Thinking Aloud

So loud each tongue, so empty was each head,
So much they talked, so very little said.
—Charles Churchill

I have a particular liking for these words and it's amazing how frequently I quote them to myself ;)

I'm back

Been thinking of writing a blog for many days now but this past year or two have been too, too busy work-wise ...leaving absolutely no personal time. Before I come up with something to write here, thought I may just let the world know I am alive, and hale and hearty (a little more than I would like to be if the weighing scales are to be believed!)

Enjoy this quote till am back…

"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown."
-- Woody Allen (1935 - )

Happiness

I have come upon various theories as to what may be the aim of man - the one that seems the most logical to me is "happiness". What gives us happiness is a question to which i have no certain answer, for I've found that different things give happiness to different people, but what I do believe is that every action of ours, directly or indirectly, is calculated towards the achievement of happiness.

Here are Aristotle's views on "happiness" as the goal of man and what, according to him, is the way to achieve it.......

"Aristotle begins by frankly recognising that the aim of life is not goodness for its own sake, but happiness. "For we choose happiness for itself, and never with a view to anything further; whereas we choose honour, pleasure, intellect...because we believe that through them we shall be made happy. But he realizes that to call happiness the supreme good is a mere truism; what is wanted is some clearer account of the nature of happiness, and the way to it. He hopes to find this way by asking wherein man differs from other beings; and by presuming that man's happiness will lie in the full functioning of this specifically human quality. Now the peculiar excellence of man is his power of thought; it is by this that he surpasses and rules all other forms of life; and as the growth of this faculty has given him his supremacy, so, we may presume, its development will give him fulfillment and happiness.

"...though external goods and relationships are necessary to happiness, its essence remains within us, in rounded knowledge and clarity of soul. Surely sensual pleasure is not the way: that road is a circle: we scratch that we may itch, and itch that we may scratch...No, happiness must be a pleasure of the mind; and we may trust it only when it comes from the pursuit or the capture of truth.”

Politics and Democracy

Politics is not a subject I usually ponder on, and I cannot be more in the dark about the political scene in our country, than it is possible to be…but I’ve often wondered whether the system of democracy – a Government of the people, by the people , for the people – is the best system of Governance to have. Atleast, the goings-on in our own country do not encourage me to think so.

Came upon the political philosophy of Spinoza ( he died before he could complete this treatise). Following is an extract, pertaining to the institution of “Democracy”, which I found interesting.

Democracy is the most reasonable form of Government; for in it “everyone submits to the control of authority over his actions, but not over his judgment and reason; i.e., seeing that all cannot think alike, the voice of the majority has the force of law.”

The defect of democracy is its tendency to put mediocrity into power; and there is no way of avoiding this except by limiting office to men of “trained skill”. Numbers by themselves cannot produce wisdom, and may give the best favours of office to the grossest flatterers. “The fickle disposition of the multitude almost reduces those who have experience of it to despair; for it is governed solely by emotions, and not by reason.” Thus democratic government becomes a procession of brief-lived demagogues, and men of worth are loath to enter lists where they must be judged and rated by their inferiors.

Equality of power is an unstable condition; men are by nature unequal; and “he who seeks equality between unequals seeks an absurdity.” Democracy has still to solve the problem of enlisting the best energies of men while giving to all alike the choice of those, among the trained and fit, by whom they wish to be ruled.

The magic of.....

Some melodies are quite simply, magical. I pick one and go into raptures about it for hours, only to sigh at the futility of trying to imprison the intangible in words. I know I could never articulate how I feel, yet I hopelessly try. It touches my heart, I say, and then realize how facile and commonplace that sounds. How naive it is to try and quantify a feeling so sublime. But not quite ready to give up yet, I break it down into its elements — the voice, the words, the mood .. but I know there is something more, something I cannot see .. like a soft breeze that tosses them all together into a beautiful whirlwind. A silence within the sounds, that speaks to me. No one, but me.

I feel its presence around me always. Sometimes as it sweeps me up into a storm, leaving me breathless and gasping for more .. and at other times, as it slows down to softly set me back on the ground, before resuming its unstoppable happy little dance. And yet when I try to hold it and describe it, it plays hide-and-seek with me. Thumbs its nose at me playfully, as it hops and skips away, leaving me smiling to myself, wondering why I even tried. I gaze at it dreamily, as it gives words and form to emotions I always felt, but was never aware of. An unknown force writing new pages of my journal.

I hum the song, languidly caressing each note and reluctantly moving on to the next one .. but the notes tug at me, wanting me to touch them one more time .. and I find myself singing them over and over again. Till they becomes a part of me, permeating my smile, my hopes, my desires .. till I am one with them. Till I am complete.

Some melodies are like some people .. they come into your life, washing over your senses like the waves, while you carefully try to preserve the ocean you’ve just discovered, in the palm of your hand. You could spend a lifetime trying to put into words how they make you feel, but you know you never can.

And even while you try, you fall deeper and deeper in love. Such are the melodies of your heart.

More realizations......

People crave to be seen and heard in a deep way. They yearn to develop a sense of meaning concerning their past and current experiences and to realize their highest aspirations and deepest passions. It is a conscious act of faith to also contend that, at root, people also want to really know 'the other'. We are, by nature, social animals and this aspect of our biology has contributed to our survival as a species, so far. We are now at a crossroads - continued survival or evolutionary extinction. The fulfillment of these desires is at the core of the spiritual intelligence so desperately needed in our present world. We must learn to access our passions responsibly, choose our perceptions and interpretations wisely, and to act on that knowing, ethically, as we grow organizations, people, and technology.

Fun on the Run

Now here's something from one of my web surfing moments-of-delight:

"If you’re being chased by a police dog, try not to go through a tunnel, then on to a little seesaw, then jump through a hoop of fire. They’re trained for that."—Unknown source.

The first thing I got reminded of was one of those life-skills/basic survival tactics that is passed on by word of mouth (sadly, I cannot recollect whose mouth it was, but I remember having heard it on several occasions).

"If you’re being chased by a mad elephant, run in a zig-zag pattern."—Another unknown source.

Loopy as it seems, the logic here (apparently) is very sound. An elephant, in spite of its magnitude can run you out of town, especially if it's mad...or motivated...or both, sometimes at a speed of 50mph! The only thing that can slow it down considerably, is it's own inertia. Also beneficial is the fact that elephants, who have an incredible memory, are usually not too hot with strategic games like chess...or Scotland Yard for that matter. So, you could run endlessly in the most predictable zig-zag formation and it will NOT intercept you through the shortest route. It will follow the exact path you take and attempt to turn the very same corners you do, even in an open field.

So the next time you are faced with such a crisis:
*Don't panic for too long and freeze in horror (That's the end my friend)
*Don't freak out, scream your head off and run straight (unless you can beat the speed of 50mph).
*Be calm and collected, and run in a zig-zag pattern.
*Occasionally, wave into camera.

Disclaimer: Don't try this at home and then blame me for it. I'm just giving you a head's up and i cannot possibly vouch for all the elephants in the world.