 1 ] 23.6.2013 Bhopal
"They made me feel your presence every second though they couldn't see you.
I felt your absence every second even though I could see you"
That phone call brought tears in her already dried up eyes. No one could imagine she would cry again after the way she mourned the loss of her young son, Kunal. She looked at her husband and he knew at once that they had lost somebody close once again.
Their closest friends, Ravi and Shalini Malhotra had been reported dead and missing in the devastating floods which had hit the mountains recently. Dr Sahay's number was the only contact found from their hotel room. Both of them rushed to Delhi. Malhotra's only son, Kabeer, aged 5, was found alone in the hotel room waiting for his parents.
They brought him home. Dr Sahay knew it was a waste trying to contact the family. Shalini and Ravi had lost their parents. The only next of kin was Ravi's brother, who was languishing in prison for murder.
Kabeer did not ask where his parents were. He knew it by the way people had reacted. Malhotra's had rebelled against the families to be with each other to build their life. It was a busy life. They were building it from scratch. Both of them worked 12 hour corporate jobs in the megacity of Grrgaon. Kabeer was raised by maids.
Kabeer did not know what it was like to be around parents, so he did not know what it was like to miss them. What Kabeer knew perfectly was what it was like when his parents were NOT around. When he was in middle of strangers.
He did not cry.
Kabeer knew Sahay's. They were the only ones who visited his house. He was actually relieved to see them. He ran and hugged Mrs Sahay when he saw her. They brought him home in the next flight.
Kabeer entered the Sahay's house. Even as a little kid he could grasp the sharp contrast between his home and this house. This was in perfect order. Perfect. Kabeer stood straight and started walking like a soldier in a perfect line. He just felt he had to walk this way.
He looked around. House was full of pictures of this amazing looking young man. Awards, Shields. This house belonged to this guy in the pic. Not to these two kind souls living here.
They offered Kabeer to sleep with them. He refused. He had never slept with his parents. He was given the guest room for now. Kabeer wanted the room with Winnie the Pooh and a colorful guy called "Che"'s poster on its door.
At night, Kabeer opened the door slightly.
There in the Blue light from a mobile maybe, he saw the guy from the picture sitting.
Kunal was sitting right there in the room.
"They made me feel your presence every second though they couldn't see you.
I felt your absence every second even though I could see you"
That phone call brought tears in her already dried up eyes. No one could imagine she would cry again after the way she mourned the loss of her young son, Kunal. She looked at her husband and he knew at once that they had lost somebody close once again.
Their closest friends, Ravi and Shalini Malhotra had been reported dead and missing in the devastating floods which had hit the mountains recently. Dr Sahay's number was the only contact found from their hotel room. Both of them rushed to Delhi. Malhotra's only son, Kabeer, aged 5, was found alone in the hotel room waiting for his parents.
They brought him home. Dr Sahay knew it was a waste trying to contact the family. Shalini and Ravi had lost their parents. The only next of kin was Ravi's brother, who was languishing in prison for murder.
Kabeer did not ask where his parents were. He knew it by the way people had reacted. Malhotra's had rebelled against the families to be with each other to build their life. It was a busy life. They were building it from scratch. Both of them worked 12 hour corporate jobs in the megacity of Grrgaon. Kabeer was raised by maids.
Kabeer did not know what it was like to be around parents, so he did not know what it was like to miss them. What Kabeer knew perfectly was what it was like when his parents were NOT around. When he was in middle of strangers.
He did not cry.
Kabeer knew Sahay's. They were the only ones who visited his house. He was actually relieved to see them. He ran and hugged Mrs Sahay when he saw her. They brought him home in the next flight.
Kabeer entered the Sahay's house. Even as a little kid he could grasp the sharp contrast between his home and this house. This was in perfect order. Perfect. Kabeer stood straight and started walking like a soldier in a perfect line. He just felt he had to walk this way.
He looked around. House was full of pictures of this amazing looking young man. Awards, Shields. This house belonged to this guy in the pic. Not to these two kind souls living here.
They offered Kabeer to sleep with them. He refused. He had never slept with his parents. He was given the guest room for now. Kabeer wanted the room with Winnie the Pooh and a colorful guy called "Che"'s poster on its door.
At night, Kabeer opened the door slightly.
There in the Blue light from a mobile maybe, he saw the guy from the picture sitting.
Kunal was sitting right there in the room.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Novel-MNIT
"The date":
Kaalu, DuDu, Tinku, Veer in
room.
Kaalu: rolling joints
DuDu: Reading
Veer: Painting Nietzsche
Tinku: On Laptop
Room: Extreme Dirty. Full
of Smoke.
Tinku: *Gazing on Laptop* Abe,
Shalini is asking to meet me
Silence in the room
Kaalu: Meet se yaad aaya, aaj
meat roti kha lete hai
Everybody gives an agreeing
hmmm
Tinku: Saalo, I think I got a
date
DuDu: *Looks Up* Paste Kar le
Everybody gives an agreeing
hmmm
Veer: Sahi hai.
Tinku: Mere ko bencho deo do
kahi se laake
*Everybody Laughs*
Kaadu: *rolling joints* Baap ki
shaadi hai bhosadi ke? deo chahiye. Paste karne ki permission de toh di DuDu ne
Tinku: I dont know, mere ko deo
do bas
*A little bottle comes flying
and hits tinku on his head*
DuDu: Ye Laga le.
Tinku: *Staring at plain white
bottle*YE KYA HAI ?
DuDu: Powder. Koi toilet mein
bhool gaya tha.
Everybody Laughs
Tinku: Powder? Bencho main ni
jaa raha powder laga ke. Saara bachpan mummy powder ka phua bana ke school
bhejti thi.
Everybody gives an agreeing
Hmmm
Veer: Friday ko shayad History
club ka quiz hai. Usme third prize Deo hai Axe ka.
Tinku: Apan third kaise aaenge
waha?
{If Tinku and Veer went to
History quiz they were BOUND to get the first prize}
DuDu: Probability , Game theory
sab laga do bencho. TInku bilkul maths nahi aati yar tere ko.
Meanwhile Kaadu has the powder
bottle in his hand. Has stopped everything and is staring at it.
Kaadu: Khushbu to aati hai
waise isme se. Dikkat kya hai?
DuDu: Kaadu Gora ho jaa, powder
laga le.
Tinku: Abe Kaadu gora kyu
hoga?? Agar "Goro Bharat Chhodo " aandolan ke time par kaadu zinda
hota to aandolan ka poster boy hota bencho.
Kadu Screams: JAI HIND
Everybody Starts shouting
Nationalist slogans and crap shit like "George Bush Hai Hai" and
breaking things.
Monday, March 25, 2013
The Screams of Silence
A few days back I came across this
picture. Young couple in China leaped to its death from a bridge. A
photographer caught the act in his camera.
It's got me
thinking. What could scare a person who is not afraid of death itself??
This is
heartbreaking. The act of suicide. If one tries to google the statistics for
suicide rates, its a shocking figure. I don’t want this to be a mere statistic
paper and so I will not go into figures. I also strongly feel that when talking
about human lives, one should refrain from reducing them to mere numbers.
You know it already. We all know it. It’s
an issue which is serious in ALL levels of our society. From top cops to
doctors, IAS officers to hungry debt ridden farmers.
Yet, the silence which the society keeps
is shocking.
One could take any issue- Rape,
corruption, unemployment, health facilities, they all are deep rooted problems
which require complex long term solutions.
Suicide is one issue which can be solved
by just accepting the people, and talking to them.
Too often, people in depression become
automatic victims of lecturing by others. It’s as if one has the right to look
upon them. They get that “Weak” label etched on them on permanent basis. The “Big
Brother” approach seldom works. I decided to talk about this issue head on, on
a very neutral and logical level.
For people in depression, most of us believe
that suicide is a pre-planned action which a person commits after meticulous
planning.
Wrong.
Suicide is a sudden act. The idea can be
floating in your head but no one knows when or what will trigger the final act.
It’s like sudden resignation of an
employee who was thinking to quit anyways but suddenly quits one day when he
looks at a butterfly flying out a his window.
They say it’s like waking up from a
nightmare.
What triggers the reaction?
Life can be scary. So scary that death
could seem a logical end to it all. Suicide happens in a circumstance what one
could describe as the lowest point of their life.
I asked a lot of my friends this question,
the question which I asked in the beginning of this essay :
What could scare a person who is not
afraid of death itself??
Interestingly enough, most of them replied
“Life”.
Others said, “Just shows how scary/rough
life can be?”
Fine.
Of course life can be scary. This was the
reason why the young couple in China leaped to it’s death. Life they say becomes
so unbearable that embracing death becomes not a choice but a necessity.
Right.
So they had a tough time, they
couldn’t cope. They committed suicide.
This is how this issue ends. Every
discussion on it. Every single time. Almost like a silent approval given by
society. Society doesn’t need sad depressed people who question their life.
Nobody will side with me if I said it’s ok not to smile. In today’s
corporation, anyone who starts complaining about inhuman working hours and gets
grim about losing out on his dreams is labeled as “that guy with sad attitude”.
He can guarantee himself a pink slip in next downsizing process. It will come
faster than the Pizza Delivery from the shop next door.
In a lot of ways corporate slavery is
worse than the actual “Slavery”. They made you work in farms till you were
reduced a machine who survives just for his masters profit.
But they gave a damn if you were sad and
crying on the field. There was complete indifference. If it affected you
performance maybe a lash or two but that was it.
In modern day corporate slavery, not only
do you have to be a non human machine who sells his dreams and life for his
masters profit, but you also got to look happy about it. If you don’t look
happy, they fire you. They take away the means to feed your family. They would
kill you if they could.
Coming back to how the discussions on
Suicide ends. They had a tough life which they couldn’t endure. They ended it.
Too Bad.
Almost a justification served on a platter
to the next person who is contemplating a suicide !
How come no one points out the people who
fought for a better life in extremely horrible circumstances? How come their
story and instances are NEVER discussed to inspire our depressed section of
society who could take a step forward towards life instead of just ending it?
Why such an indifference?
More importantly, how come this aspect doesn't feature in minds of those of actually do commit suicide? Maybe because before
that instant they were one of us. One of us who give a damn about stories of
people who fought for survival.
Depressingly enough, this thought process
prompted me to think about situations/events which signify the lowest points of
the human existence.
I cannot think of a of a point lower than
the prison camps during the holocaust.
In 1943, Primo Levi, a young 25 year old
chemist was arrested by the fascists. He was a Jew.
He was sent to Auschwitz.
He survived.
He wrote a masterpiece, “Survival in
Auschwitz”. This is one of those rare books which talks about the mind of the
survivor instead of mere re-collection and narration of events.
I had to get back to this book to
understand what prompted men to survive in these horrifying conditions?
I will use some direct quotes from the
book for the selfish gain of this essay.
““Sooner or later in life everyone
discovers that perfect happiness is unrealizable, but there are few who pause
to consider the antithesis: that perfect unhappiness is equally unattainable”
-Primo Levi.
In such trying times, it is some kind of
hope which kept these people going. The absolute knowledge that one day they
got to die and till then there is scope to improve the life.
Hope and Uncertainty.
There has to be reason why the truth of
death is known before something is even born. Even before it.
I think this certainty is a miracle. David
Hume described “Miracle” as “ a violation of the laws of nature”.
I’ve written this before and I will write
this again, I will never get tired writing about “Randomness”.
Fabric of universe is entropy. Entropy is always increasing. Entropy is the
measure of randomness. Thus the randomness and the uncertainty is always
increasing.
The certainty of death completely goes
against the principles on which nature is built. Yet it is the only truth of
the nature.
Is there a reason why death is the
ultimate truth? Is there a reason why everything ceases to exist after Shiva’s
final dance?
Such profound questions can be answered by
a person who faces death every day. Not only every day, but every hour, in
every breath he takes.
Primo Levi answers the question. The
puzzle regarding certainty of death. I think every one can have a different
perspective at it. I wanted to know what a prisoner in a Nazi death camp
thought about certainty of death.
“Our ever-insufficient knowledge of the
future opposes it: and this is called, in the one instance, hope, and and in
the other, uncertainty of the following day. The certainty of death opposes it:
for it places a limit on every joy, but also on every grief”
- Survival at Auschwitz ,Primo Levi
Had we not have the certainty of death,
the unfathomable abyss of future would have made the concept of HOPE
non-existent.
It was hope which kept these prisoners
alive.
On deeper thinking, you will realize that suicide
boils down to an extreme situation where the choice is between acceptance and
rejection. Between acceptance and revolt.
Suicide is often viewed as an act of revolt.
Hardly so. Analyze the lives of people who are termed
as “revolutionaries”. Mahatma Gandhi, Che, Martin Luther King. These are
fighters. Different methods but common belief. They all refused to accept their
present situation and fought for a better life for their people. How hard is
this to figure for people who commit suicide in the name of a “revolt”/anger
against something?
Revolt is an act of rejection.A rejection to confine
yourself to shackles of your present. Suicide means giving up on your future
turning a blind eye towards tremendous possibilities which future holds.
“Suicide is
the most extreme form of acceptance”-
Albert Camus.
Besides the certainty of death, the life events are
random and absurd. There is no way to predict. One should never fail to realize
the absurd. Never deny the reality of randomism. Never fail to accept the fact
that besides death, everything else is temporary.
Naked truths are devoid of reason. It’s
independent of interpretation. Beauty, in that sense-is a lie. What is beauty
to one could be obnoxious to other. Maybe just “nice”. Interpretation however,
changed. One might need to give a reason why he finds this thing beautiful, or
why he finds it obnoxious.
Death required no explanation. What is dead
to one is dead to every body else. No reason. No interpretation. To attach a
reason to it is an imbecile and foolish at audacious levels.
Thus, its completely justified if one
reason’s his actions. “ I am leaving this town to find a new job in a new city”.
Fine.
“Ill die because she left me “ “Ill
die because I lost my job”
This.
This is plain stupid.
You attached a reason to something which didn't need it.
“Really?” I hear you ask. What about those
who do die for a reason. What about soldiers?
Soldiers die protecting borders. Here’s the
thing about borders though: they change. What represents two different
countries could be two states of the same nation tomorrow. I was talking to my
friend Mann who told me the horrible times our soldiers faced in Sri Lanka. At
least 1500 Indian soldiers died in Sri Lanka. All in the name of historical
relations we have had with our neighbor. Then one day politics changed, India
votes against Sri Lanka in UN. All sacrifices and deaths forgotten.
In any case, martyrs cannot be compared to
people who commit suicide out of depression. These are people who kept they
duty, faith and belief above their concern for death.
So it boils down to complete acceptance or
rejection.
A complete acceptance of trying times as
in the case of the Chinese couple. A slap on the future.
Or it can be ultimate rejection as in the
case of Primo Levi. He kept his hope alive in Auschwitz and came out of it.
Suicide is not like waking up from a
nightmare. It’s like accepting that this nightmare is your reality and never
waking up.
This blog is being submitted in Indian School of Business-Idiya for a change contest.Wish me luck
http://www.isb.edu/idiya/
http://www.isb.edu/idiya/
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