Saturday, April 29, 2006

home

it was a home
that laughed,
radiated bliss
for miles around.

people said,
“it is strange
how can it be?
such a mismatch!”

she had left
filigreed marble
to create
a tiny home
with a commoner
wild flowers
in the garden
children at play.

she said,
“his eyes
make music
in my soul.”

he said,
“her smile
illumines
my whole being.”

that was the home
that laughed,
radiated bliss
for miles around.

This is the story of a family I knew many years ago.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Icons

“Ignoramus, you seem to be obsessed by Icons”

“Actually Al, they have been haunting me for quite some time, religious Icons, cultural Icons and pop Icons.”

“It is very interesting really. Every Earth culture has Icons. There seems to be a need in Earth People to revere and emulate people.

So you create Icons; symbolic people that represent certain qualities, behavior patterns and values.

Their stories are told and retold so that they get deeply embedded into your psyches. As a result you generally tend to idolize and follow them.”

“Yes, that is so.”

“And stories of their exploits are exaggerated, reinterpreted, modified over time to suit your needs.

Some of you love to revile, bring down some old Icons only to replace them with new ones.

Like the old Icons, Kings and Gods brought down to be replaced by football heroes, movie stars, corporate heads and sports stars.”

“True.”

“No matter what you do, denounce or worship; you still talk about that Icon. The more you talk about the Icon, the more it is likely to be remembered.

Pop Icons realize this, so they do everything to stay in the news.

Religious groups also realize the power of repetition so symbols, images, stories related to the Icon are repeated again and again.”

“You are right.”

“More unusual the story, the more it is remembered.

Look at some of the most enduring Icons; Krishna, Durga, Buddha, Jesus and Mary. Extraordinary stories aren’t they!”

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Pop Icon

I must do
everything to
maintain my
Image.

Diva
Macho
Wild
Sober
Girl Next Door
Family Man
Cool Dude
Whatever.

After all
my agent
my manager
my publicist
my media team
have worked
so hard to
create it.

More over
my fans
the public
expect it.

We will rework
the Image
when it gets stale
but till then

I must do
everything to
maintain my
Image.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Essence

“O Master, I understand that I have a body, mind, emotions, perception, spirit and essence. Each of these attributes may grow at a variable pace. If all the attributes are in harmony, all is well. But is that all?”

“No Ignoramus, there are many more attributes to be named yet. We are confined by the language we use. Even if we invent a new word, it will be formed by some root words that will limit its meaning. Let us leave that for another day and look at the entire you.

You must have noticed that your entire self grows, evolves to newer levels.”

“Yes Master”

“For a while there is slow evolution and suddenly you find yourself at a new level of awareness. Like a tree that develops new rings every year you develop newer levels of realization. Sometimes you may acquire many levels in a year and sometimes one in many years. You become conscious of much more than ever before. There is wisdom that was never there before. ”

“That is true Master.”

“You must have observed that you interact with different people at different levels.

And some of these levels are entirely for interacting with your own self. You are well aware of the constant interesting interactions that you have with your own self. These innermost levels hold the seeds for the newer levels.

Thus grows your Essence, your true unique self. Your Essence determined by your genes, your exclusive place in space time and your unique experiences.”

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Spirit Quotient

Ignoramus thinks some more!

“O Master! I have thought about Spirit too.”

“Good, Ignoramus, tell me more.”

“Spirit is the intelligent, immaterial, indomitable part of a human being. It drives us to seek answers, move onwards despite all odds. It impels us to move beyond ourselves, move beyond all boundaries; beyond space, beyond time, beyond life. “

“Very good Ignoramus, what now?”

“What we need now is

Spirit Quotient: A score to determine the level to which our spirit has grown.

It is a measure of:

• our positive attitude and strength of purpose
• our empathy, compassion, understanding of ourselves and others
• our faculty to think beyond ourselves, willingness to lend a hand in the growth of others
• our enthusiasm to relate to the living and the non living entities
• our ability to see beyond the immediate present, to relate to the past, the present and the future
• our capacity to relate to this planet and beyond
• our willingness to explore and understand material and non material, little understood aspects of the universe”

“Is this Spirit Quotient related to a particular religion?”

“No. Spirit Quotient is not associated with any religion or sect. “

“Will the Spirit Quotient remain constant for a person?”

“No. It is likely to change with time. It may increase or decrease in time. It is likely to grow as we grow, our spirit grows.”

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Perception

Ignoramus tries to think!

“O Master! I have being trying to think! I have been trying to explore, interact, observe, understand and Perceive!!!”

“Good, Ignoramus, so what is Perception?”

“Perception is an insight into a problem, a person or a situation with multiple components. It enables us to solve a problem, truly understand an aspect of reality.”

“And how do we perceive?”

“First, we try to gather all possible data. We use all our senses. We also use secondary data that comes to us from other sources.

We then focus intently; apply all our energy, our entire beings to obtain the solution.

Then we let it be. Our brain, our faculties work silently using all current inputs, past experiences, patterns, erroneous conclusions, correct solutions. And suddenly it is there, before us!!!”

“Very good, Ignoramus. But are our perceptions always correct?”

“No, sometimes they may be wrong. We must be careful. Primary data is the best. If secondary data is flawed the perception may be wrong. Stereotyped inputs and thinking also make the perception erroneous.”

“Can all of us perceive?”

“Yes, all of us have moments of perception. We suddenly perceive danger, a situation, solution to a problem; we truly understand! In an emergency all this happens very quickly.”

“Are all the people equally perceptive?”

“No, there seems to be fair amount of variation. Some people are more perceptive than others. Perhaps they have understood the art and science of perception.”

“Yes Ignoramus, they have.”

“Master we could define

Perception Quotient: A score to determine the degree of perceptivity in an individual.”

“Yes, and perhaps also find ways to improve perception.”