~ Reflections ~

The more I think about it, the more I am confused... To think that the past doesn't have any bearing on us from the moment it has gone by is foolishness.... And to think that the future is what we need to invest for/in is not prudent either... So how do I balance myself in "that" precarious position.. not whiling away the moment... yet not undermining the importance of the past or the future ...

Have you ever felt that you talk too much...  and sometimes, words just slip out.. that you've said things that could have been avoided,  even though what you said was true... How do you control that spontaneous response, and the regret later.... Dogs are better than human beings  because they know but do not tell.  ~ Emily Dickinson

What I miss about my childhood the most (of course I miss the idea of not having to assume any responsibilities... duh..) is the freedom to think. Not like I've been chained to an outlook, or that an attitude has stuck to me.. But the supposed logic, and practicality that we tend to attain with age (is that what is erroneously called wisdom ?!?), is what is responsible for our lack of ingenuity... the lack of thinking out of the box.... We have regimented our outlook and thought process with dos & don't, the right & the wrong, the reality & the dream...  And somewhere, maybe unknowingly, we inculcate the same in our children... So when they ask why they can't fly, all we say is that they'll fall down on the ground... without realizing that we are actually clipping their wings...

I am a strong believer that the more you try and chase something, the more it evades you... and the more you avoid something, the more it chases you.... Despite believing in this, I tend to try and chase material things... Promotions, Increments, Praises, Appraisal.... Maybe because it is "that" time of the year.... maybe it is the to be recognized, for a change for what I am responsible for... But as always, the more I harp about it, the more it moves away... needless to say it really messes with the head and spoils the mood. “I can resist everything except temptation.”  ~ Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan

Our views about life, relationships & people keep changing.... When we start out any relationship, we resolve that we'll accept everyone as they are..... But slowly, we get the itch to change the person....not necessarily to our liking, but towards our ideals..... And then guilt follows, when the realization strikes, that what we had resolved to love, without limits, unchanged, is what we are trying to change, knowingly..... and questioning them all the way..... Now I know what Oscar Wilde meant when he said....  "Women  are meant to be loved, not to be understood."

We drive the car in great speed... competing with others on the road... gathering dust, and hopefully just a few scratches here and there... without bothering about what we have done to others... not caring what we leave behind... But that's not the way I'd like to live life... After all, there IS only one life :)

Most of us wait for occasions to celebrate... birthdays... anniversaries ... exam results (though that was more a cause of concern for me ;))... I came from an even more extreme school of thought, where I thought that no day, and everyday is the same.. so why celebrate ! Now, we look for a reason to celebrate.. a Indian team victory... a lost purse found.... anything & everything qualifies as a reason to celebrate..  Maybe I am not as cynical anymore... either-ways, it feels good :) We don't always need a Milestone to celebrate... even the little Moments in life count....

A friend recently shared these quotes with me. Made a lot of sense. “An Atheist who refuses to enter a temple because he doesn’t believe in God actually does so because he believes there is God inside Temple.” “A Theist who prays to God, actually has no faith in God because he prays for God to do things his way, instead of trusting God’s wisdom and not praying at all.”

We spend a majority of our day at work... come home tired.. and eventually fall asleep... In today's materialistic world, the few precious moments one can spend with their family is at the breakfast/dinner table... You might think that this is an old fashioned thought.. I mean who eats at the dining table nowadays. Isn't it better utilization of time to watch TV side-by-side.. The dining table is the only opportunity for the family to sit together and talk, mostly the mundane activities of the day, and effectively stay in touch with each other. We might be living under the same roof, but may not have a clue about the other persons life.  And so.... I strongly believe that a  Family which eats together, stays together . Which is why the Coca Cola campaign, Khanna to hai bahaana makes good sense to me :)

We all find different ways to pay back to the society (and by that, I am not referring to Income Tax :)) Some like cleaning the neighbourhood.. some of us work for NGOs... the rest of us just ease our conscience by donating to a cause... In an effort to the same, I found a very interesting initiative online.... Microfinance, at a truly micro level, and for the people that matter... http://www.rangde.org/