disappearing people

people tend to fade away with time. Isn't it such an irony that a to-die-for friend from a few years ago isn't the same anymore - not because anything has happenned that would change anything between you - but for some physical distance which hinders you from meeting often enough to make memories to remember. The same seems to happen with enemies. If you haven't heard from your arch rival long enough - you tend to lose the bitterness. 

It all comes down to me trying to disprove the saying 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'. I believe in attaching myself to my friends [I know that doesnt sound right.. but well .. you get it] and detaching myself as far away from my enemies as possible. Fight hard in the moment but in the long run - run far away. 

Take a moment and think of the people whom you haven't talked to in a while but still have memories with, you cherish. Those are the ones to keep. Renew the bonds. Its as simple as picking up your phone and dialing a number. 

fifteen percent tip

It was almost time for lunch. It had been a busy morning. Busy but good. The boss had called him to his office. He had been nervous. It was that day of the year. He had spent most of last year in the office. He had done well. But he was nervous.

He got the promotion. And a raise and a new office. It had been a good morning. And now it was time for lunch. He locked the computer, grabbed his keys and walked out to the parking structure all the while trying to decide between chinese and a sandwich. He got into his car and started the engine. He decided it was worth celebrating. He decided to go to the pricey italian restaurant. He had earned it.

It was a warm sunny day. Perfect for driving with the windows rolled down. He rolled them down. It was two blocks from the restaurant. The light turned red and he slowed down to a stop. 

She could not have been over nine years old and she had a baby in her little hands. She was thin and pale. Almost thinner than the baby who just would not stop crying. She came to the car door with the saddest of faces and thrust the thinnest of hands towards him all the while struggling to handle the crying baby in her other hand. 

It must be one of those schemes to rob people. People like him. kind people. Who would fall for the trap and give away their hard earned money. It was one of those new cars. All automatic. He pushed the button and the windows started rolling up. 

you me and them

I drive away from crashed cars...

I while away.. in crowded bars...

I live a life of silent greed...

I strive night and day .. an ego to feed..

I listen to my music loud..

from the world outside.. thats my shroud..

i think not for you or love..

but vie for what you 've got to give..

I count again every penny cold..

and can think of nothing but gold..

I spend a fortune to cover my naked..

not a second thought.. for the hungry soul..

I look at myself in the mirror ..

and think of the pounds to lose

but not once.. of whats within..

and how much heart i 've still to gain...

I am you my friend.. I am you and me.

rainbows in black and white

distance

He walked to the window and stared at the withering roses in what used to be a garden. He hadn't noticed but it had changed drastically in the past few months. He hadnt noticed. Until now. He had been busy. There had been a lot to take care of. There were the kids to take care of. She had been there for them all along. Now it was his turn to be there. Someone would have said, they are no longer kids. They have kids of their own. But then, someone would not know what she meant to them. What she meant to him. 

It had been their garden. The garden that they spent so much time together in. The garden that they had built together - like everything else they had built together in the last forty five years. He wanted to make sure everything was how she wanted it to be. He took care of everything. Everything except the garden.  

It had been a long 73 days. 73 days, six hours and a little over 30 minutes. He had woken up and was surprised she hadn't. She usually woke him up. He wanted to surprise her. He cleaned up made a spinach omlette, filled up a small glass with OJ and took it to the bed. Wendy, their best friend for ages, found him trying to wake her up about an hour and a half later. 

He found the garden shears along with the other garden stuff and started cutting away. It was past midnight when he stopped. The neighbors had been nice. They knew. The garden was almost clean now. He would have to use the grass cutter in the morning. He did not want to disturb the neighbors with all the noise. They had been nice.

Wendy found him in the garden in the morning. It was all back to how it used to be. No roses yet - but that doesnt take too long. He was lying down in the grass. She walked up to him and heard him sobbing. His cheeks were all red and wet. She felt a tear run down her cheek. 'He will live' she thought 'now that he has cried'.

the unsaid...

woke up a warrior.. broke up a fight..

drove through dull streets of little light..

dreamt up a dragon.. missed the last wagon..

for i 've slept through all that was right.. 

pushes and wishes.. little yellow kisses...

i 've waited on twenty odd misses..

tither.. hither... more i wither..

punch me in the dark... leave me in the park.. 

they will find me now.. out by the lark.. 

i record and play .. what cannot be true...

i record and play... every little hue.. 

voices have faded.. 

flowerOfSan

the supreme - please

omnipotent and omnipresent - is how most religions tend to term 'God'. Now then.. lets see what these words actually mean. 

Omnipresent - being able to be present at all places at the same time. So for someone to be present at multiple places at the same time - their velocity should be infinite. Meaning they should be able to travel from one place to the other in no time at all. Here time is what defines the term omnipresent. Consider a second to be the lowest 'time' period a human being can visually percieve - i think most of us can do better - i believe ~16 times better... but either way lets assume its a second. So as long as someone can get from anywhere to anywhere within this time frame - they can be considered as omnipresent. Now to the naked eye they would be omnipresent - but lets consider we had one of those super slow motion cameras ... would that someone still be considered omnipresent?? So all someone needs to be able to do to become God is break this time barrier. 

Its the same deal with being omnipotent. Time is the culprit. Lets take an example. Only the omnipotent god can split the ocean in two. Now logically speaking - splitting the ocean is taking out the water from a section of area quicker than it takes for the amount of water to get back in. Here again you just need to break that visible time barrier. 

Now coming to the real question. I think it is a plausible thing that there exists extraterrestial life. Consider that there was an alien who could do all the above - would you still be worshipping the alien? Consider that there is one alien who basically is able to control all life on Planet Earth and maybe Planet Earth itself. Would you still be willing to worship this alien considering that this is no more than a science project for the alien who is one among a million others who have planets of their own.

My question, as seems to be always, is what is religion to you? What is God to you? Is it what you need to get some sense of security into your life? Someone powerful who you know will be looking after you and will forgive you for all your sins. Someone more than yourself to look after you - because that's a good feeling always. I have had that while living with my parents for a huge portion of my life. I bet most others did too. But is it worth pretending when you know you have to fend for yourself?

hmm... I should stop writing about religion. I do not want a fatwa issued against me. Afterall i am questioning people's sense of security.

The funny side of it is - For someone who is present everywhere, God's a very elusive guy. I have never run into him on my way to work or in the grocery store. 

aaj ka aasmaan..

kaun sahil ki hai khoj..

kya hai musafir thera bhoj..

rukh ke dekho duniya ke rangg..

dil mein bharlo thoda umang..

kal kaa kyaa... tha koi khwaab..

aaj hai shaamil... jeelo janaab!!

a capsule for religion

religion. The topic of the day. This as always is my take of it and well .. its my blog... ain't it ... 

What religion is - is a way of life. You either got to be really committed to the way of life [principles.. you believe in] to be die hard religious or you must be really submissive or pretty weak-kneed. Now i am not talking about the also-rans here. And there's a huge percentage of them out there. This is about the ones that are 'religious'. And there are the ones that are 'not religious'. Its these two that make or can make a difference. Because its these that the other huge chunk of also-ran's follow.

My thoughts on religion have always been 'whatever makes you sleep well at night'. Its your choice and its fine with me as long as you keep it to yourself and not try to impose the same on someone else. I don't care if you cut your ends or whatever you feel like to be part of what you believe - as long as its yours [and by yours i dont mean philosophically or whatever. Yours means physically or whatever directly is yours] that you cut. I don't plain care. Like i said - 'Whatever makes you feel cosy in your bed'.

So - why i am babbling on .. on religion. Here's why. I was at a church watching a pretty eloborate [and when i say that.. i mean eloborate in all senses of the word] and surprisingly well produced/played.. whatever.. Easter day celebration show of the story of Jesus - which got me thinking. I like the play - not for what it depicted - but for the performances and the organization. Towards the end of it - as part of the show there were a few poeple who came on stage and basically talked about how 'Jesus' had turned their lives around. They had playcards that they displayed. Something like first they would display one side of the card saying 'Addicted to meth' and then they would show the other side saying 'dependent on Jesus'. Another was 'Spent time in Jail' and 'Found Freedom in Jesus'. And i thought - "good for you guys". again like i said - 'Whatever makes you sleep well at night'. For me these are people who found solace in something - and that something happenned to be religion. Thats real good - isn't it? Nothing like a warm blanket when the night's cold. 

We humans are social animals. We don't seem to feel so well alone. There's a few exceptions. But generally - Social animals. We need to have the feeling of belonging to something bigger -a bigger group - which in turn believes in something more powerful - powerful enough to protect us - do anything - everything for us. Something we can leave our worries to. And its all good. But i find it all a bit selfish. Everyone seems to be preaching that religion is all about the greater good of the people. I tend to understand it differently. Selfish. Its about following the 'path of God' to attain salvation. And what is salvation - a chance to spend the after life in paradise. Its like saving up for retirement. Which is something you are doing for yourself. Its not for the good of someone else. Its for yourself. Then why the hypocricy of saying 'Its for the good of all humankind'. 

The question that came to mind is how many of these 'relgious' or 'non-religious' people would give up what they love most - if they had to make the choice for the greater good of humankind. 

example: How many pastors would give up 'christianity' or how many rabbis would give up their faith - if they were given a true option that if they give up their religion no child around the world would ever have to die of hunger ever. Now that's not an impossible thing to do.. but very improbable. But well - what goes- If they were told you can make this happen and they believed that this could be made possible if they gave up their religion - would they do it?

Its like asking me - no more food ever in your life - all you can eat is this tablet every day and that will keep you alive. Its not impossible - i guess if there were such a tablet - and if the bet was sure - I might..hmm... i will do it. But the question is not about me and food. Its about religion and the 'religious'. How many of the one's that preach religion will make this choice. Will the pope give up his faith if he was given this option?