“Indians are a hardy lot.”
- Anonymous
“How can any one possibly survive in these conditions ,let alone live and do well?”\
-Still anonymous
“Its all F***ed up”
-Me
Him
Alone.
Scared.
Uncertain
Greenhorn
Them:
Many.
Excited.
Battle hardened.
Ruthless
It:
Cold.
Merciless.
Indifferent. All in a way that only a battlefield which has seen too many battles can be. It neither offered comfort to him, nor provided support to them. It just was.
It was the THE RING
***********************************************************
He saw the ring from a distance. He could hear their war cries. He could hear the conch signaling the start of the war. He saw them approaching. He had heard of them before. He had heard about their exploits .He had heard how intimidating they were. He knew they were legends. He had been brought up thinking that it was improper and blasphemous not be scared of them. But none of this prepared him for his first sight of them. He would have considered it glorious had it not been him who was going to war with them. They were mighty. They were tough. They were ruthless. They were battle hardened. They were pugnacious. And they were too many.
He cautiously approached the ring. He was looking for an opening. He tried to hit out at them. But they were too quick for him and too many. They expertly parried his thrust and sent him hurtling backwards. He was thrown out of the ring , even before he could enter it.
He got up. He was feeling a little dizzy. It was only now that the full significance of the situation struck him. Only now did he understand the enormity of the task before him. Though he had not expected this to be easy , he was only now realizing the real difficulty of the battle before him. Only now did he realize why so many warriors before him had bitten the dust. But he was made of sterner stuff. He was going to wage this war. He had to. He was one in a whole succession of warriors who had fought this battle and won. He had to continue , he told himself. He got up and willed himself to go.
Meanwhile the ring was changing. Yet in a strange way , it was unchanging. It still had the same indifference, the same coldness and the same cruelty.
And they were still there. They were looked menacing and mighty .They still were baying for his blood.
The conch sounded again.
He stepped forward two paces towards the ring. One of them suddenly leapt towards him. Despite himself , he cringed and ran back to safety .He turned around only after he had reached a safe distance from them and the ring. They were laughing and shouting in delight.
The ring just was changing. And yet unchanging. Cruel, cold and indifferent.
He felt ashamed . He had run away from the battle like a coward .He had not expected himself to be ever capable of cowardice. Yet , here he was cowering in a corner , a safe distance from the ring as They laughed at and mocked him.
The conch sounded again.
He approached again. But this time with none of the tentativeness or the cowardice of previous times. He just moved forward . He was now in their midst. They were hitting out at him. He was being badly pounded from every side. He was experiencing severe pain. Yet he trudged forward determinedly. One of them tried to block him. He pushed himself forcefully against him. His opponent retreated. He was now fighting against everyone who tried to stop him. He was now fast gaining ground. They were trying to stop him. They were hitting him, pushing him, shoving him, pounding him. But he was slowly mastering the art of battle now. He was hitting back .He was entering the ring now. They were helpless .Try as they might they could not shake him off. He was succeeding and slowly he entered the ring.
They tried for the last time now. Now that he was in the ring , they tried to smother him. They tried to overwhelm him. Yet he was unmoved. He stood his ground. They realized this and decided that there was no point in attacking him anymore. He had won and they knew it.
******************************************************
He was in pain.
He could not breathe.
He could not see.
His clothes were torn .
He was smothered. Yet he was happy. He had won. He was triumphant. He had fought them on their on ground and won. He smiled despite everything. He had done it. He was one of them now.
The ring was changing , yet it was unchanging. Still cold, still merciless , still indifferent.
The announcement boomed as the train left the station.
“The local on Platform no 1 is the slow local to Churchgate”
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
MY MOM,MY FRIENDS AND MY DATES
Sunday morning. It is early morning 10 o clock . (I get up regularly at 2 in the afternoon everyday) My mobile begins to ring.
I ignore it. It stops ringing after a while. Then it starts ringing again. Anyone who has gotten a call they don’t want to take but have no choice would understand the distinct changes in the tone of the ringing as it continues Insistent at first , a little demanding later on and very angry finally.
I looked at the screen. The words “MOM” were flashing. I don’t know if I was just groggy with sleep or if it was real , but it seemed as though if I did not take the call soon enough , the words would become the person under question and my mom herself would jump out from the phone , for real.
I always dread that possibility, so I picked up the call.
“Hi son , good morning” , my ever cheery Mom.
“Hi mom” , me
“Not up yet ? You have always been very lazy” , slightly accusing tone but still good natured
“…..” …This did not merit any comment from my side.
“So , you did not call yesterday” , slightly mischievous tone with an overtone which would suggest anticipation
“ Was kinda busy mom. Ummm….had a party last night” …
Uh oh…I thought …here it comes. The moment I dreaded . The reason why I do not want to talk to my mom on Sunday mornings.
“So you had a date?” ….There it was. The punch line .It s impossible to describe the rainbow of overtones and undertones with which she delivers this. But I will try.
First there was anticipation. Then there was hope that I would say yes . Then there was a certain defeatist tone (you have to listen very carefully to decipher this) , in realization that the hope , after all was a false one. Then there was sympathy . Then a certain amount of anxiety, which I believe comes from the fear of my dateless future , because it has become distinctly strong of late.
Silence for a while. I hate to do this . But I always have to. I have to tell her the truth.
“No mom , stop pulling my leg”
Another silence. Then a sigh . Then again silence.
“ok …anyways get up now. Its late . Call you later” , the tone vibrating with sympathy.
I cant go back to sleep now. Not after ruthlessly breaking her heart for the umpteenth time.
I do this every Sunday. Like some heartless , cruel barbarian whose only mission in life is to spoil his mom’s Sundays.
But honestly , I cant help it.
I have been trying or at least thinking of trying to get a girl friend from a very long time now.
The need first expressed itself strongly in class 10. Unfortunately , then I was friends with a guy whose only mission in life was to top and to top with a huge margin. (He was bespectacled , thin and emaciated and always nervous) . He convinced me that girls like studious guys , who acted as though they did not care for girls.
I was convinced . But unfortunately I was neither studious but was very good at showing I did not care . (Not that it would have mattered if I had shown otherwise) . So zilch there.
That bespectacled freak son of a gun is already married.
Then plus two. Another friend. Mission this time : IIT. “Man” , he used to say , “ get into an IIT ,girls will flock to you” …made sense at that time
Same result as earlier . No IIT , no girl friend .
That guy , when he last spoke to me from IIT , Madras , was talking about his 4 th girlfriend in as many months.
Engineering. Mission : IIM . Suspect : another worthy friend . “You know what, you will find a lot of nice girls in IIM”
I got into an IIM. And I am getting out of it now. Zilch.
That worthy friend is now in New York and has just sent his girl friend a brand new laptop.
IIM.
Venue : friend’s room
Topic of conversation : the drought in my life
My friend , “ You know what , your playground is now going to get a lot bigger. Workplace man , workplace”
This guy is getting married in August.
I did not know what to say.
Then he says this (he is slightly older than me ) , “When I was your age, I had already proposed man”
It took an enormous amount of will power not to strangle him.
I have decided never to trust my friends.
There are two desperate hopes I have now .
One : Let all Sundays disappear
Two : I hope my marriage is not made in heaven.
I ignore it. It stops ringing after a while. Then it starts ringing again. Anyone who has gotten a call they don’t want to take but have no choice would understand the distinct changes in the tone of the ringing as it continues Insistent at first , a little demanding later on and very angry finally.
I looked at the screen. The words “MOM” were flashing. I don’t know if I was just groggy with sleep or if it was real , but it seemed as though if I did not take the call soon enough , the words would become the person under question and my mom herself would jump out from the phone , for real.
I always dread that possibility, so I picked up the call.
“Hi son , good morning” , my ever cheery Mom.
“Hi mom” , me
“Not up yet ? You have always been very lazy” , slightly accusing tone but still good natured
“…..” …This did not merit any comment from my side.
“So , you did not call yesterday” , slightly mischievous tone with an overtone which would suggest anticipation
“ Was kinda busy mom. Ummm….had a party last night” …
Uh oh…I thought …here it comes. The moment I dreaded . The reason why I do not want to talk to my mom on Sunday mornings.
“So you had a date?” ….There it was. The punch line .It s impossible to describe the rainbow of overtones and undertones with which she delivers this. But I will try.
First there was anticipation. Then there was hope that I would say yes . Then there was a certain defeatist tone (you have to listen very carefully to decipher this) , in realization that the hope , after all was a false one. Then there was sympathy . Then a certain amount of anxiety, which I believe comes from the fear of my dateless future , because it has become distinctly strong of late.
Silence for a while. I hate to do this . But I always have to. I have to tell her the truth.
“No mom , stop pulling my leg”
Another silence. Then a sigh . Then again silence.
“ok …anyways get up now. Its late . Call you later” , the tone vibrating with sympathy.
I cant go back to sleep now. Not after ruthlessly breaking her heart for the umpteenth time.
I do this every Sunday. Like some heartless , cruel barbarian whose only mission in life is to spoil his mom’s Sundays.
But honestly , I cant help it.
I have been trying or at least thinking of trying to get a girl friend from a very long time now.
The need first expressed itself strongly in class 10. Unfortunately , then I was friends with a guy whose only mission in life was to top and to top with a huge margin. (He was bespectacled , thin and emaciated and always nervous) . He convinced me that girls like studious guys , who acted as though they did not care for girls.
I was convinced . But unfortunately I was neither studious but was very good at showing I did not care . (Not that it would have mattered if I had shown otherwise) . So zilch there.
That bespectacled freak son of a gun is already married.
Then plus two. Another friend. Mission this time : IIT. “Man” , he used to say , “ get into an IIT ,girls will flock to you” …made sense at that time
Same result as earlier . No IIT , no girl friend .
That guy , when he last spoke to me from IIT , Madras , was talking about his 4 th girlfriend in as many months.
Engineering. Mission : IIM . Suspect : another worthy friend . “You know what, you will find a lot of nice girls in IIM”
I got into an IIM. And I am getting out of it now. Zilch.
That worthy friend is now in New York and has just sent his girl friend a brand new laptop.
IIM.
Venue : friend’s room
Topic of conversation : the drought in my life
My friend , “ You know what , your playground is now going to get a lot bigger. Workplace man , workplace”
This guy is getting married in August.
I did not know what to say.
Then he says this (he is slightly older than me ) , “When I was your age, I had already proposed man”
It took an enormous amount of will power not to strangle him.
I have decided never to trust my friends.
There are two desperate hopes I have now .
One : Let all Sundays disappear
Two : I hope my marriage is not made in heaven.
A WAY WITH WORDS
Venue: class room of an elite management institute
Occasion: Student presentations, XYZ subject
“I think that the strategies of this company have been undergoing a huge paradigm shift. They have been focusing on customer delight and they have been trying to move the customer up the Maslow’s hierarchy and by doing so they are moving up the value chain themselves. Instead of focusing on the stated needs of the customers, the company has been focusing on the latent needs and by doing so they have created a huge franchise of loyal customers. I think that, by focusing on internal branding, it has been able to percolate this sense of customer centric ness down the organizational chart ……..”
The speaker was fully in control of the situation. He was in full flow. He had an imposing presence, as can be seen from the above he was extremely articulate and judging by what he was saying, it looked as though he really knew what he was talking about
I was clueless, though. But since, I am generally clueless in most classes; I did not want to rely on my own judgment. So I did what I usually do during classes, I kept looking this way and that trying to catch some sign of intelligent life around me.
I had to look a little more closely, before I could decipher the signs. There were a couple of guys listening closely. A few more were nodding intelligently.
I felt happy I hadn’t relied on my own judgment.
The professor was looking sad. I did not care for it, though. He always looked sad. I hated him and I told myself that.
Before long , a hand shot up. “ Do you think that there are any leadership issues?”
Hmmm…the question made sense to me .
Speaker , “ I think its all got to do with locus of control. I think that the current CEO of the company has more of an internal locus of control and I believe he should change it to be more external”
Amazing , I thought.
Another hand , “ According to the life cycle theory , don’t you think that the strategic thrusts of this company would have been different?”
Hmmm….I did not understand the question , but I wanted to know the answer.
The professor was looking sadder by the minute. I did not care for it though. He always looked sad. I hated him and told myself that.
Speaker , “ According to the competitive grid analysis that was done , and an analysis of the SCAs of the company , I fully believe that consolidation is the best strategy in a fragmented market like this one”
My jaw dropped . It was one hell of an answer .
The professor was looking sad. I did not care for it, though. He always looked sad. I hated him and I told myself that.
Earlier hand , “ What about the ethical implications?”
I didn’t give a damn about ethics . But the speaker was on a roll . So I leaned forward in my seat.
Speaker , “ I believe that there are huge ethical implications and that it is very important to balance the imperatives of a ruthless business environment and the internal calls of spotless ethical behavior”
Wow , how true, I thought. Balance business with ethics . My respect for the speaker went up two notches from the already high position it was in.
“Last question please”, it was the sad professor . I never hated anyone more in my life. What was he thinking , bringing such an erudite conversation to a premature end.
Last hand , “ Do you think that the company really found a holistic solution to the problem? In other words , do you think the company has been able to effectively integrate people, processes and technology ?”
I leaned forward to see who this guy was. The speaker had met his match at last, I thought. What a fitting finale , I thought excitedly.
Silence.
There was silence.
The speaker was silent .
I was at the edge of my seat .
Time seemed to have stopped.
My palms were sweating.
What will happen now ? My idol , my hero was silent . He , who was never at a loss for words , was silent .
The pause was becoming more and more pregnant with anticipation.
It was as though the entire class was holding its collective breath.
The professor looked as though he was staring down the barrel of a gun. I did not care. I hated him and I told myself that.
The speaker sighed.
The speaker fidgeted.
The speaker finally smiled
The speaker said , “ I think that this question sums up neatly the essence of all the above four questions”
I was at a loss for words.
The speaker continued, “ Whether it is the question of ethics, or internal branding or gaining market share , I believe it’s a combination of people , processes and technology . So in that way I think it is extremely important . Thank you”
If I had thought earlier that I had never encountered a cleverer question , now I was sure I had never heard anything so profound and so deep , yet so practical.
I was in awe of this guy . I have been worshipping him ever since.
The class came down in thundering applause. It did not stop for a full minute.
The professor looked as though someone had just died. I did not care though. I hated him and I told myself that.
Occasion: Student presentations, XYZ subject
“I think that the strategies of this company have been undergoing a huge paradigm shift. They have been focusing on customer delight and they have been trying to move the customer up the Maslow’s hierarchy and by doing so they are moving up the value chain themselves. Instead of focusing on the stated needs of the customers, the company has been focusing on the latent needs and by doing so they have created a huge franchise of loyal customers. I think that, by focusing on internal branding, it has been able to percolate this sense of customer centric ness down the organizational chart ……..”
The speaker was fully in control of the situation. He was in full flow. He had an imposing presence, as can be seen from the above he was extremely articulate and judging by what he was saying, it looked as though he really knew what he was talking about
I was clueless, though. But since, I am generally clueless in most classes; I did not want to rely on my own judgment. So I did what I usually do during classes, I kept looking this way and that trying to catch some sign of intelligent life around me.
I had to look a little more closely, before I could decipher the signs. There were a couple of guys listening closely. A few more were nodding intelligently.
I felt happy I hadn’t relied on my own judgment.
The professor was looking sad. I did not care for it, though. He always looked sad. I hated him and I told myself that.
Before long , a hand shot up. “ Do you think that there are any leadership issues?”
Hmmm…the question made sense to me .
Speaker , “ I think its all got to do with locus of control. I think that the current CEO of the company has more of an internal locus of control and I believe he should change it to be more external”
Amazing , I thought.
Another hand , “ According to the life cycle theory , don’t you think that the strategic thrusts of this company would have been different?”
Hmmm….I did not understand the question , but I wanted to know the answer.
The professor was looking sadder by the minute. I did not care for it though. He always looked sad. I hated him and told myself that.
Speaker , “ According to the competitive grid analysis that was done , and an analysis of the SCAs of the company , I fully believe that consolidation is the best strategy in a fragmented market like this one”
My jaw dropped . It was one hell of an answer .
The professor was looking sad. I did not care for it, though. He always looked sad. I hated him and I told myself that.
Earlier hand , “ What about the ethical implications?”
I didn’t give a damn about ethics . But the speaker was on a roll . So I leaned forward in my seat.
Speaker , “ I believe that there are huge ethical implications and that it is very important to balance the imperatives of a ruthless business environment and the internal calls of spotless ethical behavior”
Wow , how true, I thought. Balance business with ethics . My respect for the speaker went up two notches from the already high position it was in.
“Last question please”, it was the sad professor . I never hated anyone more in my life. What was he thinking , bringing such an erudite conversation to a premature end.
Last hand , “ Do you think that the company really found a holistic solution to the problem? In other words , do you think the company has been able to effectively integrate people, processes and technology ?”
I leaned forward to see who this guy was. The speaker had met his match at last, I thought. What a fitting finale , I thought excitedly.
Silence.
There was silence.
The speaker was silent .
I was at the edge of my seat .
Time seemed to have stopped.
My palms were sweating.
What will happen now ? My idol , my hero was silent . He , who was never at a loss for words , was silent .
The pause was becoming more and more pregnant with anticipation.
It was as though the entire class was holding its collective breath.
The professor looked as though he was staring down the barrel of a gun. I did not care. I hated him and I told myself that.
The speaker sighed.
The speaker fidgeted.
The speaker finally smiled
The speaker said , “ I think that this question sums up neatly the essence of all the above four questions”
I was at a loss for words.
The speaker continued, “ Whether it is the question of ethics, or internal branding or gaining market share , I believe it’s a combination of people , processes and technology . So in that way I think it is extremely important . Thank you”
If I had thought earlier that I had never encountered a cleverer question , now I was sure I had never heard anything so profound and so deep , yet so practical.
I was in awe of this guy . I have been worshipping him ever since.
The class came down in thundering applause. It did not stop for a full minute.
The professor looked as though someone had just died. I did not care though. I hated him and I told myself that.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
END GAME
It is ending, finally. Around 22 months of IIM-K will come to an end for all practical purposes by the end of February. I can’t help wondering, “Has it been really that long?” .Amazing how time passes you by, without your ever noticing it.
I still remember the first time I came here. It was raining heavily and it was a bandh that day. No vehicles were plying. There were a bunch of us newcomers , standing outside the railway station. They were all talking about rock music, NBA , football and God knows what. Things I had absolutely no idea about. (and I still don’t . I am pretty lazy that way).
Then I remember my first class. Prof .Sarkar’s Micro Economics. In Branding , they teach you that there is the actual physical experience of using the product or service and then there are your emotional associations, and that the latter last longer. How very true. I cant remember what Prof Sarkar taught that day , but I remember my emotional state. I was very, very scared. I remember the twinge of envy I felt when someone gave a very quick answer to the very first question Prof.Sarkar asked. (I really wish that envy had lasted longer. My grades certainly would have been better if it had , rather being at the rock bottom as they currently are) .
I still remember the feelings of inferiority and inadequacy that overwhelmed me when I used to talk to and meet people. Everyone seemed to be so superhuman. It was as though I was picked up from a village and thrown into a huge city peopled by those who had plans to convert it into a metropolitan. I had , in fact, for all practical purposes , come from a village . I was born and brought up in a small town , did my graduation from a smaller town . I was used to being the best guy around . I was the first one in 18 years to get a call from an IIM from my college , and I guess that it was the first time I saw real super talent around me. (I might sound a little arrogant , but honestly that was the way I felt) .
Anyways , I was scared, confused and overwhelmed. I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Ironically enough , the two years that I thought would be my most successful and most productive , have been the least of both. I am not sure why , but I guess it was because that was the first time in my life that I was overwhelmed beyond description. And could not shake it off for a long time. Then I got plain lazy. (At various times I have been called “the sloth” , “laziest guy on campus” . My favorite is what a close friend said about me “Cats atleast lick themselves clean, that’s more than I can say for him”) . I have achieved absolutely nothing. But I will not trade these years for anything else. I cherish them for other reasons. For the experiences, the friends I picked up and for what it taught me about life.
For a long time now , I could not wait to get out. But now ,when I realize it’s actually ending, I am not so sure. I always wanted to get out as soon as possible and start working (you know, when you are not doing well , you start thinking about the future ). I still do , but I surprise myself by feeling sad about it once in while.
Another of my friends is getting married after graduation. (He says it’s a long way off, but it is in August . Tells you a lot about his desperation to get married). All he can talk about is how rents are impossibly high in Bangalore and how the government ruthlessly taxes it’s most productive citizens and how this is coming in his way of buying a four wheeler as soon as he is married. I am happy for him, but I cant help getting depressed listening to all that and that I have to start my own life, all on my own . All my friends , being older than me and having worked before , give me these looks of sympathy , whenever I talk happily about starting to finally work. Honestly , they are freaking me out.
My conversations with the above friend in question previously consisted primarily of trading mindless jokes, making weird faces and generally being as retarded as we could be . Now he congratulates me on being conveniently single. “Your first priority now can be a car man , instead of a house. Look at me . You are lucky that way”
When this starts to happen , that’s when it hits you , like a ton of bricks . Its ending , finally.
I still remember the first time I came here. It was raining heavily and it was a bandh that day. No vehicles were plying. There were a bunch of us newcomers , standing outside the railway station. They were all talking about rock music, NBA , football and God knows what. Things I had absolutely no idea about. (and I still don’t . I am pretty lazy that way).
Then I remember my first class. Prof .Sarkar’s Micro Economics. In Branding , they teach you that there is the actual physical experience of using the product or service and then there are your emotional associations, and that the latter last longer. How very true. I cant remember what Prof Sarkar taught that day , but I remember my emotional state. I was very, very scared. I remember the twinge of envy I felt when someone gave a very quick answer to the very first question Prof.Sarkar asked. (I really wish that envy had lasted longer. My grades certainly would have been better if it had , rather being at the rock bottom as they currently are) .
I still remember the feelings of inferiority and inadequacy that overwhelmed me when I used to talk to and meet people. Everyone seemed to be so superhuman. It was as though I was picked up from a village and thrown into a huge city peopled by those who had plans to convert it into a metropolitan. I had , in fact, for all practical purposes , come from a village . I was born and brought up in a small town , did my graduation from a smaller town . I was used to being the best guy around . I was the first one in 18 years to get a call from an IIM from my college , and I guess that it was the first time I saw real super talent around me. (I might sound a little arrogant , but honestly that was the way I felt) .
Anyways , I was scared, confused and overwhelmed. I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Ironically enough , the two years that I thought would be my most successful and most productive , have been the least of both. I am not sure why , but I guess it was because that was the first time in my life that I was overwhelmed beyond description. And could not shake it off for a long time. Then I got plain lazy. (At various times I have been called “the sloth” , “laziest guy on campus” . My favorite is what a close friend said about me “Cats atleast lick themselves clean, that’s more than I can say for him”) . I have achieved absolutely nothing. But I will not trade these years for anything else. I cherish them for other reasons. For the experiences, the friends I picked up and for what it taught me about life.
For a long time now , I could not wait to get out. But now ,when I realize it’s actually ending, I am not so sure. I always wanted to get out as soon as possible and start working (you know, when you are not doing well , you start thinking about the future ). I still do , but I surprise myself by feeling sad about it once in while.
Another of my friends is getting married after graduation. (He says it’s a long way off, but it is in August . Tells you a lot about his desperation to get married). All he can talk about is how rents are impossibly high in Bangalore and how the government ruthlessly taxes it’s most productive citizens and how this is coming in his way of buying a four wheeler as soon as he is married. I am happy for him, but I cant help getting depressed listening to all that and that I have to start my own life, all on my own . All my friends , being older than me and having worked before , give me these looks of sympathy , whenever I talk happily about starting to finally work. Honestly , they are freaking me out.
My conversations with the above friend in question previously consisted primarily of trading mindless jokes, making weird faces and generally being as retarded as we could be . Now he congratulates me on being conveniently single. “Your first priority now can be a car man , instead of a house. Look at me . You are lucky that way”
When this starts to happen , that’s when it hits you , like a ton of bricks . Its ending , finally.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
OF MATTERS MUNDANE AND OF DELUSIONS GRAND-1
The hottest book to have hit the stands recently seems to be “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins. The title unambiguously states the intent of the book.
I personally love this guy’s book “The selfish gene” and being an avowed atheist for over more than a decade now, I am sure I will love this book.
At the heart of the matter of this book is the idea that the question of God’s existence is a scientific question, not a theological one. I haven’t read the book myself , but a New York Times review says that it is along the lines of Russell’s famed “ Why am I not a Christian “ essay.
Dawkins writes with an elegance of prose that is equaled only by his proficiency as an evolutionary biologist. One website even calls him “everyone’s favorite atheist”. I guess this is the closest anyone can ever come to Carl Sagan. Sagan has probably been one of the most dominant influences on my intellectual life (or whatever little of it that exists). His writings opened my mind to new ideas, shaped my attitudes towards life and religion and changed the very way I look at things once and for all. Tells you a lot about the power that ideas carry with themselves. No wonder, books are still burnt around the globe and movies stopped from screening.
Anyways, coming back to the matter on hand, I think Dawkins makes one hell of a point when he says that the question of God’s existence is a scientific question. It is very much a mundane issue. I think we are doing a great disservice to ourselves, if we answer this question, which without doubt is the greatest question of all , with nothing more than “faith” as an accessory.
Dawkins says that the greatest slap on the face of logic is the word “Miracle” .
I don’t want to talk too much about these issues as much has been said about them Ad nauseum but let me just mention two of the many arguments of the believers that really really get my goat:
I have always wondered about that allpowerful , omni present , omniscient , omnipotent , all good God , leaving only vague references to his existence and that too open to varied and often conflicting interpretations. Believers say that God’s intentions are not be known and in fact , he need not reveal all his intentions. But I would say it must be a pretty stupid God who wanted people to be good and yet left so many doubts as to the existence of the enforcer Himself. A booming voice from the heaven now and then would have neatly done the trick. (ok ..a little flippant , but I guess you get the point)
Second is the argument that , if you don’t believe you cannot behave in a moral fashion. I guess this is exactly where the people who say the existence of God is a theological question make a mistake. Because , if God were the arbiter of good and bad , and good and bad ,mind you, is the realm of the mundane , not the divine , then whether God is, is a mundane issue .
Let me sign off with two of my most favorite arguments as to the existence of God !!!!
“ Abracadabra , therefore God exists”
“ See that fire ? Therefore God exists”
Believers don’t have any arguments better than the ones above.
I personally love this guy’s book “The selfish gene” and being an avowed atheist for over more than a decade now, I am sure I will love this book.
At the heart of the matter of this book is the idea that the question of God’s existence is a scientific question, not a theological one. I haven’t read the book myself , but a New York Times review says that it is along the lines of Russell’s famed “ Why am I not a Christian “ essay.
Dawkins writes with an elegance of prose that is equaled only by his proficiency as an evolutionary biologist. One website even calls him “everyone’s favorite atheist”. I guess this is the closest anyone can ever come to Carl Sagan. Sagan has probably been one of the most dominant influences on my intellectual life (or whatever little of it that exists). His writings opened my mind to new ideas, shaped my attitudes towards life and religion and changed the very way I look at things once and for all. Tells you a lot about the power that ideas carry with themselves. No wonder, books are still burnt around the globe and movies stopped from screening.
Anyways, coming back to the matter on hand, I think Dawkins makes one hell of a point when he says that the question of God’s existence is a scientific question. It is very much a mundane issue. I think we are doing a great disservice to ourselves, if we answer this question, which without doubt is the greatest question of all , with nothing more than “faith” as an accessory.
Dawkins says that the greatest slap on the face of logic is the word “Miracle” .
I don’t want to talk too much about these issues as much has been said about them Ad nauseum but let me just mention two of the many arguments of the believers that really really get my goat:
I have always wondered about that allpowerful , omni present , omniscient , omnipotent , all good God , leaving only vague references to his existence and that too open to varied and often conflicting interpretations. Believers say that God’s intentions are not be known and in fact , he need not reveal all his intentions. But I would say it must be a pretty stupid God who wanted people to be good and yet left so many doubts as to the existence of the enforcer Himself. A booming voice from the heaven now and then would have neatly done the trick. (ok ..a little flippant , but I guess you get the point)
Second is the argument that , if you don’t believe you cannot behave in a moral fashion. I guess this is exactly where the people who say the existence of God is a theological question make a mistake. Because , if God were the arbiter of good and bad , and good and bad ,mind you, is the realm of the mundane , not the divine , then whether God is, is a mundane issue .
Let me sign off with two of my most favorite arguments as to the existence of God !!!!
“ Abracadabra , therefore God exists”
“ See that fire ? Therefore God exists”
Believers don’t have any arguments better than the ones above.
Friday, January 19, 2007
DARK DAYS
Bouts of depression, days of insomnia regularly punctuated with hypersomnia, self doubt , philosophical ramblings (mostly to myself) and above all , an inexplicable , gripping and paralyzing fear of the future – these are currently the dominating features of my life.
When whatever the little philosophical landscape you know is being dominated by Spinoza and Schopenaur , you can safely say that you are more than a little depressed. In my tranquil moments , I have always admired Kant and in my joyous ones , Voltaire and that German , Fredrick. But right now it is the two Ss all the way.
( Al right , that aside was just to show off a little . )
Almost all of us have a fear of the future, and some regrets about the past. That’s actually healthy to an extent. But when you always keep thinking about things that could have been and worrying about the things to come, then something wrong is seriously afoot. Now I am not one of those people who hold mistaken notions of grandeur about themselves, nor am I terribly ambitious, but I would like to think that the future does hold some goodies and that my past hasn’t totally been a waste.
I remember a SOP I once wrote. It went something like ,” I want to grow, in stature , in mind and in spirit and at the same time contribute to my family , to the organization that I work for and above all to society . I want to make a difference , to myself and to others around me and when I look back at things , I want to be able to honestly say to myself , that they turned out for the better , because I was around” ….
Looking back at it, I cant help saying , “ What a load of crap!!!” At least , in my current mental state.
. I have been making lists of things that I should have had ideally .(And invariably “ the perfect girl” tops the list)
Anyways, I guess its high time to buckle up and dust up Voltaire and start dreaming about the perfect career and the perfect girl.
When whatever the little philosophical landscape you know is being dominated by Spinoza and Schopenaur , you can safely say that you are more than a little depressed. In my tranquil moments , I have always admired Kant and in my joyous ones , Voltaire and that German , Fredrick. But right now it is the two Ss all the way.
( Al right , that aside was just to show off a little . )
Almost all of us have a fear of the future, and some regrets about the past. That’s actually healthy to an extent. But when you always keep thinking about things that could have been and worrying about the things to come, then something wrong is seriously afoot. Now I am not one of those people who hold mistaken notions of grandeur about themselves, nor am I terribly ambitious, but I would like to think that the future does hold some goodies and that my past hasn’t totally been a waste.
I remember a SOP I once wrote. It went something like ,” I want to grow, in stature , in mind and in spirit and at the same time contribute to my family , to the organization that I work for and above all to society . I want to make a difference , to myself and to others around me and when I look back at things , I want to be able to honestly say to myself , that they turned out for the better , because I was around” ….
Looking back at it, I cant help saying , “ What a load of crap!!!” At least , in my current mental state.
. I have been making lists of things that I should have had ideally .(And invariably “ the perfect girl” tops the list)
Anyways, I guess its high time to buckle up and dust up Voltaire and start dreaming about the perfect career and the perfect girl.
CHOC- A -BLOG
Yet another blog. Yet another of those online dairies being written with the hope that it might be read by people other than me and my friends (who I of course force to read) but which is sure to be mixed with and lost in the ever growing pile of junk that keeps getting added to the internet everyday.(Observe that I haven’t called this blog junk. Conceit?) I like to think that the idea of the blog is our greatest tribute to our own egos. To think that our opinions , our lives and our ideas would be of interest to anyone but ourselves and some who are dear to us – that is the height of megalomania. Ok , too strong …but something like that.
More interesting is the term “Online diary” . I first learnt that this is what a blog meant. This might not exactly be true , but surely many people seem to think along those lines. To me it is one of those oxymoronic phrases. You put something online if you want others to see it. In the good old days , were the dairies that people wrote meant to be read by anyone else besides themselves? I doubt it. Yet ,here we are . Diarying online (if such a word exists) . We are writing our own diaries , for an audience . It s an interesting phenomenon.
Anyways , this is my second blog. The first blog had huge pretensions to humor . I belabor under the usually misplaced notion that I am funny . My friends have proved me wrong more times than I really care to remember. My blogs bespoke this. I am usually successful in coming across as funny to all kids under 5 . (And this feat I achieve by making faces). Being a marketing major , I would like to think that I have found my niche. (Though I am seriously considering expanding my franchise to the 6- 8 age group ) .
Alas !! for another failed attempt.
If there is really an audience out there, hapless people reading this, bear with me.
Well , got to find people to read this . So signing off for now.
More interesting is the term “Online diary” . I first learnt that this is what a blog meant. This might not exactly be true , but surely many people seem to think along those lines. To me it is one of those oxymoronic phrases. You put something online if you want others to see it. In the good old days , were the dairies that people wrote meant to be read by anyone else besides themselves? I doubt it. Yet ,here we are . Diarying online (if such a word exists) . We are writing our own diaries , for an audience . It s an interesting phenomenon.
Anyways , this is my second blog. The first blog had huge pretensions to humor . I belabor under the usually misplaced notion that I am funny . My friends have proved me wrong more times than I really care to remember. My blogs bespoke this. I am usually successful in coming across as funny to all kids under 5 . (And this feat I achieve by making faces). Being a marketing major , I would like to think that I have found my niche. (Though I am seriously considering expanding my franchise to the 6- 8 age group ) .
Alas !! for another failed attempt.
If there is really an audience out there, hapless people reading this, bear with me.
Well , got to find people to read this . So signing off for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)