Friday, December 10, 2004

The trail of destruction

The other day as I was working in my workshop I left the doors open, which is usually closed because I don't really like strangers strolling in and dealing with them. But I was cleaning up, and the place needed to be aired anyway - some fresh air never hurt nobody.

So there was this man that I knew who sent his kids upstairs for karate classes, I said 'Hi!', not really remembering what his name was, although we had been introduced before. Its quite a normal thing, I found out, that people don't really remember a name, but they almost always recognize a face, and for that brief encounter, you will act as if you were the best of friends, and the moment you're gone, the both of you will be wondering what each other's names were.

We talked briefly about what I was doing there, and then he commented that there is no originality amongst local furniture makers. I wholly agreed. I also added that it was because they had no passion for what they do, and he added that because they were out to make a fast buck whatever means they could.

Passion isn't something that they teach in school, its something that radiates, which is probably why its not what everyone has. In a country where businesses are run by well dressed pot bellied men stinking of aftershave, as if an attempt to mask the stink of cigarette breath, the only passion that they seem to have is the quickest way to exploit the system for their own gain. Get a large enough number of these people holding key roles in growing sectors of the economy, and you'll be progressing at a slower than expected rate.

What I noticed, but always knew was that there is a counter-effect on every decision we make, its a yin yang thing. We can't seriously expect to get away with making a bad decision without facing the consequences be it now, or later. But of course to many, what doesn't concern them now, probably shouldn't be a concern later. While that statement itself is fallacious, it can be attributed to the skewed interpretation of living it day by day. Its important to be happy and to live for the moment, but that doesn't mean you should leave a trail of destruction while you're doing it.

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

trying to live

You'd live for that smell, of exhiliration, fear and innocence.

'What is it that you're looking for? What do you think you can find here?'

Silence was like continuous laughter. The mind was like a playground: a free for all, come as you wish, take what you want and leave. It was as if he was in a state of detachment from reality as others perceived. Knowing and proving a different reality are two different things altogether. Sometimes you know that something is real, but yet there is no evidence of its existence, so others dismiss it, and eventually, so will you.

'The light...I need to find the light.'

Life is not binary. Its not always logical. Or is it? Are life decisions always answerable with binary yes/no responses? Or is there a need for more? Explanation by interrogation. Everyone needs to know what the truth is. Without truth there is no deduction, whereby there will be no conclusion. Everyone needs a conclusion at some point. People without concrete conclusions drift for extended periods without ever finding their waypoint.

'Fear will keep you alive, and you will survive.'

Losing is the not at the top of his list. Its the worst feeling there is, but the key to that is to not find it in the first place. You can't lose what you don't have, just as you can't kill what doesn't exist. By eliminating key problems at the source level, you are thus more fearless than ever. Confidence stems from a mixture of fearlessness, foresight, assimilation and empathy. Go anywhere. Do anything.

'Once you're done. Do it all over again.'

The theory is that once you have every item in your checklist in order, disorder automatically steps in to ensure that you are never really done, you are just merely forced to make a new list, and if you don't, then you have done nothing at all.

Welcome to real life. Everyone complains that their life is complicated, but thats the way it is. If you let petty things stand in your way of true greatness complications will always be present. Everyone is destined for something great, the ability to bring that out is the ultimate challenge. Challenge your minds to think differently, to think more, to stay put less, to set goals and accomplish them systematically, and enjoy the journey because there is nothing like it.

'Figure out what is important to you.'

Monday, December 06, 2004

not poetry, not haiku

Sore, blistered hands I sit and type,
a good weekend, a great day, I might,
relocate and find the light,
that went missing amidst all the hype.

No words can express how I feel,
what a cliched, cliched deal,
there's a word for everything,
or a phrase with similar meaning.

I'm radiating with a certain energy,
lethargy is all behind me,
I need some sleep, but yet I don't,
its a waste of time so that I won't.

My head is filled with grooves and joints,
a massive puzzle from any viewpoint,
a giant problem with multiple solutions,
but there can only be one conclusion.

What is real, and what is not?
What is vague, and what is hot?
What do I mean by 'what is hot'?
Its nothing, I just needed to rhyme with 'not'.

If something comes up thats my wish,
I hope it comes up before my dish,
dinner that is, in case you were wondering,
nothing to say, nothing to sing.

Here ends the transmission of the day,
removing excess electrons, thats my way,
the blog is like a memory dump,
just have to steer clear of the slump,
if for a living, this I do,
that'd worry both me and you.