Change

What comes to mind when we encounter the word Change? Every word, no matter how seemingly insignificant, has a place in our mind - and it associates itself with a certain emotion, a certain memory, a certain reaction. In that sense, for the most part, what does the word Change trigger in the majority of us - Excitement? Apprehension? Fear? Dread?  

Why, as a society, have we become so content in our little cocoons of comfort? When did we lose the ability to break out of the ordinary and try some extraordinary for a change? Why is it that the more we grow, the more we rapidly lose touch with that childlike wonder and energy that drives us to keep our mind more open to change? Why is it that the more we grow as individuals, the narrower our focus becomes? Shouldn't our experience in fact widen our gaze, make us receptive to more and more, rather than slowly killing each field of possibility from that seemingly infinite sea of possibilities we had as innocents? Were the words grow up meant as wisdom one needed to be grateful for, or were they meant as sharp reminders to keep our dreams in check? What is our comfort zone but the constant chiseling that we take from society as we grow? Do we take this as the artistic and deliberate chiseling of the sculptor in the road to achieving some meaningful end, or as the ruthless erosion of the river bank at the mercy of raging eddies? 

Or is it ourselves that need to pick up the chisel and define what this marble with limitless potential is to become? Does this mean remapping our minds and meandering away from every crippling thought and instinct we have come to possess? Could it truly mean that all those years of conformity were just wasted, and that our destinies can be altered instantaneously by a single thought? 

Why then, is Change so hard?

The Sai Babas of the World

The recent passing of the Hindu guru Sathya Sai Baba brought up an interesting discussion recently, and I want to share my views here. For those unfamiliar with the name, this man was considered by many to be an ascetic with healing powers - some even go to the extent of calling him a reincarnation of god.
On the one hand, if you were to presume that the quality of a man's life is judged by the tears shed when he is gone, then one can only conclude, by the thousands that wept at the Sai Baba's funeral, that he was a leader and shepherd of men. Superficially, this seems like a reasonable conclusion to draw from a reasonable presumption.

But, all this is just that - on the surface. There is this basic human need for fulfillment and belonging that is met somewhere in the process, but we are prepared to endure so much pain, just for those few moments of happiness. Why else would people lead their entire lives believing in "gods" and ideas that have no basis in reality and fact? When viewed objectively, these are just blatant lies, aren't they? They are a jigsaw of all the little pieces of fiction created along the way to make our lies seem like a intangible truths backed by the conviction of faith. Take the time to think about this.

When someone says, "I don't know that God exists, but I believe", it is tantamount to an admission of pure ignorance. Ignorance isn't bliss. Ignorance is painful. The reason our lives are filled with so much pain and internal turmoil is simply because we refuse to acknowledge the fact that most of the groundwork we lay for our lives is not based on anything real! Things that go wrong because of our lapse in judgement or action become "the mysterious ways in which the lord works". Think about how easy it is to pass the buck to this fantastic character : God - your perfect personal life insurance policy! All the important aspects of our lives are in our control, but just in case, just in case we screw up, we need coverage from the divine insurance policy. And in case we don't, what do we do? Why, we do what any rightly indignant customer would do - complain.

There is a distinctly satiating clarity that comes from accepting the Unknown as what it simply is - unknown. A clarity that we will never achieve by being shepherded by anyone other than yourself. Simply doing this gives us something we unconsciously spend our whole lives searching for - a sense of purpose. It is this sense of purpose that will pave the path to true knowledge of ourselves and of the universe, of which each of our lives is a microcosm.

Special Thanks...

If I could afford a therapist, I'm guessing she would probably ask me to delve into some self-reflecting exercise, like make a 10 point list of things I am thankful for, for starters. Just off the top of my head, here goes:

1. To the executive armchair: For extensive and unwavering lumbar support in times of a nerd infested WAN party of fps/strategy/rpg and the occasional sitcom marathon (note to self: also thank the 500ml diet coke for doubling up as my urinal).
2. To the physiotherapist: fixing my carpal tunnel caused by activities stemming from endless boredom.
3. To Charlie Sheen: for showing us that there are things worse than, say, crystal meth. The phrase "tiger blood" comes to mind.
4. To Charlie Sheen: for showing us that our miserable 9-5 lives are little slices of paradise when viewed in perspective.
5. To facebook: for turning me into a stubby spud with a 4 year old profile picture and zero social life.
6. To BP: From the bottom of the ocean, for the 206 million gallons of sludge. Good news is that BP stock is soaring, which is more than I can say for the oily avians it left behind.
7. To William and Kate: I really don't know who these people are, but apparently their 50 million dollar wedding is all the rage. So thank you both, for giving the media something factual to report on for a change.
8. To Glenn Beck: For 5 years of great television. Without you, we would not know that America is under an impending alien-nazi-communist-socialist-jewish lobbyist-marxist-monkey-hemorrhoid invasion.
9. To Jackass 3D: For showing us what flying feces looks like in 3D. Also for showing us that crack babies abandoned by their parents can someday have a future starring in movies that show feces flying in 3D.
10. To the Federal Aviation Administration : For feeling us up in public. Do 1000 reward Air Miles get me a free lapdance?

You know what, therapeutically, this really helped.

Until next time,

yours truly.