The old woman

There she stood, holding the window bars like a prisoner...
She - a beautiful antithesis to beauty as we know it,
And the window - overlooking the busy street..
That sprinted while she strolled.

Her eyes looked expectant, did she want to get out?
To enjoy the outside?
But the wrinkles expressed a full life.
Perhaps her eyes expressed hope than expectation.

That we could still slow down, if we weren't so damn scared.
To live each moment fully and give it a chance,
To carve a wrinkle on our face.

Her wrinkles spoke of a million experiences,
All embraced, none denied - her eyes said that.
She was the silent island, in the noisy storm.
She was on the other side of the prison - looking in. 

Even good intentions are useless, if proving them comes at the cost of realizing them

Kejriwal's resignation

• Political rivals call it a cheap publicity stunt...to gain something bigger
• Political analysts call it an excuse to focus more on LS polls...to gain something bigger
• AAP says it is about renunciation(of Power) and taking moral responsibility. That the above folks cannot fathom this concept. It seems unthinkable to them that something can be done WITHOUT some bigger motive in mind. I agree about these other folks...but the issue is not their response, but his resignation. 

Interviewers should pose the simple question to Arvind Kejriwal: "How exactly does your resignation help the state/nation?" If he goes on about taking moral responsibility - thank him for his intentions, but ask him to do what is done when 'taking moral responsibility' : APOLOGIZE for his failure. 

He will not - as was evident

Dropping perceptions...and the whole motherload

This is a sequel to my last blog Technology, Truth and Success. There are too many who decry the current state of affairs, lament how the world is going to pieces because of our obsession with perception, and manufacturing the truth, rather than accepting it

But what is the solution? A good friend asked me: "What is your suggestion, should we discover the truth?how? OR keep manufacturing it?" This is my humble attempt to address that question. As per my understanding. 

Technology, Truth & Success

The trouble with improved networking technology is that's it too easy to score enough agreements someway, and convince ourselves that we have found the truth. Leaving less room for challenging our own thoughts and beliefs, which is the cornerstone of real thinking - and self-discovery. 

We are unconsciously becoming a world where reality is just a smoky mash-up of the majority perception, of 'Like's and page-links and Google ranks and Twitter trends - rather than the clear insight from first-hand experience. 

INTJs, their intelligence and the love affair with Ayn Rand

(This was my response on an INTJ Forum to a fellow INTJs struggle on trying to fit in with the 'mediocre' society and finding salvation in Ayn Rand's writings...)

Personally - I think The Fountain head is a sort of a catharsis pill for INTJs. For a few days, you will go "OH MY GOD!!! At last my philosophies have been articulated to the last word!!! Why can't everybody read Ayn Rand and make life easier?????" The book has given you a justification to 'hate' the 'non-intelligent' ones, who are a "burden on earth". Division, separation, isolation are the words I can think of. 

MBTI Types and Relationships

(This was written in response to statements on an INTJ forum where they tended to blame the success or failure of relationships solely on MBTI compatibility and worse, externalizing the issues on certain types. For eg: "ESFPs drive me up a wall!!!" or generalizing experiences: "Well, my relationship with XXXX type worked, so I am sure why your's did not")
It is a common belief that relationships work based on compatibility of personalities. And MBTI is a powerful tool to identify personality types. The insights are no doubt amazing, but are they the only factor that influences relationship? 

I am an INTJ. And this often becomes an excuse to rationalize our weaknesses, instead of the understanding them for the weaknesses they are. I think any relationship works/does not work depending on maturity levels - not MBTI types. But we have heard that a million times already, right? Maybe without delving into exactly what it means. Cos the narrow answers still continue.

Thinking and Creativity

Real thinking is an act of creation. What mostly passes off as 'Thinking' is actually 'Having an opinion': Agreeing or disagreeing with someone ELSE's thoughts, or worse - with someone else's opinion. 

A popular critic might not have created even as much as his worst writer - but is still feared by the best writer. Not because he can write the best, but because he can prove you are the worst with his vast knowledge(The real writers are of course too busy writing)

So yes - Knowledge IS power, power is about being in control. We might be 'holding the reins'. To the voluntary end of the rope. But we are still 'secured'. Which provides us a sense of 'Security'.  

Creativity is the opposite. It's about being out of control, being free, letting go of the reins, making space - for something other than what we have always known, liked or hated and therefore, held on to. Creativity then is not something that is "achieved" - it is something that is "allowed to happen" when we are not.

Nuances

It is possible to know the right answer, but not the true answer.
Possible to know the true answer, but succumb to the right answer.
To know..even explain the answer - but not understand.
To understand, but not have experienced. 
To be sure that we hate what we have, but have no clue what we want.
To know what we want, but not what we need.
To know what we really need, but still run behind what we want.
To not admit that its our need, and instead turn it into an expectation.
To justify that expectation as 'Give and take', as fairness - as Balance.
Balance - its always the 'right' answer. A victim of analysis and logic. 
Balance is our official approval. To achieve closure. To stop exploring.
Balance is our permission to be satisfied with the 'right' answer..
And not trouble ourselves with the truth. 

Even small things come at a price...

The middle class family...mom and two kids came in next to me while i was stuffing my second round at the bhelpuri stall. One could see the typical childs gleam in their eyes at the sight of all the savories..happily struggling to make a choice..while their mom asked about the prices. "Bhaiyya..how much is the sev puri for?" "25 rupees" came the bland answer. "And pani puri?". "20 rupees". As the kids looked at her with expectant eyes, she simple looked at them, shook her head..and took them away. The prices were too high.

I was left with a lump in my throat. And also remembered the coffee i had two days ago at rs. 120. It was supposed to be superior coffee in a way i cld not understand. But truth be told, i did not care anyway abt the price. Until these kids forced me to think. I still am...n havent reached a conclusion. Wth..