A Thing of Beauty

A thing of Beauty is joy forever. I never realized how firmly, lines from John Keats' famous verse had established themselves in me, in the form of an unconscious bias, until this very incident happened. While hiking in the lush green terrains of Coorg, with my relatives, we came across a huge, meticulously woven spider web. Trapped in it was a beautiful, most angelic ever butterfly we had seen. The butterfly was fluttering its wings, trying to make every desperate effort to disentangle itself from the web of death. In the corner, sat the owner of the mansion, the spider, staring the prey with most ruthless eyes.

Almost like a reflex, my instinct decided to free this beautiful creature. All my sympathies lined up for the butterfly and I decided to be the hero for this damsel in distress. Before I could make another move, words of wisdom echoed in my ears, with my uncle, standing besides me, suggesting that we should leave it as is and not intervene with the default ways of nature. This kicked off a full-fledged debate with me and my younger cousin teaming up for butterfly's cause; my uncle solely holding the rein for the other side of the argument. His view being very clear that since we are trespassers here, we reserve no right to indulge in what was naturally destined and designed. He tried explaining to us the most intricate and subtle interplays of Nature, the way it works to maintain balance across all living species. He emphasized that there was absolutely no need for us to feel the indignation. This is how laws of forest operate and they should be allowed to, unaltered by any form of artificial interference. With one part of me conceding to his logic, I extricated the other rebelling part by reasserting my authority and accepting his discernment. We continued the hike, leaving behind the spider with its prospective dinner.

The episode got over but the larger moral dilemma still perpetuated back and forth through moral and logic. If it was a small ant or some other ordinary creature from the entire taxonomy of insects, would we have even noticed it. If yes, would that trigger same level of keenness to perform the saviour act. Around us everywhere we see hundreds of spider webs, I never bother to look at the poor souls trapped there and pity their misfortune, let alone the thought of freeing them.The very reason we noticed the spider web and the following debate, was a thing of beauty - the butterfly, which caught our attention. Living as a fully educated individual in a free society, I felt we continue to unknowingly caress some biases we develop over time. It requires many maturity updates to install to your psychological system, and at times conscious efforts to develop a really good sense of judgement. I was small at that time, but with age and experience I absolutely understood and approved each and every word, my uncle said that day. As humans, we already have crossed our line in disturbing the balance of nature. Saving the butterfly that day wasn't obviously any nature-harming act per se, but it was borne out of the same larger tendency to interfere in Nature's activities by exercising control out of one's defined scope.

Extrapolating the thing of beauty bias in a more broader sense, I realize how public wave of sympathy sits on the side of the accused, if he is some popular person, especially a silver screen hero. Mercy is demanded to reduce the harshness of punishment taking into account the stigma on his career and stardom. Although, Law has to be unbiased but building public sentiment of that scale is powerful enough an indicator to prove how unconscious biases can hinder our rational judgement. Time and again, I feel there is a need to identify and curb such unconscious biases, which invisibly influence our decision making. With help of eye-opener incidents followed by some thoughtful introspection, we should ensure that our rational sense of judgement really remains rational.

The Flame

In many of my visits to nearby Ramaswamy Temple, I couldn't stop admiring a small flame which burns day in and day out in Lord Ganesha's chamber.

If you stare at it, it looks so calm and steadfast, unaffected by the myriad of problems in the world, in the minds of devotees who pray to Ganesha for their resolution. (Thats why Ganesha is called VighnaHarta).

The turbulence/storms in the minds and lives of devotees doesn't seem to affect the intensity of the flame.

As a human, we suffer from pain, emotional upsets, hardships which potentially destabilize us at times and over the years the internal spark in us eventually starts to dwindle. But this flame stands as an inspiring icon of how to keep shining amidst all the turbulences of life. I found a teacher in the flame, preaching the entire philosophy of life.

For many devotees
came and went

some with prayer

some with complain

some with wishes

some with pain

it saw all types of players

from life's uncertain game

but it watched silently

in Lord Ganesha's chamber

an unwavering dutiful flame

Ganesha's is the most primal chamber

In the entire temple's setting

the flame radiates equanimity

a reverent silent member

Adorning the deity

are flowers of brilliant hues

and the divinity so ecstatic

an escapade from karmic dues

The chanting of mantras

and the sanctity of the place

the musical hymns

with most austere phrase

Amidst all the enchanting aura

burns the nonchalant, divine flame

A flame untouched by storms

emotional upheavals

which the devotees come with

peaceful as it burns

a symbol of solace

a way of redemption

Today, staring at me

the flame gave me a smile

fathoming my curiosity

started talking awhile

"The secret of my happiness

is ultimate trust in god,

which is meant to be yours

will be yours

then why this humanly anxiety

for what this psychiatric chaos?"

"Child, suffering is inevitable

for who is born will have pain

the faith lies in the sunshine

after the stormy tempest rain"

"Right time will get

the destined things

your duty is to work

appreciate what it brings!"

With this the flame

again went to the meditating state

burning the amber oil

with stable, constant rate

On the wall on left

I read the hymn with god's name

the flame, it watched silently

in Lord Ganesha's chamber

an unwavering dutiful flame 

The Firefly

A lonesome firefly

wandering deep in woods

all alone, directionless

what worse could destiny imply?

The woods were misty 

they were dark

even his thoughts

bereft of hopes

not an iota of spark!

Then suddenly

came a faint light

unaware of the source

amazed, perplexed

he continued his flight!

In that feeble illumination

he seemed to identify his way

he went wrong at times

but finally found his destination!

Relieved to make

to a safe place

he went over the lake

In utter astonishment

he observed in water

the circle of light

coincided with 

his own trajectory

He quickly realized

he himself was the mysterious source

he himself the guiding force!

Alchemist

Alchemist, why did you settle

with the ephemeral gratification

which the oasis did offer

you lost the want for something more better?

You were a warrior

of battle of compelling times

a fearless sailor

navigating through ruthless tides

you're not meant to rest

you're yet to unravel the best!

Metals still aren't gold

an ignorant world

awaits a hero

to find them

the philosopher's stone

you can't quit in the middle

riddle doesn't want to remain a riddle!

The light in your passion

got a bit dimmer,

the faith, the belief

rusty, they lost the earlier shimmer,

Situations will bend

for a determined legend

Universe will conspire

If only you rekindle

the conviction, the infectious fire!

You were the traveller of desert

a capricious, aggressive place

the mirages couldn't detour

the caravans couldn't halt

a detached soul

you kept your own pace

Why now the webs of complacency

are holding you back

from running your own destined race!

The best landscapes

lie on the miles

you did not go,

Destiny far ahead

in the lands

you do not know,

Don't let the victory

of reaching the milestone

blur your vision,

fool you short and

deviate from the larger mission,

Don't let your dreams go frail

You have much to learn

Resume your journey

you're far from the Holy Grail!

Infinity and beyond

The vast expanse

the limitless charm

the mighty sea

stretched infinity and beyond

the sound of waves

the percussion of wind

a symphony of solitude

spread infinity and beyond

the lovely sunset

setting the sky fire

the goldenish rays

spread infinity and beyond

Amidst an arresting aura

a trapped soul

a cocooned life

wants to liberate

spread infinity and beyond! 

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Please give it a thought, for a moment.

Obviously, the answer is YES; how does it matter if a person is there or not, is the instantaneous reply we hear from our logical circuits up there, followed by a quick sense of superiority arising from the apparent triviality of the question. But one second, this deserves another thought. What is Sound? Sound is a perception which we get, when some vibrations hit our eardrum and is recognized as "sound" only at our nerve centers. So if no human is there around, can we say, the falling tree made some sound? Welcome to the unconquered lands of Metaphysics!

I was dumbstruck with the realization which dawned upon me, completely stupefied with the thought of numerous unperceived possibilities which can exist in this world. I felt like being awakened from some world of ignorance, as I steeped into the mystical depths of this conundrum. The world we see, is the way we perceive it through our senses. We are so much tied to our senses that we simply can't imagine what lies beyond and that sets a limitation to our interpretation of reality.

I found this conundrum immensely powerful and impacting. As this fact sinked in further, becoming a grist to my cognitive mills, I started developing a parallel theory myself stemming up from this weird realization. If we observe our daily lives in light of this idea, the very fact that at times we tend to be so adamant with our own notions and prejudices that we undermine other person's beliefs, simply because we can't feel them; the same way we ignorantly answered 'yes' for this tree-falling-in-a-forest question, driven by our default sense of perception. Just because we can't empathize with the scenario that how a tree will fall(silently?), we are pushed away from the world of clarity to the not-so-comfortable world of complexity. As we mature and age, the rigidity of our beliefs is further strengthened with whatever experiences and emotional reactions, our senses impose on us, and over the time we start attributing our own 'relative' sense of things as something 'absolute'. The moment we encounter contrary views, we tend to disregard them. The world today is caught in the mire of conflicts arising from differences, but more than the conflict itself, it is the intolerance towards 'other perceptions' which fuels most of the fires. We should always keep in mind, we can't deny something just because we can't feel it. Developing sensitivity towards counter-views and accepting things which are imperceptible to you can make somethings better, is what I felt.

Though the answer to the actual question is still open-ended and subjective, an intense food for thought for scientific and philosophical minds, but the way it struck me completely added a new dimension to my sense of judgment and reality. I am not confident on whether the extrapolation of the conundrum to daily life, is out of the way exaggeration or makes some sense, but this is what I felt, just another insignificant grain of sand in the desert of wisdom!

This conundrum is actually a famous philosophical thought experiment that raises questions regarding observation and knowledge of reality. Wikipedia  Reference : If a tree falls in a forest

Network of Women

Last week, I happened to attend an all-women's meet up at ThoughtWorks, called Network of Women (NOW) which aimed at bringing women from all walks of life together. The daylong session was lined up with interesting talks by inspiring women who managed to climb one niche higher. Majority of women in the IT industry join some firm after graduation where they serve efficiently for an year or two, to later settle down tied to their marital vows, for the rest of their lives. At forties, they develop the feeling of vacuum when the ones for whom they sacrificed their career seem to get busy in their own worlds. By then, the gap in their careers had turned into a wide, unfathomable abyss. The speakers here commanded respect for going tangential to the default trajectory of the Average.

Few speakers, gifted with eloquent oratory were brilliantly effective in their articulation as they discussed their journey lines. Apart from the scheduled talks, the event served the secret purpose of formal socialization, building the foundations of a women-network which in-prospect might lead to something productive, and more importantly, let the women attendees chat within themselves. With a bunch of phone numbers exchanged, courtesy smiles reciprocated, the event ended with attendees making inchoate promises of keeping in touch. I am trying not to be cynical here, but somehow I felt the event dint percolate to sufficient depth and just remained a nice memory or a commendable initiative by ThoughtWorks. After attending the event, I had this realization that events with subjective and broad agendas, such as promoting a women network, don't have much take-aways than filling you up with loads of inspiration. When I say this, I am fully aware that destiny has the full power to negate my statement anytime and turn my opinion upside down and I might write a counter-post for this.

No doubt, ThoughtWorks did a great job in extending generosity to us with intermittent high-teas, decent lunch and highly motivating talks which I have no intention to crib for a free event, that too in their uber cool office running in the elite Koramangala. Neither the exchange of words with 'my-types' did some harm to me. In fact it enriched my thinking and broadened the horizon of possibilities in my mind. With all the upside of it, somewhere it triggered my higher judgement on effectiveness of such sessions in the long run and I still ponder on its benefit to attendees of varied domains, apart from being another social event. If something worthwhile comes of it, I am more than happy. You never know some sub-networks built that day might have leveraged the event when I sit incognizant doubting its usefulness.