The power of self

Lost.

The frame of mind most of us seem to be in. Surprisingly, we seem to be more lost than ever when it comes to the most important decisions of our life. Career, family and love. Being one of the most intellectually empowered species, why is it so difficult to make our own decisions?

The answer stems back to a startling and profound truth. We hardly listen to ourselves. The little voice in your head is clouded by the myriad of judgments and opinions around you. We have learnt to live by reacting to our environment. Every thought is governed by the outlook and the acceptance of society, friends, our generation and most importantly, our family.

It's no surprise that we feel so disoriented as we try to walk the path advocated by the multiple facets of our life. And when the decision is not completely ours to begin with, it is hardly startling that we are so easily shaken from our path by even the slightest iota of self-doubt. That infantile skepticism transforms rapidly into a volley of confusion and once again, instead of listening to our instincts, we turn to a confidante to lead the path once more. A vicious circle.

How, then, does one begin to listen to their gut feeling? I took 5 minutes of time away from my routine life and tried to listen to what my instinct was saying to me. If you're doing this for the first time, you'll realize it turns out to be an unexpectedly difficult task to listen to yourself without wanting to indulge back in to the world (check your phone, watch the time or continue doing your prior tasks). Once you have got started though, a sense of calmness envelops you as you grow surer of your unadulterated thoughts.

It’s not a life-altering experience and to expect fireworks would be quite foolish. Yet, the relief and mental stability that ensued was nothing short of a wonder. The feeling of anger, helplessness and frustration is replaced by a sense of quietude and strength.

The answers to every troubling question that has left you in despair...You don't need to look out for it.You just need to look inside.

Pointing Fingers - The oldest game known by mankind

When the first cavewoman must hv found her food store ransacked, I'm sure she got this reply..."It wasn't me! It was him..."

The art of laying the entire blame on someone else has been mastered over the years by the human race. It got even more techno-savvy when the media jumped in.

Take the IPL for instance, the greatest on-screen drama since Othello...It has all the ingredients it needs to qualify for a 24*7 exposure on nation-wide television. Glamour, Politicians, Shady deals, Huge money..it doesn't take too long for a combination like that to present itself as a gold mine for the sensationalism-hungry journalists..And boy, did they strike it rich!

While Lalit Modi and Shashi Tharoor pummelled each other and screamed themselves hoarse saying "I'm completely blemishless..It was HIM all along", more characters took to the pointing-finger sport on the stage. Dive in Sharad Pawar, an absolute ace at this game, with his hands in every murky deal that goes on..and presto, the "It wasn't me" phrase just got repeated exponentially!

Do we hope for a day when everyone would take complete responsibility for their actions? Hell,no...If we'd to, we'd be in deep s*** with our managers, professors and spouses! All we need to do is to make sure that 'Pointing fingers at someone else' gets listed as one of the virtues. Then we can happily point fingers at corrupt politicians while we shirk our responsibilities with ease.

A pretty Saturday Afternoon

Its a Saturday afternoon. And its beautiful. Simply beautiful.

Its been cold since morning,and yet not too cold. The skies are a greyish blue but not dark enough to give it a gloomy expression. I’m tightly holding on to its soothing nature as much as I can, afraid that this feeling might just slip away before I know it. At peace, I’d call it..Isn’t this what we always chase? The peace of mind, the silent happiness. And here I’ve got it without moving as much as a finger. Yet I know that it’s short lived. The time will soon pass by and with the next responsibility that I remember, it will disappear without a trace. We work hard, chasing dreams and luxury to bequeath contentment on ourselves. Yet, without realising it, we move away when true joy is sitting right beside us. Heatedly pursuing money, a comfortable house, an ability to buy what we want. Finally when we get there, we feel immense delight, at that instant. But as the days pass by, even though this is exactly what we wanted…it still hasn’t given us the real happiness we wished for all along. And when I’m in my withered years, when I truly wish to take a stroll by that pretty little wilderness in the arcade, my weak knees probably will pull me back making me regret that I never took walks when I possessed the vigor to take one. Or wishing that when it rained, I had just sat out in the open lying on that comfortable hammock or taken that nice soak in my tub with the sweet smelling bath salts, looking at the mist settled on my frosted window. Right now, I wish I was in a quaint little café with the smell of cinammon in the air. Lit only by skylights and with modest. wooden furnishing. Big white french windows with potted plants on the sill. The peal of the bell ringing each time someone walks in. With me curled up in a corner with a nice book and a cup of sweet and spicy tea. The image of it all seems like paradise..Isn’t that what heaven’s all about? Unadulterated joy. Despite this pretty picture in my head, I do know that if I spot a gorgeous pair of shoes displayed in a showroom, being able to buy it would also make me happy. The ability to buy myself luxury is essential to my happiness as well. That would mean that I would have to chase success and money. I seem to be wanting two completely contrasting lifestyles simultaneously. But the answer to how I would live both side by side is still a haze. An experiment Im still working on. And I truly hope that I’m led towards the right answer soon.Amen.

A Foggy Future

A nervous chill runs down my spine.
Dust and sweat prickle on my skin.
An eerie drone fills the melancholy void
It clamps my heart from deep within.

Gaunt and lifeless, brittle and brown
Withered, they lay, leaves scattered by
I hear them crumble with every step I take
Disrupting the stillness despite many a try.

Wary, I tread ahead on the meandering trail
Into a hazy horizon, it disappears
I dread to think what peril lurks beyond
Every stride into the unknown adds to my fears

Why must have I left that habitual path?
Where the trees beckoned me to come hither
A land where the breeze, oh so ambrosial,
Gently nudged me to pace further.

Numbed by a sudden remorse,
In my tracks, I froze
A sparkle, I espied, glimmering bright
A dewdrop on a wild rose.

The sweet fragrance of earth wafted by
Rays shimmered through the canopy
A familiar sight greeted my eyes
Was I walking into a reverie?

I glanced around once more.
The path hadn’t changed, it was I
Anxious to embrace a route nouveau
I had been afraid to even try.

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods
A honeyed babble plays on the breeze
A smile quivers on my lips once more
My timorous heart is yet again at ease.

The distant horizon may be obscure
Yet I’ve faith it isn’t filled with gloom.
Every hopeful stride I take
Awaits new flowers in bloom.