Sign of the Times

Can you see the Sign of Times as I see? From where I see, the world seems to be stuck in one place, not making any progress…or if anything, it seems to be moving with handbrakes on but it’s definitely not making the rapid & huge strides forward as is normally touted. It can’t, because the Minds are not. Here’s what I see…

Youth of today…with a mind of its own, reaching out to the unprecedented boundaries, riding the developmental springtide, blooming & waving in the winds of change…with their values firmly & proudly rooted in the "temple" backyards. The fashion icons, the speakers of their mind, the balanced Individuals…the wearers of holy chants, the singers of Hare Krishna and Ya Ali (redemption is fashionable & fast!!), the "fusion" breed.

Balanced - Belting out effortlessly the cool and hip lingo, ‘the muthafuckas’ on the outside…AND…basking in reassuring glory of the "Oh-my-Gods" inside…and of course, in between there lies a cleansing layer of "conscience" doubling up as an impenetrable shield to their "compassionate heart". The glowing faces lit by confidence, the unshakable confidence cemented by "faith". Faith is still the granted thing as breath. Touching it with "Reason" is still "blasphemy".

The mature, the wise, they talk sense…AND…are frequently wounded by logic but then uplifted by "spirituality". The super slick go-getters, the system changing revolutionaries, the wannabe rebels…the office-politicos, the "practical" beings…all bustling with energy, ever so sure of what they want…AND…all praying silently to their "Gods", all waiting for the day when their "souls shall be freed".

The Intellectual streak, the Philosophical bent...sadly & mostly end up implying the blinkers of supposed-to-be (but somehow impossible to BE), the strait-jackets of conditioned brains, the inevitable thresholds of set mentality.

The Youth, with a Mind of its own. The Evolution, with the pace of its own!

Do you see the Sign of the Times as I do?

Essence

"Enrichment of lives, yours and others', is a mere byproduct of a more important process of self purification."

- N.

The Imperfect

My imperfect views on my imperfect thoughts in my own imperfect words:

“Imperfect”…yes. Rendered so by the standards which continue turning inside-out with the course of the centuries. Imperfect like a tree. So distorted, yet so beautiful. Imperfect like a mountain. So rugged, yet so majestic. Yes, I am ‘the imperfect’ by their standards, I am ‘the misfit’ by prevailing credo to which I somehow failed to adapt myself…And though this truth has dawned on me quite a while before, though this frailty in my nature has been exposed to me time and again, I still try to flourish, I still thrive in my niche of existence…not just to exist, neither to find any purpose nor to understand the momentary realities which are of no direct concern to me, but to discover only as much as to make my own life rich, only as much that works for ‘my’ joy, clean and pure. Yes, I am ‘the selfish’. So is that tree and that mountain. I live not for the purpose of others first, but for the self. I give not for the good of others, but for the pleasure of mine. The rewards and awards of generosity and praise are not pursued by me, they are only conferred by others. I only revere the beauty of my way of living my life till I am alive, I relish my days in the sun by my own “Imperfect” standards.

I fall, I flounder, I fail, I falter, I suffer, I bleed, I rise, I walk on, fully aware of the adversary, always ready for that last blow where I’ll be cast out by the centuries old laws of “Natural Selection” and “Survival of the fittest”. But what do I care when I know even the “Fittest”, even the most “Perfect” are headed for doom, are destined for extinction one day. Do I need to exist eternally trying to adjust, adopt, struggle, compete, fight to live but never being able to live or do I need a life which is though short, yet lived on my own terms and yet ending with not a single desire left unfulfilled, without a single stain on my conscience and with not a single shred of guilt on my mind. Yes, I strive for such a life and I revel in such imperfection.