Perceptual Glares

We might be the most intellectual living creatures on this planet but astonishingly we know very little about our own self. How would you react if I told you that, you see what you want to see from the perceptual glares on your eyes.

Let me narrate to you an interesting story of two young men. After you read this story ONLY once. Please tell me, who is the worst and the best character in the story and your reasons for it.

One fine day, a young boy named Traven was traveling through a nearby village, looking for a suitable work opportunity for himself. Traven loved to paint human portraits and soon realized that he would want to pursue his passion for the art as a career to become a professional artist. To realize his dream, he decided to explore newer pastures and explore newer places, because the people in his village seldom appreciated his expression of art. While he was walking down the dust-filled streets of  this village, he happened to meet his old friend and class fellow Alex.

Traven knew Alex since the age of 10. They both were the best of friends in their childhood. They would share their food every day and discuss their dreams every evening by the lake side. They were both very naughty ; However, Alex always managed to come out clean of all their mischief. Poor Traven would always have to bear the brunt of the teachers alone. But Traven never mentioned Alex's name in front of the teachers, as Alex was very dear to him.

Though Traven was raised in wealthy family. He had an uncanny habit of stealing. He would get reprimanded for stealing but that wouldn't stop him. His habit of stealing was despised by all and so he could never stay friends with anyone for long. But, Alex was an exception. Alex understood his cravings and knew that his habit was harmless as Traven wasn't a thief just a pickpocket, who would eventually give back the things he stole. Traven enjoyed painting but never enjoyed studying at school. He only wanted to have fun. Whatever provided him with any excitement, he pursued that, without thinking of its consequences. Traven could never distinguish right from wrong, because he didn't define that in his life. He believed that nothing in life should be just one colour, so he never painted anything black or white completely ; his life had grays. Traven was fair and well built. He had unruly hair and his mustaches extended from his upper lip to his chin.  He was one of the handsome men of his village but he never married anyone because he didn't believe in the institution called "marriage". Traven was unconventional in his choices, free in his mind and radical in his thoughts. He could never understand how anyone can live their entire life with just one person. The thought scared him to the core because he enjoyed his freedom to love. Maybe that is why he could never be in any relationship for more than a few months but he never regretted that.

Alex was a slow learner back in school but it was only a matter of a few years that he developed focus and business acumen in his area of interest. Today, Alex had become a well known businessman. Alex, was raised in a middle class family but now he led an extravagant lifestyle. He owned the best of the cars in class and pampered himself with all the luxuries of a king-style lifestyle. Alex had a big mansion and was happily married to a beautiful lady named Seira. He fell in love with Seira since the time he saw her and convinced her parents to keep her happy forever. Alex married Seira 5 years ago. They now have a daughter named Aalia, who is a fair and chubby kid with a lovely dimpled smile. Alex's company - "Alinor Enterprises", had quadrupled their profits since the last year. They were a truly motivated group of young men and women, working hard to achieve Alex's vision. Alex, was highly ambitious and intrinsically motivated, which is why he achieved so much, so early in life.

Traven was really excited to meet Alex after almost 15 years. Both were happily surprised at this co-incidence and greeted each other with a warm embrace. Both of them went to the nearby cafe and decided to have their favorite coffee. Alex was dressed in a white linen shirt and brown trousers, ironed to perfection. Traven on the other hand was dressed in a check T-shirt, with paint marks on his cuffs, and white trousers, with dirt speckles on the bottom of the trousers. Traven had not washed that trouser for 2 weeks now because his demanding work schedule didn't give him a chance to wash his dirty linen. Moreover, Traven didn't care, he had always been casual about his dressing sense.  Also, being an artist, he came from a school of thought that looks didn't matter, what mattered was the creative ability.

Traven and Alex sat there for hours and discussed endlessly their childhood stories. Both, laughed their guts out while discussing their antics in school. After, a long chat, Alex invited Traven over for dinner. Traven agreed to the invitation. Traven was astonished at how prosperous Alex had become over time when he entered his new car and then his new home. Traven thought to himself ," O boy ! Alex's house is really like a magnificent palace !". Traven liked the antique articles in his lobby so much that he couldn't resist stealing one  small rare pearl flower. Though, he would never feel this way before but he did feel guilty of stealing in Alex's house. Alex had an eye for art and so he had bought this expensive article from a far off coast. The moment Alex saw Traven pick pocketing the article, he understood that his old habits of stealing still exist. Alex didn't want to embarrass Traven in front of his wife, so he just let go of this issue. Alex introduced Seira and Aalia to Traven, after which they all sat down to have dinner together. Seira was looking beautiful; Traven couldn't help looking at her time and again. Seira now noticed him looking at her uninterrupted and she decided to ignore him. The looks were now starting to make her uncomfortable but she didn't know what to do. Alex sensed the discomfort in the environment and told Seira to take Aalia to their bedroom to put her off to sleep. Meanwhile, Alex was telling interesting stories to Traven about Aalia's uncanny ways of seeking attention from all. Traven was happy to respond to his stories. After dinner, Traven told Alex about his new project and why he had traveled so far. Alex was happy to help Traven. Alex decided to fund a few of his art project for his new office. Traven was really happy to receive help from his close friend. Traven now started to work on those projects with all his heart.

A few weeks later, Alex had to go for international travel for a couple of weeks and so he called his old uncle, Mr. Mathew, over to his house to take care of Seira and Aalia while he was away. Meanwhile, Traven had also nearly completed his art projects. Traven frequently paid visits to Alex's house to play with Aalia, who was a very playful child.  They both shared a lovely rapport. Alex on the other hand was not quite appreciative of Traven's visits to his house but seeing that Aalia was really fond of Traven's magic tricks, Alex never expressed resentment over his visits.

One fine evening at 8:00pm, when Mr. Mathew, Seira and Aalia were all seated at the dining table, the house's burglar alarm went off. Mr. Mathew, an old and wise man, suggested Seira to quickly take Aalia to her bedroom, while he set out to see if everything was fine or not.  Someone had entered the house and was trying to enter Seira's bedroom. Seira was petrified ! The man seemed young but had his face covered with a white cloth. He was armed with a knife but it seemed that he had no intention to steal. He went straight away to Seira, looked her in the eye, and asked her to give Aalia to her. Seira pleaded that she would not give Aalia to him. He put the knife around her throat and gave her an ultimatum to stop throwing tantrums and hand over Aalia to him. Seira begged him not to take Aalia and offered to be kidnapped instead. The kidnapper agreed to that on the condition that she will also have to sleep with him. Seira couldn't understand what was going on and so she shouted out loud calling Mr. Mathew. Mr. Mathew had been inspecting outside and in the basement, of a potential breach of security but had no idea that the kidnapper had already entered Seira's bedroom. The moment he heard Seira's loud cry, he rushed towards her bedroom only to find the kidnapper with a knife around Seira's neck. Mr. Mathew was too old to attack the kidnapper and so he stood still with his arms raised upwards. The kidnapper now started snatching Aalia from Seira's hands. Seira asked Mr. Mathew what should she do ?? Mr. Mathew replied, " Daughter whatever decision you take will be for the good of all". Seira, instantly offered herself to the kidnapper. The kidnapper warned Mr. Mathew of informing the police or else Seira's life would be in danger. Mr. Mathew agreed to be silent.

Hours later, Alex got a call asking for ransom to save his dear wife Seira. Alex called his home and Mr. Mathew told him the entire story. Alex was in a state of shock ! He didn't know what to do. He agreed to the kidnapper's condition of providing him with the money the kidnapper asked for. Alex kept the money in the nearest letter post office box as instructed by the kidnapper. Meanwhile, Alex called Traven over and told him what had happened. Traven sympathized with Alex over the incident and advised Alex to keep his calm. Later in the day, someone knocked at the door incessantly. Alex jumped out of his seat and quickly moved towards the door. He slightly opened the door, to catch a glimpse of who it was. It was Seira, she was panting and crying. Alex opened the door and Seira rushed in to his arms. Alex thanked God that Seira was safe and hugged her tightly. Traven watched the two hug dispassionately. Seira told Alex everything but soon Alex started to feel really uneasy. He was happy to see that she was safe but he felt uncomfortable knowing that Seira slept with another guy. He couldn't help but imagine how she could have at least tried to escape before giving in to the kidnapper's fantasies. He thought to himself, " She didn't even try to escape. But why ?". He decided to ask Mr. Mathew in detail of what had happened. Mr. Mathew narrated the entire incidence yet again. Alex told  Mr. Mathew of what was going on in his mind and asked him what he must do. Mr. Mathew replied, " Son, whatever decision you take will be good for all". Alex gave him a silent nod and moved back to his room.

In the afternoon, after Seira woke up from her sleep, Alex told Seira how he felt from inside. He told her that he wouldn't be able to love her again the way he used to. Seira felt disgusted and ran to the other room where Aalia was playing with Traven. Seira told Traven what Alex had told her. She asked him what was her fault ? Traven got up and hugged the distressed Seira, telling her that he would stand by her side and be with her forever. Seira thought to herself, " May be all that happened was for the best". The very next instant Alex entered the room, and saw his wife hugging Traven. Traven looked at Alex and gave him a smirk.

Now, rank in order of preference, who is the best and the worst characters in this story and state your reasons for it.
 
Once, you do that, you will appreciate the fact that we all look at the world through our own perceptual glares. Sometimes, we are only able to see what we have been thinking for so long, because our perspectives are colored with what we believe, feel, see, experience, our value system, etc. These colored perspectives are responsible for forming your perspectives on certain issues. What I am trying to convey is that for the same story many of you will have divergent perspectives because of who we are and these perspectives may or may not be in line with the facts. Yet, each perspective is important and correct for the person who is giving it. Therefore, its important to value each person's perspective as he/she may see the world in a different colour all together and they may be right in their own ways.

I believe that life will certainly be more interesting and uncluttered when we see the world as it is, rather than with a colored perspective :)

Being Humble

"I believe that the first test of a great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them , but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful." - John Ruskin

It happens so often in our everyday life - that we, in the glorious perceptions of our dignified lives, forget to acknowledge others and the efforts that they put in our lives to make it better. We don't realize the worth of anyone else around us or relate to any of their dreams. We simply live our lives like a rodent running on a circular treadmill.  Today, all of us are so engrossed in our own work, work-related tensions, families, and health issues that no one has the time to listen to what anyone else has on his/her mind. We are living our lives like robots. In defense of all that I have said above, let me run you through your day yesterday. Answer the following questions - Did someone cook food for you ? Did someone wash your dirty utensils ? Did someone drive you to your office ? Did someone iron your clothes ? If yes then, did you, even for a second, feel thankful or blessed ? Did you immediately respond to the favor with nice words ? If no, then why not ?

Humans, very often, while climbing the ladder of success, use services of many and then just forget to return the favor with kind words. It is as if they have bought everything they possibly have with money ! But that is not how it should be.

It is a well known fact that nature in most of its activities, follows the normal distribution curve. That is also how everyone's life fluctuates in this world; exactly like a normal distribution curve, which has a crest (highest point) and two troughs (lowest point). This essentially means that everyone is obliged to get their highs and lows in their lifetime. What might be your high may be someone else's low, but that doesn't deter their ability to make it big in their lifetimes, when the tides of time and the winds of wisdom are both in their stride. Therefore, it becomes a moral responsibility of those in their highs to help those in their lows, so that they can remember you for all the goodness of your heart and the humbleness of your nature, long after you are gone.

Everyone, desires to be great. They strive to be respected, loved and cared by all. That is the sole reason they work so hard everyday of their lives, isn't it ? Now, what is most important to understand, in this context is- 'what differentiates the great human beings from the good human beings' ?

There is an age old saying - The tree bearing the most fruits is the one which bends the most and survives the winds. This proverb is a great learning insight for all. People who stand tall in their false ego and pride, fall flat when the harsh winds of time blow rampantly; and the ones who bear the fruits of wisdom, prosper their goodness with humility.
Humility is the most under-rated virtue in today's age. In my view it is humility that is a litmus test to know the great from the good.
We, as a society, attach utmost importance and bestow instant gratification to what meets the eye - the pompous, the flashy and the flamboyant. But surprisingly, when in trouble, would you want to go to someone  who is arrogant, unhelpful and conceited with his false pride ? Absolutely never. So, why become someone whom you would never want to meet ?

You may be the best in whatever it is that you are doing, but you must never lose the grip of the ground in your pursuit of the sky, never undermine anyone's talent, never indulge in an ego trip, and never be unhelpful to others because what may be yours today will be someone else's tomorrow. Lets try being humble and experience true happiness, wisdom and pleasure. Your acts of humility have the power to change lives !

Being  HUMBLE is the biggest lesson of life. 

Simplified

Not many of us realize how simple life is. We invest so much time thinking about either the future or the past that we forget what life has to offer us right here and right now.

Let me tell you a story. Once there was a King, in a far far away land. He was strong and mighty. He had an army of thousands of soldiers. His soldiers were his greatest strength. He won all wars he had ever fought in his lifetime. Some people said that he won because he was the most disciplined leader, some said that he had the charisma to inspire his men, some thought it was because it was in his fate and the others thought because he honored his word. However, lately the king started to face some problems in his sleep routine. He couldn't sleep well at night. Something disturbed him. He complained to his Royal Priest that he was losing all battles in his dreams. His priest was extremely clever. He realized soon enough that King was unable to sleep as he couldn't concentrate over what he had and was obsessed with thinking of new battles to conquer newer pastures. So, he suggested a remedy to the King. He asked the King to do the following task at 4 am tomorrow. He asked the King to keep his eyes fixed at a target 10 meters away from him, while walking a muddy path. The King was anxious to know how this would help achieve a peaceful sleep and kept tossing in the bed all night. At sharp 4 am, royal guards knocked at the King's door to see the King ready for the activity. He came down to his central kingdom ground. It was summers then so the morning sun was just about to rise. The sky was glowing in beautiful orange hues. The priest asked the king to start. The King started walking the muddy path, while reminding himself that he had to keep his eyes glued to the target or else he would have to do this all over again tomorrow at 4 am. The initial few steps that the King took were with a lot of caution but gradually  his confidence got built and he started walking the path a little faster. The King couldn't help thinking about the time when he would reach the target. He was so engrossed in thinking about the future that he didn't realize that his right foot got stuck in a puddle. Now, for a minute, he looked at his stuck feet, which now was fully immersed in the mud and figured out how he would get out from this mess. He gently shoved off the slimy mud in excess to continue walking. But, soon he realized that his target was nowhere in sight. He looked at the Priest inquisitively but the Priest looked as calm as ever. He then realized that because he didn't do the exercise as instructed, the Priest would have him do it again tomorrow morning 4am. He couldn't again sleep that night. His failure to keep sight of his target was worrying him. The king had never lost before. It was a huge blow for him. However, he was even more determined now to not lose focus on the target. He was waiting for the dawn to break. The Royal guards were waiting outside the door at 4am. The King quickly moved out of the royal door to rush his way to the royal ground where the priest was already waiting for him. The King bowed to the Priest in respect before starting; the Priest gave a gentle smile. The King began walking once again, with his eyes affix at the target. This time he was more cautious of every step that he took. He walked slow but never lost sight of the target. But he was constantly reminded of his failure yesterday and at every step, was apprehensive that he would eventually get stuck again in the same puddle. He was worried, so he paced down drastically when he thought that he would approach that puddle. He walked a little to the left to avoid that puddle, looking straight at the target. His right leg was just about to slip in the puddle but because he was slow, he managed to maintain his balance.   He was relieved yet nervous. He marched ahead as he was in a hurry to finish his task. After three quick steps, he tripped over a small stone and fell over his face on the ground. All his guards rushed towards him to help him. He got up with their help but he knew that the target would not be there as he was unsuccessful once again to keep his eyes on the target at all times.
The King was dejected and hurt. He summoned the Priest to his royal chamber in the evening. The King asked why he couldn't do this simple task, when he had won so many difficult battles before. The Priest smiled and told him that the answer to his question was there in his mind. The King was perplexed, he didn't know what the Priest wanted to convey. The Priest smiled and then said " King you have won many battles in the battle field because you didn't allow your mind to wander. Today, you are fighting a war with your own mind.". The King requested the Priest to explain why he couldn't focus his mind to the target. The Priest explained both the instances. He said " My dear King, when you were walking the path for the first time, your mind was only fixed at the target. You didn't realize that there would be hurdles in your path, which is why you were pacing your steps on an unknown path. Your mind was wandering in the future, you were busy thinking about how you would get some good sleep after this simple activity. You were not alert about your present surroundings." The King nodded in approval but asked the Priest why he lost the second time. He told the Priest that he was not thinking about the future then. The Priest answered- " Yes, you are right. In the second time that you undertook this activity, you were not thinking of the future. But, you were thinking of your previous experience. You were worried about what happened to you last time should not happen to you again. You kept dwelling on your past and in nervousness did not anticipate the stone in the path, which is why you tripped." The King understood what the Priest wanted to teach him and bent before him in honor. The Priest had given the King the answer to his questions. That night, before sleeping, the King wrote a page in his Diary.

The King wrote-
1. Keeping your eyes on the target at all times is important but what is most important is to live in the present.
2. Problems are bound to come but don't let one bad experience ruin your confidence in yourself
3. Walking slow enables you to keep your balance in life
4. Never take for granted what is going to come ahead
5. Worrying about the past or the future doesn't let me sleep !

That night, the King rest peacefully. He realized that he must not waste time worrying about the past or the future. It is only this moment which is the most precious to him. 

What do you love ?

When do you realize that you are not doing justice to yourself ? When do you realize that this is exactly how you never wanted to see yourself ? This soul stirring realization comes with just one question - do you love what you are doing ? If the answer to this is a positive then you must be one of the few lucky people on this planet. However, if the answer to this is in a negative, then you can be very sure that you are not doing justice to your innate creative abilities. So the question really is how much time per day would you like to spend on something that you love doing? The ideal answer should be 24 hours. If it is not that, its definitely not love at first sight for you. You may be one of those creative geniuses, who are ruining their life-time, back-counting work hours at office and waiting to get out of the corporate jungle only to spend some peaceful time at home with friends or family. If this be true, its about time you realized that this is not your calling in life. I am not advocating the philosophy of immediately bringing your life to a halt by abandoning all the work that you aren't 100% in love with, nor am I questioning your newly found talent of learning something new, the hard way ( hard enough for it to take ages for you to fall in love with what you are doing ). All I am saying is that, may be you are far better at something else, for which cause, you may be willing to dedicate your entire lifetime. And that may be its time for you to explore those unconscious corners of your mind, to know what you didn't know about yourself.

I am a staunch believer in the school of that, everyone is special and that everyone is gifted with some unique talent which is so innately precious to his/her own existence. Some people have amazing intellectual abilities, some are gifted with a penchant for art, some love the world of sports and some are gifted with strong will power. Nature never ceases to surprise us with her astonishing charisma and fascinate us with her ability to bestow each one of us with abilities so unique. Each person is so unique yet he belongs to a flock of his kind. Amazing isn't it ? So if you know that you are gifted, why would you want to waste the gift of nature in running forever through the maze of life in search of happiness, like a hungry little mouse running on a circular treadmill in pursuit of a hanging piece of cheese in front of his eyes. Why not spend that important time figuring out what you are best at and pursuing it further.

Innovation happens only when you are extremely passionate about what you do and drenched in love with it. The pre-requisite to this pursuit of innovation is to love what you are doing. People tell me that they get bored with things and so they have a tendency to switch or move on. This only goes to show that they haven't found this one thing that they would like to show strong commitment towards and that this fire of innovation in their bellies is yet to be ignited by doing something they truly love.

Some people discover their passions very early in their lives and some take a lifetime. The ones who fail to realize their true potential are the ones who gave up on their journey of self-exploration long back. Whereas, the ones who succeed in life are the ones who believe in themselves and that they are gifted with extra-ordinary powers, they are the ones who keep exploring, only to unearth limitless potential.

So how to find your special gift and your passion in life ?

Its simple, never give up on your journey of self-exploration, never give up on your self-belief and never ever give up on the pursuit of finding that one thing that you love so much that you can do all day long with a smile on your face. Always remember that you are never too young or too old to take the leap of faith and follow your intuition towards finding your gift. After all, you live just once !

Hope is REAL

There are times when you wish and conceal

When life is beautiful but that's not how it feels

When the world is running like a movie reel

When you want to fly high but your wings don't heal

That's when life smiles at you and you know that 'Hope is REAL'

The sun rises and shines; it glares at your face

When you are still dreaming while the world is awake

You know you want to fathom the world and its ways

Then you wake up and wear your dancing shoes

Show the world some spirited moves!

Then, I think you should then wear the colors of life

Some Florescent and yellows, some sparkling brights

To match this up, a vivacious smile will be ideal

Dear'o'Dear, Come what may, don't ever kneel

Don't give up Hope, 'cause 'Hope is REAL'

You may not have the answer to all the complexity

But ignorance is also a facile luxury

You can be the best of 'em all

You can be sure that all the pains will heal

Don't give up Hope, 'cause 'Hope is REAL'