Wednesday 2 July, 2008

Ephemeral! Ephemeral!!

A sumptuous meal, some peaceful slumber, the joy of achievement, a sense of loss-almost everything in the realm of “the pursuit of meaningfulness” seems ephemeral. The brunt of living in the piquant 21st century. Life just moves on. “Blood-Bath” is a common word used for the stock-markets and “Mayhem” for wars & bomb-blasts. Are we just messed up? Do we need a new dictionary & not an updated one with a lot of Hinglish or has the rising inflation just taken over our brains & made everything nugatory-ZILT!

Analysing emotions is a separate profession today. Psychologists, therapists, probable HR mangers study it. Anybody else who tries is termed “unprofessional”, gullible & plain stupid. One must maintain equanimity & work like a machine. The joy of reading a book and reflecting on the thoughts and ides is a luxury today. One is just nagged by the professional hoi polloi to such an extent that even the little drabs of lasting thoughts seem to leak away on account of the sensex crash, inflation & its impact. To me, the 24x7 news is a pain, the CNBC a curse- I just want my Doordarshan News at 8 o’clock on my LCD screen with its impeccable English & timely exit. The news atleast is factual, not TRP-driven and lasts the next mornings breakfast conversation. Every minute wasted on sipping filter-coffee and enjoying the weather is a minute lost & guess what- your knowledge just got out-dated. So download feeds, get back to the rut & get ahead. Predicting fates just got a lot easier.

Is Barack Obama going to be happy once he becomes The President Of The United States Of America? Is Bill Gates happier today pursuing philanthropy or was it when he owned the world, its wealth, its SECRETS? If it was back then, why did he switch? Why didn’t it last, why did he get tired? Why did he move on for the better or for the worse? – I don’t know.
So, has change always dictated us or has it dictated our civilization & its need for betterment or is it the same thing?

Is being happy & content & greedy for luxury our priority that governs our decisions on choices or is it just change and mental stimulation that controls it all? Are we working for ourselves, or the general good? It cant be both- that is a philosophy made by politicians. Needs change as we grow and hence, our reasons that drive our choices-say many who claim to understand the human psyche.

Then, how do you explain hundreds of graduates not more than 20yrs of age who specialize & work in the social services sector. How are their needs different? Is there a basic nature of man at all? Do we live to survive civilization?
Aren’t humans supposed to be animals with a slightly larger brain? If we are all animals-why are our basic needs & sense of prioritization so different? Does conditioning matter so much? Are we that manipulated to suit civilization?
Do we all really have a soul, a different sub-conscience or whatever each one of us chooses to call it or are we all the same interally?

I want answers. I don’t want science to explain it, I don’t want religion to explain it, I don’t want rationality, logic or reason to explain it. I need an answer that convinces me. I know that everything is ephemeral but my need and search for that one answer- a lasting, simple & a curt answer goes on…..anyone??

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