If you are wondering what it means... Its the latin term which means "Desired Things". This is the title of the famous poem by Max Ehrmann which starts "GO PLACIDLY AMIDST THE NOISE AND THE HASTE AND REMEMBER WHAT PEACE THERE MAY BE IN SILENCE".
I wouldn't call it a poem! Its a verse or a short essay (if the poet lived now, he would have blogged it!). I don't really know the purpose of this Poem. But some verses have touched me deeply! Both ways i should say! Some of it i agree... And some it i dont!
1) AS FAR AS POSSIBLE BE "WITHOUT SURRENDER" BE ON GOOD TERMS WITH ALL PERSONS!
Awesome statement. I've learnt a lot in life. Most of them love me...! Thats true.. But am not too sure if they LOOOVE me! they love me because I am usually on good terms with all... They don't LOOVE me because i surrender sometimes... It's in sync with the Rajinikanth principle.. be good to those who are good... and u know the rest!
2) DONT COMPARE, FOR ALWAYS THERE WILL BE GREATER AND LESSER PERSON THAN YOURSELF!
So true... We always live for someone else.. We compare! Our clothers, our food, our work, our body language and in some cases, what we want to be is determined by someone else.. Is'nt that disgusting! Its our life after all. We were made to be like this. We were moulded periodically but if there is a boss, then there will be an office boy. If not where is the organisation.!
3) KEEP INTERESTED IN YOUR CAREER HOWEVER HUMBLE!
Love this... Settled in a mofussil area, lots of well-wishers chide me for having ruined my life. Some say they need a "good" career. I seriously dont feel that there is anything bad about my career. I educate the uneducated at the rural areas, whereas most of them inform the misinformed on the urban areas! Good career has nothing to do with where one works but with how one works and what impact the work creates for a common man.
4) BE YOURSELF, DO NOT FEIGN AFFECTION!
Do you think it is possible nowadays? Most of us fictitiously provide immense affection. This reminds me of one of favourite school teacher who was absolutely straight forward. He is what he is, because of which he has seen the worst and best part of his life. This is like the Brutus dialogue in Julius Ceaser "There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats; For I am armed so strong in honesty, that they pass by me as the idle wind". Be true to yourself. Success would come some day. But later the better.
5) DONT BE CYNICAL ABOUT LOVE, FOR IT IS AS PERENNIAL AS THE GRASS!
Surprising! This is where the poet plays with words. The game that makes us misunderstandably understand the phrase. Is Grass perennial?? The normal dictionary meaning of perennial is "something that last for many year". Love does last more that what we understand perennial. Or maybe since he used "Cynical", he assumes it to be perennial... Poets and their words..!
6) NUTURE THE STRENGTH OF SPIRIT TO SHIELD YOU IN SUDDEN MISFORTUNE. BUT DO NOT DISTRESS YOURSELF WITH IMAGININGS!
If this is well understood by everyone, there would be no hyper tension and people would live at peace. Most of the problems in the world would be solved. But what is strength of spirit? It is not just the emotional strength. It is the strength of the inner self. Emotions are driven by what happens exteriorly. This is the inner self. And Talk about imaginings??? The super phrase which most of us use atleast 20 times in a day. Believe me.. We do.. if not utter, we think... "What if?" What if this happens, what if this happens... So many what if's and it does distress us!
7) MANY FEAR ARE BORN OF FATIGUE & LONELINESS!
We have all experienced this. But (with the sense of pride!) I have overcome this. Not just like any other individual, I have not gone where the wind blows, but I've endured the storm! Started practise all alone, and been handling immense pressure all alone. Lonely yet successful. It was indeed frightening. But that is what pushes me to complete the job. I'm sorry all you clustered corporate clans, you are not lonely, yet you are fatigued and ofcourse dead scared.
8) YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE UNIVERSE, NO LESS THAN THE TREES AND THE STARS, YOU JAVE A RIGHT TO BE HERE!
Yessss! This is my world. I own it... But why are some people destroying my world? That's because they have not realised that they are no less that the trees. They want supremacy. It will be defeated!
9) WHETHER OR NOT IT IS CLEAR TO YOU, NO DOUBT THE UNIVERSE IS UNFOLDING AS IT SHOULD!
I dont understand the purpose of the world. Why should there be a universe? Why mankind? But thats the way it is.. I'm reminded of verses from the Bhagavath Gita.. "Edhu Nadandhadho adhu nanragavae nadandhadhu... " I'm sure most of you know the rest!
10) WITH ALL ITS SHAME, DRUDGEERY AND BROKEN DREAMS, IT IS STILL A BEAUTIFUL WORLD! BE HAPPY. STRIVE TO BE HAPPY!
(My favourite)
The poet considers all three as unavoidable. The beauty of the poem lies here.
SHAME = We feel ashamed due to our thoughts or actions.
DRUDGERY = We do not choose drudgery. It comes to us.
BROKEN DREAMS = These our thoughs but have not come to us as an accomplished task.
Three different words and meanings but the association with each on of them is well handled!
This verse has been framed in my room. Don't really know how it would help me. But all I could do after reading this poem is.. "Strive to be happy!"
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Mother Nature????
I am getting a little sick of this rainfall.. heavy is not the word. Its pouring literally... Just imagine 5 days of power cut... No transport. Managed to take the motorbike to office for a few days but it was terribly risky. The heaviest rainfall Nilgiris has ever seen. Things here are getting worse...
1) Over 100 deaths
2) 1800 people have lost their homes
3) Nilgiri Mountain railway would take 6 months to operate again
4) All access to Coimbatore and metros are cut
5) No fuel, so it comes from Mysore
6) People on the streets wit nobody to blame.
Something which was there yesterday is missin today. Atleast by gods grace no personal damage but most of my friends complaining... Their agricultural fields are just MISSING... Washed off.. acres of lands washed off. Something even more interesting but painful to digest. One of my close friends resort, very popular resort in the Coonoor Mettupalayam ghats is washed off. No trace of anything around. Most of my close associates have spend so many nights there..
1 km from my house there is (was!) a colony. Now all the houses are literally washed off.. around 200 people have been brought the village school. They are living with absolutely no hope of a better tomorrow. Its not just a social thought... Have given some relief material, but what else can be done... Some facts that has irritated me over these days..
1) BLAME THE GOVERNMENT
Why are they politisizing the aggression of mother nature?? The rainfall has been so heavy that every street and every path is badly runied. How many PWD staff can get the trees cut, or how many JCP machines can clear the land slides?? How can the n number of electric posts be set right when the entire district is in darkness, both in their minds and their homes? Its upto us to digest the disgust and let them do their duty. We are just sick of the blame game. One popular news paper read as "During J's tenure, there was no rainfall and no water but she provided undisrupted electricity... During K's tenure, there is abundant rainfall, but disrupted supply of electricity. Now what is your mandate? who would win in the next elections???" This is one of the dumbest things i've ever heard. I guess the press or even the people for that matter want the politicians to conduct some religious ceremonies to seek rainfall or electricity... This is just not happening.!
2) MEDIA JUST ENJOYS PAIN...! (As always)
I dont want to name the channel, but there was a show about the destruction in Nilgiris... clippings of the people crying, disgusted looks, relief operations, experiences shared by the unlucky as determined by fate of fact. To top it all,the channel claimed that it had evidence about the future destruction in an "Olai Chuvadi". Its the palm leaf where Thiruvalluvar wrote the Thirukural. It ia also believed (not by me) that good old sages had written about every individuals life. Its like the Nostradamus prediction but this one is for every individual. Strange though.. But this channel claimed it had this writing about the fate of nilgiris.. and will be destroyed by an earthquake and thats gonna happen very soon... Now See the impact of districts growth? All investors are going to pull out of our district. The richest sportsman, Dhoni also has a house and estate in Nilgiris.. whats with the media?? Im sure its going to affect the tourist inflow next season. Im also sure that the channels TRP inflow would have been an all time high..
3) POVERTY AMIDST PLENTY
There was some kind of announcement that some relief items were being distributed in my locality. I experienced something called the HALL OF SHAME.... The people who had comfortable houses, absolutely no damage, happy smiles and their children safe at some corner of the globe making money for big corporates to get richer, stood in the queues.. Something that brings tears... Is Relief a subjective term??? They interpret it the way they want. At one end, the affected people complain about not receiving adequate material.. Other end blood hounds collecting material that is rightfully not theirs..
Now i can digest the fact that there might be a potential threat of an earthquake.. We dont deserve to live.. We are all poor memory people, we tend to forget things easily. May be we would mourn at the anniversary, but everybody has their schedule fixed.. oh yes.. thanks to the media too.. atleast for every anniversary they would show the clippings... bring disgust in our face again..
OK NOW I AM REALLY ANGRY... its been almost 18 years since the babri masjid was torn down by fanatics.. but every year they show the clippings.. develop hatred?? Its 26/11 time. so please.. dont make us develop hatred.. not all neighbours are bad.. just a few.. we shall befriend them...
Sometimes i am reminded of this famous phrase, "THIS TOO WILL PASS". Maybe its a rough patch in our lives but all my prayers as i sit comfortably in my couch and type while people are just dying arond me... Save us....
Mother nature... How can I call you a mother????
1) Over 100 deaths
2) 1800 people have lost their homes
3) Nilgiri Mountain railway would take 6 months to operate again
4) All access to Coimbatore and metros are cut
5) No fuel, so it comes from Mysore
6) People on the streets wit nobody to blame.
Something which was there yesterday is missin today. Atleast by gods grace no personal damage but most of my friends complaining... Their agricultural fields are just MISSING... Washed off.. acres of lands washed off. Something even more interesting but painful to digest. One of my close friends resort, very popular resort in the Coonoor Mettupalayam ghats is washed off. No trace of anything around. Most of my close associates have spend so many nights there..
1 km from my house there is (was!) a colony. Now all the houses are literally washed off.. around 200 people have been brought the village school. They are living with absolutely no hope of a better tomorrow. Its not just a social thought... Have given some relief material, but what else can be done... Some facts that has irritated me over these days..
1) BLAME THE GOVERNMENT
Why are they politisizing the aggression of mother nature?? The rainfall has been so heavy that every street and every path is badly runied. How many PWD staff can get the trees cut, or how many JCP machines can clear the land slides?? How can the n number of electric posts be set right when the entire district is in darkness, both in their minds and their homes? Its upto us to digest the disgust and let them do their duty. We are just sick of the blame game. One popular news paper read as "During J's tenure, there was no rainfall and no water but she provided undisrupted electricity... During K's tenure, there is abundant rainfall, but disrupted supply of electricity. Now what is your mandate? who would win in the next elections???" This is one of the dumbest things i've ever heard. I guess the press or even the people for that matter want the politicians to conduct some religious ceremonies to seek rainfall or electricity... This is just not happening.!
2) MEDIA JUST ENJOYS PAIN...! (As always)
I dont want to name the channel, but there was a show about the destruction in Nilgiris... clippings of the people crying, disgusted looks, relief operations, experiences shared by the unlucky as determined by fate of fact. To top it all,the channel claimed that it had evidence about the future destruction in an "Olai Chuvadi". Its the palm leaf where Thiruvalluvar wrote the Thirukural. It ia also believed (not by me) that good old sages had written about every individuals life. Its like the Nostradamus prediction but this one is for every individual. Strange though.. But this channel claimed it had this writing about the fate of nilgiris.. and will be destroyed by an earthquake and thats gonna happen very soon... Now See the impact of districts growth? All investors are going to pull out of our district. The richest sportsman, Dhoni also has a house and estate in Nilgiris.. whats with the media?? Im sure its going to affect the tourist inflow next season. Im also sure that the channels TRP inflow would have been an all time high..
3) POVERTY AMIDST PLENTY
There was some kind of announcement that some relief items were being distributed in my locality. I experienced something called the HALL OF SHAME.... The people who had comfortable houses, absolutely no damage, happy smiles and their children safe at some corner of the globe making money for big corporates to get richer, stood in the queues.. Something that brings tears... Is Relief a subjective term??? They interpret it the way they want. At one end, the affected people complain about not receiving adequate material.. Other end blood hounds collecting material that is rightfully not theirs..
Now i can digest the fact that there might be a potential threat of an earthquake.. We dont deserve to live.. We are all poor memory people, we tend to forget things easily. May be we would mourn at the anniversary, but everybody has their schedule fixed.. oh yes.. thanks to the media too.. atleast for every anniversary they would show the clippings... bring disgust in our face again..
OK NOW I AM REALLY ANGRY... its been almost 18 years since the babri masjid was torn down by fanatics.. but every year they show the clippings.. develop hatred?? Its 26/11 time. so please.. dont make us develop hatred.. not all neighbours are bad.. just a few.. we shall befriend them...
Sometimes i am reminded of this famous phrase, "THIS TOO WILL PASS". Maybe its a rough patch in our lives but all my prayers as i sit comfortably in my couch and type while people are just dying arond me... Save us....
Mother nature... How can I call you a mother????
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