Almighty Losers!

Of what little I know of mythology, and history – and; perhaps this is Universal, be it in Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, or Zorastrians – the gods have always been portrayed as losers!

Each of these gods and saints could have done so much more, asserted themselves, used their powers, `shown off their attitude’ and emerged winners. Instead they displayed calmness and poise, magnanimity and alacrity, humility and modesty, patience and tolerance, and the right attitude.

But populism dictates that attitude is directly proportional to aggression, that equals assertivensess, and in short that equals materialistic possessions to determine as to whether you won or lost. History is replete with such examples – of those who had the all conquering attitude and what happened to those people like Alexander, Napolean, and Hitler.

Leaders across cultures wanted to expand their kingdoms, geographical borders through conquest, subjugation, war and thus declare they were the supreme. The deep desire was to establish themselves as the almighty of the world that mattered to them. We too like to show of our attitude of being an able leader, captain, statesman.

We all love to master our environments, be it home or workplace or life. We want to be on top of everything we do, or like to perceive that we are on the top. People who do so tend to consider themselves as the masters or as greats (winners).

We all get into this trap. An Ego state that gives you the inherent qualities of being Over Ambitious, Hyper competitive, Over controlling nature, and hungry for rewards, recognition. In this state one also tends to be too resistant to feedback, too unwilling to change, and inflexible, and most important “Showing-Off” Attitude. Take a peek into history, those were the qualities of Evils and Demons.

Lemon and Spoon and Lessons in Life!

A young kid lined up at the staring line of a lemon and spoon race in school along with seven other competitors. A spoon in the mouth, held between the those tender lips supported by brittle milk teeth, and a lemon to provide the tension at the other end of the spoon. On your marks, Get Set, Go Prr… the whistle blows and the race begins.

The young kid is thrilled as he paces through the tracks, and delightfully discovers being the leader of the pack. In that state of glee, paces forward, to only discover that the slight glance, that slight tilt of looking around turns out to be disastrous, and being only a meter away from the finish line, the lemon drops. Along with this some tears roll down the eye, and then onto the ground, but no one wants to come to even console you for your effort, because they have to gather and note down the name of the winners – who came first, second and third.

Tsunami of thoughts take over your state of mind, and you conversations, I had almost won it, but…; I was the actually the able one, but…, The spoon that I got was heavier than the others, yet…, The lemon I got was not regular shaped, hence…,

The situation is plain and simple. Just get on with life, rather than pause at that moment, for that condition is a state of stagnancy, a state of tension on any appliance or device, otherwise one will have to catch up with present.

The young kid now sat by the sidelines and watched the finals of the lemon and spoon race, with wild thought running through. I could have been there, but.. and that state of thought continued, till the race began. As the whistle blew, one kid ambled at a brisk pace, didn’t look right of left and just breasted the tape to emerge the winner. The usual celebrations, accolades and customary congratulations happened.

So, it is all about you and me, for we too have passed through these moments. Live your world, live your life – don’t attempt the precarious angles to look around on who’s doing what and where am I? You too could face the same consequences.

Majority Wins Minority Loses!

Majority Wins Minority Loses!

The first thing we learn when we are playing, that is because we are trying to determine as to who will give the `den’ in whatever game we are playing. As children we don’t even know the meaning of majority and minority, except the fact that the person who is the `odd one out’ has to give the `den’ first.

So as we grow up, we are conditioned to do what the majority do – because that is the accepted norm. If you don’t follow the herd, then either you are crazy, and you persist with your craziness, then you are a rebel (loser).

Issues across the globe and concerning the globe have their own pros and cons. There are these sets of nations / opinion leaders who based on ideologies, beliefs, history that take sides, and shape your thoughts.

The game here is a more complicated, because life doesn’t end here – for there is something called a VETO which is vested in the hands of a handful of nations. We see the same veto being played on us in real life in some situations and that get very frustrating.

There is the second and the more puzzling one of group formation when the same principle is applied and 100% is expected to accept the WINNER who may even be liked by say 50.01%. The balance 49.99% has to comply.

Even greater is the so called tendency to manipulate oneself from the minority status and get together all like minded ones, and pick out a minority chunk of the majority to render them minority and stake claim.

Children Games, but Governments, Institutions, Associations, Groups, Clubs, everywhere – you see “Majority Wins – Minority Loses”. So do we say Manipulation Wins, Guile Wins, Minority forged into Majority Wins and Majority torn into Minority Loses!

Odds have become prized, locate them and gather them – for if birds of the same feather flock together, you could be the Majority.

Complicated, but true!

Emerging Society - Grave Concern

We like to detest people with authorities – though immediately we show we admire them, and some of us coy up to be obedient or turn out to be rebels, but realize their value much later in life.

Take your mother for example – she regimented you so much, that you just wanted to rebel around any activity. Not having milk on time, not having food, or playing a little longer when she tried calling you back home for studying or having food. Your inner feelings said, “Give me a break, and stop this clock.” You sought a refuge in your grandparent or an uncle or aunt or whoever pampered you as the blue eyed child.

Your Father – most of them would not have directly got involved, letting the mothers do the job. But those who do, also tend to set some rules, which the poor child has to comply with. Men being Men think instructions are like a computer program and will be followed to the T, till they discover all the bugs it has. This time most of you sought the refuge of your mother or grand parents and they came to your rescue.

Today one tends to live in a house with just a mother and father, and cared for by service sector (servants).

Your teacher, professors – engaging with them during the tenure, you would not think of so highly, because, they never understood you and only kept on proceeding with doing their jobs – sometimes being lax, strict, or partial – in which ever way you perceived it to be.

Some of us even went to the extent of being judgmental enough to label them and complain to our parents, friends of “They (teacher) don’t know their stuff”. That’s the way the current generation treats knowledge in the Knowledge Era – God Save them.

These three are the important tenets of shaping your character and what you are. This in itself leads us to a very basic tenet – our foundations. Asian systems were normally joint family based, with most of them also following the guru shishya parampara (mentor-pupil tradition), where knowledge was imparted and transferred as an expertise. Not certified as a degree or diploma.

In our quest for materialistic world, have dug a grave for the future generations? Grave Concern!.

School, College, Marriage,

“First is school, then is college, and then is marriage with a baby in a carriage – an oft heard statement that one chuckled listening to during the later stages of school.

Beautifully summed up statement, that is so linear and draws up a process chart for one in life. Process 1 - School, finish it with flying colours, and then get to Process 2 - College - Go through the rigours and get prepared for a mature life. Cut to Process 3 - Marriage - so get married and start having children, and you have done your duty. Wish life was really such a linear and dutiful process.

School – the first thing that comes to mind is Regimentation, while we like to remember college more for the freedom, and yet when we talk of marriage, the operative word for most is Bondage! Bondage for who is again a perspective.

All through school we were longing to be in college, and when in college were were longing to get married, and once married, most of us get into the thought that “Oh, I was better off as a single, what have I got into?

The Grass the other side is always green or better still – there has to be not just a perspective, but the right perspective, so the direction matters.

School – a place we love to reminisce, but not to get back. College – we all want to be there, If god gave us a chance to rewind life and start it from the day we wished to, I am sure most of us want to start if from sometime during college days and very few from during the school days.

Why is that? It makes me wonder. Ask me and even I would tell you that I want to rewind my life back from college days? Why?

Seven Friends and a concept

Seven friends from college had some kind of re-union. Most of them in their late thirties and early forties, on a weekend vacation with family. The men hit the pool and were having typical conversations. Each one was on a journey of Awaken that College Student within.

Suddenly two guys from the group were being dubbed as Losers! Because they were still single, and had not found a right partner, while these guys had children in the age of 2 – 8. The two guys dubbed as losers conceded, and the game went on.

Now this was about those who had their own house – and this time two different guys turned out to be losers, because they lived in rented houses. The game proceeded like a Russian Roulette – and this time the discussion was about the car – and two more guys were losers this time, for they had not graduated beyond the entry level car. By the end of it all of us were losers in one thing or the other.

The fact that I had been dubbed a loser first – motivated me to look at this word and topic and chronicle an entire story. I initially decided to take a self effacing route, but when I thought about it deeper, I thought it has to be self effacing for the reader and not just the author alone, and hence it is a story of Us or We!

Perspectives changed and the same guys who had branded me a loser just about 24 hours back were eating their own words, and calling me a winner because I am single, and they felt they were being pestered by their wives. .

There began the Chronicles!

Geographies and Societies – The Grass the Other side is always Green

Village, Town and City are the typical hierarchy of geographies, whil e Tradition, Fashion and Lifestyle, can be summed up as the typical hierarchies of the society in the respective geographies.

Never content on where we are and what we have, we want to explore the other side perceiving it to be better. This is like climbing a ladder, but the problem is we do not want to do it one step at a time, and take shortcuts to reach the top – Migration Mania.

People becoming urbanites, disconnect themselves from the roots and fall off like an orphaned fruit in foreign land. They start rearing a generation that does not know the meaning of native place, and some go abroad and rear a generation that does not know the meaning of country of origin.

We christen this pattern as “Nomads without Roots”-- People who consider themselves as winners on achieving geographic or societal success, but don’t realize what they have lost.

West is moving towards East – Yoga, meditation, vegetarianism, alternative therapies, and almost reviving some extinct practices of the region, while East is moving more rapidly to the West in aping their lifestyle of materialism, wealth, greed, and so on. Call this a Cultural Cross Over

The Grass On the Other side is Always Green. Instead of looking at the grass and being judgmental about the shades of of green, one needs to look within and Introspect – You will rediscover your roots, values and most importantly YOURSELF!

Which side are you looking – Within or Without?