unity in diversity

i like the saying " har tyohar manana ek acha idea hai" its good to celebrate every festival. reminds me of this piece i wrote in my freelancing days....
 

so, how are you?

I have a friend whom whenever i ask 'how are you' he's got just one word, "Awesome". It got me curious. I mean I wondered if his 'awesome' meant our 'fine' or is he really 'awesome' or (touch wood) if so, how could anyone in this world ever feel awesome 365*24*7?

So I asked him more about his life. Yeah he was living a good life. Good job, good colleagues at work, quality life, games and sports, time for himself...all good and i wondered still, a lot of people do lead a good life but nobody else i knew ever sounded so positive about himself.

I told him of my curiosity and he said that I think too much, "its just an english word that MS word supports". But when I explained these deeper thoughts, that most of us have the same ups and downs in life yet we have different outlooks, he agreed and said he'd never really thought about it, about himself as always responding so positively to a common greeting question.

Then he gave it a thought and said, "Maybe because i take things too lightly". I asked is that the only reason and he said yes. He rarely lost his cool.

Hmm, weather it is just because of keeping cool and taking things lightly or just that he chose to use the word awesome, fact remains that he is a very positive person, speaking so positively unlike anyone else i know.

I dont think one could possibly use a word to describe his own state of mind without acually feeling that way. But still dont know why more people don't feel as awesome about themselves. Most of us take life too seriously I suppose.    

As a human tendency, when people remark on you in a negative way, you're bound to feel bad about it. Sometimes, we have to realise, we are what we are. It cannot change. I've heard that change is the only constant. Yes, things may change but deep down within you remain the same. It may not be good enough, the world may tell you so, people may make you feel as if you dont fit. But I learn that one should accept himself first. Change, if you want for yourself but not for what others say.

Sometimes, all you need is just a good friend who shows that you are good just as you are and there is no need to worry about what people think.

empty nest

We always tend to take for granted people who care about us most.
I am the politest, most decent and sober person to the world but to my loved ones, i'd show anger, irritation, neglect. And then I'd sit regretting it myself.
The voice that once told me to "listen", "obey", do as elders say now asks on the phone, "sorry, did i disturb you?, am i bothering you/boring you?" It saddened me deeply today. It's as if my parents yearn to talk to me and are assured by the daily phone calls, miss it one day and hell is raised. Over concern at times gets irritating, but when I come to think of it, parents are the only ones in the entire world who really care for us, truly love us and would do everything possible they can for our good. I read somewhere that having a child is like having a heart that beats outside of you. Think of your parents and you'll know its true.
.....i hung up the phone today and yelled out, i wasnt irritated this time, I was sad exclaiming why- first parents bring us up and then we leave the house....

turning to god

"Pray for me please."

Would you agree that maximum times we turn to God when we are in trouble, when we are low in spirit. And when things don't work, we question the existence of the almighty, we stop believing in prayers. But if there's no faith, why turn to prayer in the first place and why even bother to ask the question or make a statement that there is no God.

It's the energy in our thoughts that works the wonders. Call it what you may, a power, God, its important first to have sincerity in our prayers, determination in our thoughts.

amd when thy will be done, say grace.

O captain

There's a middle school age where half the time the world tells us we are kids and another half time we are chided for not behaving maturely.

Similar is the case in service. When it so pleases the seniors, they'll say we are junior, and when it came to things of responsibility, "now you are mature enough with xyz months of service."

When I had just joined service, I obviously didnt know things. As time passed, people's expectation of our professional knowledge increased. But of course, whenever big daddy asked a question pertaining to abc of service, we were still on low ground. Some people seem to have a power more than others to make you feel ignorant. Where one would tell you what is what, the other would remind you of your not knowing those. Every time I'm unable to answer a question, I yearn for the day, time and experience when I too will know so much. Today, I completed almost two years of service.(5 days short) and before being pipped as a captain, when the seniors were taking our session, pulling our leg asking questions, and we came up with the same aaa ummm interrupted answers our 2IC gave us a message not to worry saying, "we are all in the same boat."

No matter how mature we become, we'll still know less of some things than the others. There'll always be a guy stumping us with his questions and we'll always have the "Sir I'll get back to you..." reply.

There'll always be times when we'd wish to be youngsters again or continue to behave like one despite growing in 'age and service' and times we'd want to be the next general. (probable or not)

the song of crickets, the mew of the cat who adopted us as its family, two women chatting outside, the low sound of another of my roomie on her phone, a passing bike, the sound of train engine, a hovering Mi17, some strange nocturnal bird, beating drums from some nearby village, my CPU, dog barking on the street, the metal gate outside opening, guard saying jai hind, my breath...all constitute the sound of silence...when my mind is still...

life...: string of thoughts when asked to write for MC on v...

life...: string of thoughts when asked to write for MC on v...: peculiarities of love some say its a wonderful feeling some say it hurts some warn us from falling in love one wise man even said, "you ...

reflections

Looking back through your day is a kind of spiritual practice. At the end of each day, going through the events in your minds eye, just being an observer, not a critic, not a judge. But what if our reflections for the day looked on the things that we did not do, things that we could not do, things we had to do and wanted to do. Forget what happened, the reflection just turns into a 'to do' list of a negative sort. Firstly the day begins with a 'to do' check list and ends with the same on a different note. It may not be hard to imagine. Sounds all to familiar? Just when our mind starts filling up with a thousand voices, jamming it up; let yourself stop. Freeze. Let go.
Life may become many things, even a to do list. But it's all captured in our breath. I may get lost in a maze of thoughts while reflecting on the day but its much simpler to just empty my mind and focus on my breath, connecting my body to my soul...

faith....

According to the Bible, God said, "If you have faith as tiny as a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move, nothing will be impossible for you."

In God we do trust, we pray to Him; but when our prayers seem to be unanswered, that is when faith is really tested. When nothing seems to be going right, yet we persist, live, with hope, it's when the human spirit is tested.

There's an anecdote that depicts the conflicts of faith and prayer. A man climbs a tree to collect forage. Having climbed up, he is unable to come down. He prays to God, "God if you help me climb down, i'll offer you 100 rupees." He manages to climb halfway down and prays again, "God help me climb down, i'll offer you fifty rupees. when the man touches the ground he thinks, I climbed the tree myself and got down myself, why should I offer anything to God?

What is faith, in whom is that faith rested when we pray, is it to God or is the prayer really meant to invoke our own faith in the world and in ourselves. Prayer brings peace and strength, faith brings hope. Moving mountains literally would be a miracle, metaphorically, a miracle too. A miracle is just a change of perception. Moving mountains maybe would just be a magic trick, metaphorically speaking, going ahead with all difficulties, overcoming life's obstacles, that is the real miracle, the answer to our prayer, the beacon of our faith.

"so , how did you earn your bread today?"

It's a strange question when a senior asks, "How did you earn your bread today?" "What did you do today?" It's just a question, but when asked, it could iether be just a question or it could be an implying sarcastic answer itself that the person gives.

It's sort of funny. Most elders feel that their times were hard, they did more than we ever do. It is true. And they also think we dont do a damn thing.

In a way, reminds me of a joke I once read. A man returns home and finds his house in a mess, the sitting room was not arranged, the dishes were not clean, the dirty clothes were lying all aroiund. He looks at his wife sitting on a couch and asks, "What happened?" the wife replies, you return home and ask me everyday what did i do; well, today i didn't do it."

"So, how did you earn your bread today" is the big question. Funny that in academy, the creative writing club once wrote a comic piece on how the cadets earn their stipend. each rolling, each push up, each whiskey (a punishment in which you raise a finger and rotate at a speed promoting no 1 whiskey), each camel carry and every wierd punishment of academy was valued in rupees.

Now I'm not the kind of person who will start giving account of every job I did and measure it up to my ration scale. Spare me. that was only good in academy, just to laugh off our tough times.

Alright, so you wanna know how I earned my bread today. Besides the job that is routine and not to mention, I, rather all of us serving in the forces are giving ourselves to the organisation by being at the organisation's dispense both at the highest and the lowest level. Whenever and wherever asked,  we do as ordered and also dont do as ordered not to.  I'm in one corner of the country today, send me to another corner as and when you require. I'm available to do all the jobs.

I may be wrong and also people can take me wrongly. I don't say that i'll do nothing and yet I deserve to earn what I do. I too feel that the organisation gives us the same wheather or not we contribute to it. (just like a sarkari job). I too feel a lack of professional and creative satisfaction at times (maybe often). But somehow, making us ponder over or give an answer to our worthiness to our daily bread is still not a pleasant thing. After all, even a man on sick leave gets his food. Will you now kill him making him think of himself as a liability who did nothing while he was sick.

"How did I earn my bread today?" It's something that individuals should ask oneself and not one another.

for the love of uniform

FOR THE LOVE OF UNIFORM

When our training begins in academy, we started with training in mufti and PT dress. For drill we wore a combination of PT dress with DMS boots. It was referred to as JODs or joker dress by our seniors, but that’s how it started in the initial days of training.

Then we were issued with combats.  I cannot express how happy I felt when I first wore that uniform. It was just simple cloth with combat pattern, nothing to match the smart combats our DS wore but it gave me such thrills to wear that uniform.

Next came the OGs. In junior term we were issued a different colour of OG uniform. It wasn’t the standard OG that officers wear but we weren’t officers by then any way. Some seniors joked with us, “Are you in Pakistan Army?” referring to the colour of our uniform. The no 1 dress was still a privilege of the seniors and the DST pass. We just waited for our day.

On our first DST when we wore the no 1 uniform, ah that thrill again. I could keep admiring my uniform.  It was amazing.

I’ll move forward to the nearing of our POP. We had got a pair of the new pattern combat stiched along with the dark coloured officer type OG for our passing out. We had a band called combat stress for the entertainment night before POP.  When we wore those new pattern combats, our juniors were awed; it suddenly made us look like an officer from a cadet.

POP arrives, I get my pips. I should be thrilled but it was just a strange feeling, one of those you cannot explain, a complex mixture that left me blank. I cannot say what I felt then because I do not know but the pictures speak for themselves. Our eyes never shone so bright.

It is so very strange that after nine months in field when I came for the YO course and wore my OGs again I was again struck by the same thrill. Now I realise that my uniform will continue to thrill me as long as I wear it.

 Sometimes we get so used to the best things in our life that we forget the joy they brought us in the first place. The magic is in feeling the pride and thrill everyday and remembering all that we did to attain it.

the message in genesis

According to genesis, God created light on the first day, the sky on the second day , earth and sea together with grass, plants and trees on the third day, the fourth day he created night and day by giving us the two great lights, day five, God creates living creatures by the sea and by land on the sixth day, thats also when God made man in his own image. The seventh day, God rests.
What is it with mankind, 24*7; even God took one day off.

a box full of kisses

festivals come and go love stays

the sweetest christmas story i heard - a little girl gives her daddy a christmas present. When the father opens the present, he finds the box empty. He gets angry and asks his daughter why she had given him an empty box. The daughter innocently replies, "but daddy i had blown kisses into the box and filled it with kisses for you. "The father's heart melts, everytime he felt sad or low he opened that lovely magical box, took out an imaginary kiss and placed it on his cheek and it would make him feel happy...