All you need is your brains, bikes and your bros!

Life is beautiful.Life is mesmerizing. Life is also one of the best things that happened to us. Life is also short.

Many a times, we start running after things that we think matter prima facie. A new friend, a new crush, a new social networking site. We get attached to it, we start associating ourself with it, and then we start attaching our existence to it. One fine day, that friend goes away, that crush finds a new partner, the social networking site starts asking for subscription fee.

That day, we realize all that we sacrificed running after it, and what all we have lost in the fruitless and senseless pursuit. That day, we may regret what we have lost, or we may regret every mistake that we made.

Life gives us millions of emotions. We experience different things everyday, we feel different feelings everyday. We make a lot of friends, meet lots of people. What we do wrong is getting attached to each of them.

A comic I read years ago had the line which is the title of this post. The complete line was:

"All you need in this world is your brains, your bros and your bikes, and ride!"

(Biker Mice from Mars).

The idea is that we need to identify what is really important for us and whats not. We need to be choosy about what and whom we choose to associate ourselves with. Attaching our existence with transient people and things will only lead us to lose what is really worthwhile for us.

Relationships need to be identified carefully. We need to identify what really helps us achieve our goals, and helps us grow as individuals.

Identifying your close circle of people and needs is the core of any happy life. Over attachment can only hurt.

Above all, have your brains always with you. They will help you in any situation, and are most reliable.

Vivid emotions and their world

The title seems weird,but the post will explain.

Emotions are the driving force for anybody. Our power to love and hate is what distinguishes us from trees. Emotions allow us to connect to the world around us and feel what our heart says.

Emotions are powerful but they are unique to everybody. Emotional responses vary from person to person but sometimes this leads to problems.

I once read about an article about amplified emotional responses. The category of people who aren't exposed to a lot of different emotional scenarios or are generally hyperactive (like me) tend to have vivid emotional responses to situations which may seem normal to other people.

Now, these responses aren't really targeted to be sharper. The first analysis that brain does of the situation puts the situation in a much higher frame than it may actually be. The brain also tends to overthink and overanalyse the situation which leads to sharper responses.

Imagination also leads to contributing to this phenomenon.We tend to imagine things that aren't really true for the situation. Imagining things that aren't there doesn't help.

Sharper emotions have their benefits too.we tend to be happier for small things and that makes the world happier.

The main problem is that sharper emotions can be misinterpreted. Interpreting it as over sensitivity is the worst thing that you can do to an emotionally vivid person. Not anyone's fault,but this happens.

If a person is happy just because your earrings look good today, don't judge him as a weird personality. Chances are that he may actually be happy about it but fails to express. Also, if he is hyperactive, he is probably trying to find something to say about your earrings, but fails to find it.

Dedicated to my hyper friends,

Peace,

Atri

Passion.Happiness.Success

An interesting article I recently read about happiness and success.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-only-definition-of-success-that-matters.html

That lead me to start thinking and wondering what is it that defines happiness for us, what is it that allows us to be truly happy about our work, our success and believe that we do fulfilling work.

The route to happiness is contentment. The route to contentment is hard work. The route to hard work is passion.

I have seen many a brilliant persons. Full of brains,they ensure that the thing they are tackling is given full justice and it turns out to be as brilliant as it can be. They work day and night, and are so engrossed into their work that they tend to ignore the world around them.

What drives them? Is it money? Fame? I doubt that.

An article I read years ago said that to be a successful person, you need to love what you do. Cliche, I know, but please bear with me. The article said that it should be the case not only because you will work hard, but also because you will not be distracted by the money, fame that will eventually follow.

A very senior open source developer I was recently talking to made a very important point. He said that money is important, no doubt but the reason human beings live is to have that fulfilling feeling at the ends of their lives.

Is money that feeling? If you say yes, sure, but I would advice to look inside again.

The best thing about your work is your craft. The beauty of building something that holds value. Sure, you will need to do some mundane work that shall be necessary in order to fulfill your bills, but what matters is what you are doing for the majority of your time.

For the free spirited (and more towards the rebellious side, like me), the rules and structure on top of your work is like someone physically strangulating you. You tell the craftsman *what* to build, then trust his capabilities and good judgment to come up with a beautiful product, but this is applicable only when the craftsman is ready to believe in his capabilities, and in the beauty of his art.

When you feel you are not content with life, stop blaming the world. Look at yourself, and if you dont see the craftsman, you are doing it wrong.

The way of the craftsman is to pursue the excellence of his art, the excellence of his skills, and the excellence of his personality. Sure, the family he has is his primary responsibility, but beyond it, he must honour the craft he calls his own.

And walk towards the goal of the master. And be the master.

Peace,

Atri

The Power of Multiple Dimensions....And the Weaknesses Too Part 1

There are many dimensions to everything in our life.Starting from the basics,to our most complex thoughts and decisions.What are dimensions,you may ask?Dimensions have same meaning everywhere,but different interpretations.Our physical world is 3d-3 dimensional.These days,a raging debate is on whether time should also be considered as a fourth dimension or not.

But,the dimensions we are talking about here are a bit more personal in nature.I am referring to our inner dimensions,the various facets of our thoughts,feelings,actions,personality etc.As I mentioned before in this article,even your most basic actions have multiple dimensions to them.For example,consider the decision of choosing your attire for the day each morning.As you stand in front of your open wardrobe,surveying the clothes in front of your eyes,what are the thoughts that traverse your mind and ultimately shape and fix your decision?Maybe,your personal preferences,your friends's feedbacks,your competitor's wardrobe,what you wore yesterday etc.So,to take a decision which you may consider very trivial,you imbibed your,your friends's,your competitor's,and your peers's psychlogies.If you have been reading avidly till now,you must have gotten the point I am trying to make.

Our personality consists of many dimensions as well.We may behave in a given situation in a specific manner,and in another situation,in a different way.These dimensions shape our image in the minds of the people with whom we interact,and,in most cases,they shape our own image of ourselves too.

Now,why did I say 'in most cases'?Because,in some cases(like mine),the self image,the self esteem is built on our interpretation of our own actions.This does not mean that,while introspecting,you give your mistakes and weaknesses a blind eye and just glorify your plus points.That can be very dangerous,for yourself only,trust me.

Introspection is a process which has been grossly misinterpreted by us.I can staunchly hold this fact because I had a very nasty image of introspection.Whenever somebody told me to introspect,I literally winced,as someone had dealt me a physical blow.It's not my fault,introspection is used as a punishment more than a self realization process.But,introspection is a mode in which there is a world.And that world is completely your own.You can design anything,roam anywhere,and discover yourself in a better way.Try it,atleast once.

Okay,I am ranting.But we needed all the above stuff to go deeper into our discussion.
Please watch out for my next post continuing our discussion

Lay me not

This poem is dedicated to Rabbi Shergill....from whom i freely accept this poem is inspired....An ode to the heroes who fought against communalism...

Lay me not in the finite ground,
Lay me not in the immortal seas,
Lay me not where the cross sighs,
Lay me not where Prophet's messenger resides,

Burn me!Burn me to the ground,
And free your mind of all that bounds,
Scatter my ashes all over the skies,
With angels of peace flying by,

Let my message reach every corner,
I beseech the lonely mourner,
Behold!Behold your golden tears,
I understand and sympathasize with your fears,

The world we know is a desolate one,
Fathers no longer care about their sons,
Anarchy is the supreme power,
Everyone is reveling in a blood shower,

But all is not lost yet,i believe,
With honesty and determination built sieve,
We can filter out this sewer,
With our own hands used as the lever,

Let our children be born in a place,
Which is free of caste,creed and race,
Nobody dares to come between,
When words of love are spoken to actually mean,

This is the world i wish to see,
Will you,or will you not,walk with me?

My Tryst with Inspiration

Petite,shy yet bold,and friendly.This was my first impression of the girl whom i met at the entrance of LRC,JIIT Noida,my college.We were both looking at each other out of the corners of our respective eyes.Finally,i gathered the courage and went to her and asked a simple question:
'Are you the Nupur from Entrance Corner?'

Entrance Corner is the engineering entrance help website of whom we both were members.I had read her posts on the site and honestly,my interpretation of her was of a worrier,a girl who constantly basked in the glory of her worries.It was hard to believe that a person with such lively eyes could be a person with so many drudgeries.I decided to consider her for a re-assessment.

It is difficult to chart the course of our blossoming friendship.Somehow,i found myself seated in front of her in the lecture theatre.And soon,i was chatting animatedly with her.My initial impression was completely washed out,and was replaced by it's anti-thesis.Her name can be used as a metaphor for liveliness,bubbliness and can serve as an inspiration for many.
The incident to which i attribute our friendship's evolution to next level is set in our institute.All of our gang of friends were roaming around in the campus.Exact details are unneccessary,but i felt ignored throughout the rendezvous.

I decided to confront her about the issue.I called her and vented out my feelings.I surprised myself with my power of expression and was quite relieved after the conversation.After couple of seconds of complete silence,she only said a single statement which became etched on the walls of my heart:
'I am glad that my actions and my attention are so valuable to you,and they make a difference to you.'

That night,i realised that there was an inherent bond between us,an inexplicable bond which could be felt by both of us.I once jokingly told her that in previous birth,we must have been sharing blood.My protective instincts enfolded her and i started looking towards her as my sister,my responsiblity.

Gradually,we came to a level where our souls are interlocked in an unbreakable bond.We have no secrets from each other,and our innermost feelings are known.

Sometimes back,i had the urge to find the reason for our strong and close bonding.How could it be that a person,who was a complete stranger to me 4-5 months ago,was today the bearer of my innermost thoughts,a sanctuary known to few?
Was it because i had no sibling,or was it because she had none?I meditated on this question one night and to my sheer surprise and utmost joy,i realised that i had no answer to this quandary.This meant that our bond was meant to be,and we were destined to meet.

She is a flow of breeze,a symphony to listen,a joy to experience.Her personality cannot be explained in words,nor can be my feelings for her.She observes me,and points out the aspects of my life which need improvement,in the most gentle manner.She has(and is changing) me in a way i never imagined.

Last night,she asked me a question,to which i am replying in this post.The question was:
'Give me one change which i have brought in you'.
The answer,my dear,is a complex one.You have shown me that life is too short for sorrows,that we need to be happy under any circumstances,that we should never drag any relationship.Instead,we should just finish it on a positive note.You taught me to let go,and not care about those who don't care about me.You taught me how to laugh in a dire situation.You are my inspiration.

I'd like to conclude in a poetic sense,which would justify what is written above:

Hold my hand and walk the way,
with me,you'll never sway.
You hold my heart's golden key,
of secrets unknown even to me.
You are my mind's muse,
i will never want to lose,
this special,sweet,and long,
joyful and meaningful song,
Wanted to tell you,i love you too,
even if i had a real sister,she could be never the same as you