Comment ca va?

A post after a long time – for those who know me well, they must be wondering how come the cranking sound of thoughts sounded so silent for so long a time, and ah from John – is everything alright?

As I look back over the hiatus, something I really learnt to appreciate (or rather embrace) – silence. Silence, something that needs no words sometimes and avoids words sometimes, and both have their place and time.

In this period of silence, I have seen “adults” write me off, as being naïve, “happening” guys give gyan about life, “morally upright” sign me off as evil, professional equations change based on perceptions, personal equations change based on impressions of “accomplishment possible”, and a few (for whom I remained the same) for whom nothing else mattered, even silence.

Ecoute le silence – a French phrase I use occasionally, and it just about sounds so good – The literal translation of the same – “Hear the silence”.

In what seems to be a tumultuous rage of changes, memory echoes a profound statement, ironically set in the worst chaos mankind has seen – “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it’s the courage to continue that counts.” (Churchill)

Comments

Unknown said…
No different.

Everything that you are experiencing, feeling, undergoing, talking, learning, etc. are all part of everyone’s life. All through one’s life it’s a struggle, challenge, learning, competing, and importantly (finally) realizing. Be it a male or a female—all have to undergone all of these phases of life. You are no different.

Right from the childhood, everyone gets into the competitive world and the (rat) race—to be ahead of everyone and prove the world that s/he is better than the other. Scoring higher marks/grades, getting into popular educational institution, earning better qualification, starting a career with a branded company, drawing handsome remuneration, achieving more at work, hooking on to the ‘perfect’ girl from a sound family, baring ‘smart’ children, building quality lifestyle, and so on; it never ends—until one puts or finds the end. While saying these, I am not trying to be your favorite character—Gyanibaba. These are more from the practical path of life, which everyone has walked through.

Being in a competitive environment to be at the top or at least better than the rest, it’s natural that one always needs to outperform with smart thinking, speed, energy, and efforts. Needless to say, this applies to everyone and hence, all are on the same track. Whether or not knowingly, one has to get into the race, accomplish more milestones and prove the world—you are different.

No wonder elders say—‘young blood’. After the age of 16, it starts pumping faster. That’s when, one becomes “Intelligent, No Nonsense, Patient at will, Thinker, Exceptionally talented and original…”. This young blood encourages one to talk (sharply), write (straight), demand others to communicate, love words—hate silence, and so on. The outlook to life changes rapidly—especially, when “arrived” (MBA funda) in ‘life’. Everything that one thinks and does should go right and it does; if not, care least about it—the world is vast and opportunities are in tons. After all, a MBA has to be in the corporate world—the default destination or at least closely associated with it. Once again, in the continuing race, one should be a rational thinker, ultimate strategist, star performer, high achiever, undisputed leader, self-motivated driver, goal setter, go getter, etc. (you must be knowing many more ‘titles’ like these). For a ‘fastest’ runner, rest are obviously yet to come to speed. So, for now, they are underperformers and the ‘fastest’ surely cannot stand them. You are no different.

The moment one successfully overtakes others the next target will be—obviously, the ‘Time’. Everyone wants to run faster than Time or at least give it a tough competition. In fact, every individual has tried—for centuries—and this will continue till the end of mankind. All those whom I have spoken to, discussed with, observed, noticed, dealt with, seen, argued, fought—all have tried running faster than time. You are no different.

In the midst of all of the above, everyone thinks that s/he is enjoying the life to the best, indulges in what the time has to offer, impresses almost everyone (except the Gyanis, or them also?)—especially the opposite sex, can achieve everything including quick (or anytime) weight loss, there is nothing that s/he has not read/knows, can say a clear “No” and take anyone head-on, has a tremendous vocabulary (speak, read, and write—all ticked!), and above all has the ability to shape up anytime-anything-anywhere on earth. And it is frequently proven that till the age of 30 everyone tries to be different, change the course of the earth, and rule the world. In fact, till 30, everyone experiments in every walk of ‘life’ (the big word). You are no different.

Suddenly, somewhere/sometime in this course of life, things just do not seem to happen the way we want it to be. In other words, there was no room for such ‘not happening’ even in wildest imaginations. At this point, no one can tolerate the delay—as one would not have ever experienced any. Any delay becomes extremely unacceptable. On the other hand, one fails to understand that things are moving at natural speed and one does not have any control over them. Thus, an uncomfortable situation starts within—restlessness begins, weird questions popup, contemplation between ‘taught v/s learnt’ starts, and finally one turns to be a listener and realizes—
• I have not talked to myself,
• I have not explored myself,
• I do not know what I like,
• I do not know what I want,
The list goes on…

In a nutshell, it is proven that everyone goes through these phases of life—
• I am right; world is also right.
• I am right; world is wrong.
• I am wrong; world is right.
• I am wrong; world is also wrong.

During these phases, one tends to get all sorts of thoughts, emotions, feelings, ideas, etc. From your blogs (and the signoffs—from nothing to death to myself to life and again to nothing), it is apparent that these phases are true and you are heading in the same direction. You are no different.

It is just a matter of time—experiments will stop, silence sounds melodious, questions reduce as answers are obvious, wide spectrum in front of us converges to a focal point within us, everything on earth becomes lovable.

You are—no different. Else, you will be St. John! Even if you are... you are no different.

P.S: I know what I know; I know what I do not know; I do not know what I thought I know; I do not know what I do not know. (I do not know who quoted this!)
@ AmNoDifferent -

So you are one who definitely read my blog in quite a detail, and have got a sense of the undercurrents of some of my characters in the blog - and 'gyanibaba' aint my favorite character, but the combination of those guys, is the slice of various experiences.

Like you stated, I am not really different, but the fact is each of us is not same either - While the variables of an experience seem the same, the experience is still different, and I guess you second that.

The rat race, the grades, the bucks, the solitude, the perfect girl, and the plethora of bold italics words that are weaved into a conversation, push us constantly to the single pointed question - what is it that defines us , and that’s what dictates what we do and how we translate the environment into an experience that makes us or leaves us same or different. (and the way I have tagged my blogs, this series of these blogs attempt to give my view on the same http://thatsthinking.blogspot.com/search?q=define) - read up sometime.
And at each point in time, we have an invisible scale, a measuring line and a Doppler radar (length/breadth, scale, sound) that form what we mostly call the perceived opinion about a person. But this opinion is limited by the current reality of the experiences you have undergone / are experiencing, and that dictates what you really think the other person it all about.

Does it matter what you really think about another – Yes, to the point, where it helps you really look back into yourself, and NO to the point, where an expectation is set that, this is what is the right way! – after all, everyone is different right? The irony of the matter, the perceptions change only when we realize a lil more of ourselves.

I like the simple, not the simplistic and - and many a times, to understand the simple, it’s a complex path to walk (for you really would not know what something is, until you really experience or borrow the experience of the grandeur within) - no wonder, the simplest of truths are the most complex to understand too!

And with experiments, well, my guess is you are someone around 30 – simple reason – whatever you and I spoke are based on experiences, till the point of time we could see, and at max extrapolate – whether experiments stop – well I guess not – till life goes on.

I almost get the feeling, you are a lil angry and irritated by my blog, though what you have written is candid, and that’s what I really like.

And the quote - it’s an amalgamated paraphrase of multiple quotes by Lao Tzu – a Chinese philosopher (my best take is, many of us heard it many times in many ways, and for you in this context, really your own quote). He made a lot of quotes on the ‘know’ thing, that shaped Taoism. He is the earliest thought master that man should not serve any kingdom ( I really do not know how much political influence that had. My knowledge is rather limited.) and believed in self independence – My observation is, anyone who are in a phase of ‘self-independent’ echo the same thoughts, and may be the same quotes too – after all, we are all the same??? Well – AmNoDifferent

P.S: Don’t bother too much about the profile description; it keeps changing :-)

Would be an honour to know who you are.
Anonymous said…
Your idea is very good
Unknown said…
How'z the life been after 3 long years (after this post)?

Any different?