Reason

"He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave."
-- Sir William Drummond

.......I perfectly agree.

I feel that it is the gift of reasoning, more than anything else, that distinguishes humans from other animals. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if I had to judge the quality of a person on a criteria of my choice, I would solely go upon his reasoning ability.

There's very little to be said about those who cannot argue; simply because they cannot help themselves. You cannot blame a lame man if he cannot walk. But what I find extremely troublesome about these people is that they like to perpetuate the myth that arguing or reasoning is wrong. Unfortunately, they're successful to some extent. And most unfortunate that these people cannot teach their children anything better. Their reasoning ability is nipped before it has a chance to flower.

Those who will not argue are not a less smellier kettle of fish. Not so irksome, perhaps, but one cannot expect anything but a stubborn silence in return for any efforts to involve them in a discussion. Sometimes one might hear a grunt or some such sound but nothing more. Their ideas are fixed and nothing will change them, least of all some good hard reason. And it might really be better this way, because if these people were actually driven to open their mouths, you would wonder if they had lost use of their ears !

As for those who dare not argue; I haven't yet encountered this species, though I admit I feel pity for them. Imagine having eyes and yet having to live blindfolded; it cannot be easy.

I'm thankful that I do not fall under any of these brackets. If there is something I thank God for, more than anything else, it is this very gift of reason, which has always stood me in good stead. And if there is something I fear most, it is the thought that someday I might lose it......

Tolerance

"... tolerance, regardless of it's humble facade, assumes a position of superiority. If I tolerate you then you are the one who needs tolerating, not me...Perhaps G.K. Chesterson was right when he said, "Tolerance is the virtue of the man with no convictions." What self-respecting individual wants to be tolerated?...

"Came across this article, Bound for Freedom, quite by accident. Though there are many things in it that I don't agree with, it certainly made me think. I have never thought about what the word "tolerance" means, and now that I do, I realise I'm not too sure. I thought it was a mix of patience and understanding, and yet I wonder if there is something to be said for the above point of view.

I think I would vastly prefer passionate disagreement, to tolerance. When a person disagrees with me, he treats me as an equal, he respects me as a person entitled to hold his own views. But someone who is merely tolerant of my opinions, as the quote puts it, assumes a position of superiority and righteousness, without actually having proved that he deserves it. I don't know;

I suppose there are many different aspects to tolerance.....but this one is also well worth considering.....

Funny bone

I was tickled by these funny epitaphs:

On a hypochondriac's grave:
See. I told you I was SICK !
Littleton, Colorado

***Effie Jean Robinson1897-1922
Come blooming youths, as you pass by
And on these lines do cast an eye.
As you are now, so once was I;
As low as I, you once must be
Prepare for death and follow me.
Underneath, someone had added:
To follow you I am not content
How do I know Which way you went.

Oh! Sweet meomories

It is that time of the year again -- when the air is full of the sweet scent of rain, earth and fresh grass. I love it !! One of my favourite songs, "Rim jhim gire saawan....." plays in my mind with a fresh melody of its own and there is some magic in humming it, while I watch nature perform one of its most rhythmic dances. Rains somehow remind me of my childhood days, when their approach heralded the beginning of another school year and the end of summer holidays. How I would wish I could remain at home -- to cozy myself in a corner of the window, watching the clouds gather and raindrops fall, reading a book and munching on fried delicacies. Instead, with a heavy bag and heavier heart I would be packed off to school :( There I would wait for the day to crawl by, trying to make no sense of what the teachers blabbered or what the books described. The darker it would get, the lighter I would feel --with the thought that the delicious atmosphere would likely continue late into the evening, and I would then be free to enjoy it as I please....

Gospel of Thomas
Something interesting I picked up.

If you bring forth what is within you
what you bring forth will save you.
If you do not bring forth what is within you
what you do not bring forth will destroy you.

- Gospel of Thomas

The Truth

The view of the house from the hill top, however small and diminished, presents the ultimate truth. Devoid of interferences, it helps you focus and arrive at your own conclusions of what it is. Closeness or furtherness is bound to change your perspective depending on the strength of your vision and the existence of bias.As you proceed towards the house, you tend to indulge in its surroundings and wander off in the disturbances created both by the objects in the vicinity and your own echoes bouncing off the canvas drawn by your vision. In the end, the truth is consumed and what is left is a figment of your imagination, a ruin riddled with your own imperfections and a dogmatic representation of how you would want it to be.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - If I leave here tomorrow

One of my favs....

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be travelling on, now,
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see.
But, if I stayed here with you, girl
Things just couldn't be the same.
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change.

Bye, bye, its been a sweet love.
Though this feeling I can't change.
But please don't take it badly,
'Cause Lord knows I'm to blame.
But, if I stayed here with you girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
Cause I'm as free as a bird now
And this bird you'll never change.
And this bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change.
Lord help me, I can't change.

Hectic Life

Sometimes, life does seem difficult. Lots of work, no time, lesser sleep and lots of coffee. That's how I would describe my past few days. Interesting times. You keep wondering - "What have you got yourself into?"But then, you know what you want in life and its right there in front of you. All you have to do is walk towards it and grab it.I have gotten off my ass and started walking...

States of realization and beyond...

We are all in a particular state of realization. Some of us are in a better state and some of us want to get to a better state. That is some of us are in a lower state. And we are fighting everyday to get to a better state. Which can only happen when everybody else we know or come in contact are at the same state as us. That is why unconsciously we would like to get others to our state before we move onto another state.For example, I'm in a state where I like songs of The Doors. And others are in a state where they don't like the songs of The Doors. We want to get onto a higher state. So unconsciously to get to that better state, we try to get others also to like the songs of The Doors. Once you have reached a state where there is nobody you know or have come in contact at that instant who doesn't like the songs you like, then you are all in the same state and then you decide to move to the higher state.These are called hierarchy of realizations and you try to move to a higher level by getting everybody to your level first. This exactly the same principle of a guru and a shishya. Over the next few days I shall elaborate on this principle. This is my experiment on self-realization...