Of a bagel and nothing in particular
Somehow, it is easier to transform thoughts -that would otherwise pass me by- into words by making them rhyme or stick to some rhythm that might be beating at a particular moment.
Bagels
Pick a bagel,
With cream cheese, jelly or even peanut butter,
There is one for free,
If you believe that
You are one bite away from heaven.
He forgot
A goes home to wash her clothes
B cuts an onion and watches it cry
C switches on the TV and watches the news
Every two seconds, she says "My, oh my."
He rides a bicycle
A breeze wafting through his ears
He knows not
Some happy and some sad moments lie ahead
For he will never ask them as to what
They do when they are lonely.
Somehow, it is easier to transform thoughts -that would otherwise pass me by- into words by making them rhyme or stick to some rhythm that might be beating at a particular moment.
Bagels
Pick a bagel,
With cream cheese, jelly or even peanut butter,
There is one for free,
If you believe that
You are one bite away from heaven.
He forgot
A goes home to wash her clothes
B cuts an onion and watches it cry
C switches on the TV and watches the news
Every two seconds, she says "My, oh my."
He rides a bicycle
A breeze wafting through his ears
He knows not
Some happy and some sad moments lie ahead
For he will never ask them as to what
They do when they are lonely.
A question
A second ticked and in that span
Came and went the history of man
Some so smart, some quite stupid
Some were meek and were disappointed
We who thought, did everything we could not
Our shoulders hurt (the world weighed quite a lot)
But in the time nature looked upon its creations
None of us could quite figure out the permutations.
We are small, our problems must also be so
Should we look within or without to know
One man smaller than many, all of whom are very small
Why then do we starve or hurt, do (should) we feel anything at all?
A second ticked and in that span
Came and went the history of man
Some so smart, some quite stupid
Some were meek and were disappointed
We who thought, did everything we could not
Our shoulders hurt (the world weighed quite a lot)
But in the time nature looked upon its creations
None of us could quite figure out the permutations.
We are small, our problems must also be so
Should we look within or without to know
One man smaller than many, all of whom are very small
Why then do we starve or hurt, do (should) we feel anything at all?
Rain
They sat at a party. They had been promised water from the ground. They got water from the sky.
They were disappointed.
They were at a party. Water gushed from the ground. Nobody removed an umbrella.
Strange.
They sat at a party. They had been promised water from the ground. They got water from the sky.
They were disappointed.
They were at a party. Water gushed from the ground. Nobody removed an umbrella.
Strange.
Recording moments
Counting the time till when I can leave. The thought of work fills me with dread and quite out of place. I am sitting upright under my chair, only because heavy cardboard boxes underneath my desk prevent me from stretching my legs and slouching. Even though the thought of smoking fills me with disgust, I am thinking of cigarettes. I want to do a lot in the evening but am picturing the obstacles that come in my way...tiredness at a coffee shop, distractions at home. The commute homeward bound has become unpredictable. There must be umpteen ways to travel 15 streets and 2 avenues, but I know I shall tread on familiar ground to save time, which I shall probably end up wasting later. Every evening holds the promise of a new adventure and I promise to stop thinking less like an island and more like a peninsula at the very least. I am looking at my colleagues and marvel at the compromise many of them put up with to get through the best 8 hours of their day. The ones that don't thrust their ambition in your face at every instant. Is there a reason for their being here? And is it correct to analyze the reasons behind their work ethic? Am I better off working or at least trying to write?
I think this idle boredom is ok, for repeated awareness of this state will help me snap ties with security just like that: snap!
Counting the time till when I can leave. The thought of work fills me with dread and quite out of place. I am sitting upright under my chair, only because heavy cardboard boxes underneath my desk prevent me from stretching my legs and slouching. Even though the thought of smoking fills me with disgust, I am thinking of cigarettes. I want to do a lot in the evening but am picturing the obstacles that come in my way...tiredness at a coffee shop, distractions at home. The commute homeward bound has become unpredictable. There must be umpteen ways to travel 15 streets and 2 avenues, but I know I shall tread on familiar ground to save time, which I shall probably end up wasting later. Every evening holds the promise of a new adventure and I promise to stop thinking less like an island and more like a peninsula at the very least. I am looking at my colleagues and marvel at the compromise many of them put up with to get through the best 8 hours of their day. The ones that don't thrust their ambition in your face at every instant. Is there a reason for their being here? And is it correct to analyze the reasons behind their work ethic? Am I better off working or at least trying to write?
I think this idle boredom is ok, for repeated awareness of this state will help me snap ties with security just like that: snap!
Lies to the machine
I went to the gym for a run today. There is an absence of pigeons cooing to fellow pigeons and there is no rustling of leaves.
Hence, listening to music in of those fancy contraptions is desirable. Today however, the machine asked me for personal information such as date of birth, income, my favorite Beatle, etc. I lied.
Gandhi says that truth alone is the faithful companion of the non-violent soldier. But in coming days, we are to be monitored more than ever what with the Department of Homeland Security, The Committee for Santitized Upbringing, the Orange Juice baptizing for the Evil program and the like. Machines will be everywhere. Does lying to machines contradict the principles of non-violence?
Does lying to the machines contradict the principles of non-violence?
I am afraid it does, as lying is another form of suspicion, which is one of the greatest forms of passive violence. Not to mention, till Arnold Schwarzenneger learns to act like a human, machines will be nothing more than extensions of human personality.
Is the option then to go Amish and abandon technology? In a society filled with intrusive machines, the failure lies not with the chip within the human heart, but with the hands that exercise the vote.
I went to the gym for a run today. There is an absence of pigeons cooing to fellow pigeons and there is no rustling of leaves.
Hence, listening to music in of those fancy contraptions is desirable. Today however, the machine asked me for personal information such as date of birth, income, my favorite Beatle, etc. I lied.
Gandhi says that truth alone is the faithful companion of the non-violent soldier. But in coming days, we are to be monitored more than ever what with the Department of Homeland Security, The Committee for Santitized Upbringing, the Orange Juice baptizing for the Evil program and the like. Machines will be everywhere. Does lying to machines contradict the principles of non-violence?
Does lying to the machines contradict the principles of non-violence?
I am afraid it does, as lying is another form of suspicion, which is one of the greatest forms of passive violence. Not to mention, till Arnold Schwarzenneger learns to act like a human, machines will be nothing more than extensions of human personality.
Is the option then to go Amish and abandon technology? In a society filled with intrusive machines, the failure lies not with the chip within the human heart, but with the hands that exercise the vote.
Movies
With the advent of digital cable, you can now view warnings on your TV screen, which will warn you if there is anything violent in the movie you are about to see.
The you decide if your kid can watch the movie, or whether s/he should wait till school on Monday morning.
This got me thinking. How boring would movies be without violence? Imagine the world hundred years from today. For the next fifty years, people will rip each other 's heart out. Then they are bound to get sick and tired of the whole thing. After that there will be peace. People may even forget what it was like to be violent. How would the movies be then? Would they be bland, uniform and simply a pain to watch?
I suspect not. Humans by their very nature will cling on to to something(s) that once attained establishes some form of superiority. Money. Knowledge. Or in a world without bloodshed - non violence. People will try and undermine each other using non violence as a yardstick. I saw you step on that ant, the hero will admonish the villain, as the movie audience will gasp.
And this would surely mean that violence -albeit in passive forms such as hate, anger, jealousy, greed- is destined to stay on. Movies will never get boring, only better.
With the advent of digital cable, you can now view warnings on your TV screen, which will warn you if there is anything violent in the movie you are about to see.
The you decide if your kid can watch the movie, or whether s/he should wait till school on Monday morning.
This got me thinking. How boring would movies be without violence? Imagine the world hundred years from today. For the next fifty years, people will rip each other 's heart out. Then they are bound to get sick and tired of the whole thing. After that there will be peace. People may even forget what it was like to be violent. How would the movies be then? Would they be bland, uniform and simply a pain to watch?
I suspect not. Humans by their very nature will cling on to to something(s) that once attained establishes some form of superiority. Money. Knowledge. Or in a world without bloodshed - non violence. People will try and undermine each other using non violence as a yardstick. I saw you step on that ant, the hero will admonish the villain, as the movie audience will gasp.
And this would surely mean that violence -albeit in passive forms such as hate, anger, jealousy, greed- is destined to stay on. Movies will never get boring, only better.
Holidays
It is the holiday season and time to say Merry Christmas, a phrase through the twisted workings of some collective unknown multitude has become politically incorrect.
Holidays bring with them the air of festivity, but in it is best to curb joyous outpourings with a modicum of caution. For it is that time of the year also when office workers gather together and celebrate over beverages and the like. Free drinks are synonymous with such functions. You have one drink, then another, then feel for your wallet that feels just as heavy. Then you have another. Before you know it you are telling your boss, how her ways and means are a big obstacle in achieving world peace. You are hitting on your colleagues' friends. You dance uninhibitedly, as though the New York Lotto just beeped you to announce that you have won the jackpot and you can now resign. But Alas! Monday morning dawns and from the moment you wake up, you think of the smirks, nods and violent responses that lie in store for you. And get it you shall. Everyone is just waiting for you to say Good Morning.
However, Monday morning holds no such fears for me. Not because I am like Bush with a clear conscience, but because Iike Bush, I don't care. However, one thing bothers me. I spoilt a potentially good time by indulging in memories and sentiments invoked by occurrences a year ago.
Are memories obstacles in achieving a primary goal of non violence - self realization? Maybe. Maybe not. It is alright to be human - weak and helpless - every now and then.
It is the holiday season and time to say Merry Christmas, a phrase through the twisted workings of some collective unknown multitude has become politically incorrect.
Holidays bring with them the air of festivity, but in it is best to curb joyous outpourings with a modicum of caution. For it is that time of the year also when office workers gather together and celebrate over beverages and the like. Free drinks are synonymous with such functions. You have one drink, then another, then feel for your wallet that feels just as heavy. Then you have another. Before you know it you are telling your boss, how her ways and means are a big obstacle in achieving world peace. You are hitting on your colleagues' friends. You dance uninhibitedly, as though the New York Lotto just beeped you to announce that you have won the jackpot and you can now resign. But Alas! Monday morning dawns and from the moment you wake up, you think of the smirks, nods and violent responses that lie in store for you. And get it you shall. Everyone is just waiting for you to say Good Morning.
However, Monday morning holds no such fears for me. Not because I am like Bush with a clear conscience, but because Iike Bush, I don't care. However, one thing bothers me. I spoilt a potentially good time by indulging in memories and sentiments invoked by occurrences a year ago.
Are memories obstacles in achieving a primary goal of non violence - self realization? Maybe. Maybe not. It is alright to be human - weak and helpless - every now and then.
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