Voices inside: What makes us human

Those tiny voices inside your head!

As Jim Carrey said (on a lighter note, of course) we are always just one step away from insanity. Your mind is a pandora's box that cooks up all the evil you could do at "the moment." Read these weird thoughts; you might have had them before - from time to time. Be it

• jumping off the cliff while being awestruck at the suicide point, or 
• dancing in the middle of the road, or 
• imagining yourself beating the shit out of a guy in front of you, going on... and on... speaking nothing other than bullshit (with a baseball bat when the situation demands it).

Your brain is a weird place. It is like a super-computer which figures out all the possible chess moves in front of you.

It is that tiny voice inside your head that holds you back from all the wrong, insane, suicidal moves. It just tells you:

"Uh-uh-uhh.... It's counter-productive! "

And you stop. You throw all those thoughts away in the trash can. Let's call it the voice of control.

The catch is - you can't control that voice in your head. Reasoning and logic can only bargain a little. You can never turn it off. If we were allowed to do it, anarchists, psychopaths and criminals will be all around. So it is fine the way it is.

Then, there is another voice. Unlike the voice of control, which asks you to stop; this is like an inner urge which ask you to start doing stuff, that you normally, "logically" don't want to do. To make the idea simple enough, let's call it the voice of heart. Although it feels like a pounding in your head more than the heart.

• be it helping out a good friend in need, when you have "loads" of work to do on your own; or 
• a parent taking his/her kid to the children's park even though he/she is worn out after a day's work; or 
• falling in love and that lingering infatuation or crush; or 
• helping out someone you care with shopping, although you couldn't stand shopping when you're not doing it

No matter how much you have planned and premeditated, that you won't do it, you finally end up doing it. You will break your own plan, and there you go.

The catch here too, is that you can't stop it. Maybe if you are really strong at heart (figuratively), and have a will of steel, you can fight it out, and suppress it. But still, the pounding in the head remains. The voice shouts back at you for being an insensitive prick, and you are filled with regret.

These random voices are what end up as decisions and what makes us human. Unique, unpredictable, but equally compassionate beings.

P.S.: Correct me if I'm wrong. Just feel free to reply.
Jim Carrey's take : http://youtu.be/lbqxkS2ssUI?t=5m3s

How to survive the Great Slowdown

On the backdrop of recent events when our beloved King Singh gave a heartbroken I-day speech, all hope seems to be lost and the media starts scaring you with impending doom; I thought I would share a few pointers that would help the selfish anarchist in you survive in the days ahead.

There are some nonsensical things we do, that are considered OK. I wouldn't actually call it austerity measures. Think about these and see if you can stop doing them.

1. Start cutting down on overpriced junk food. A few months ago, I saw a donation box in KFC that wanted me to donate some spare change to conquer "hunger in the world". Makes you feel guilty, doesn't it? I was holding that pricey burger in my hand, and I realized that I don't actually need it.
2. Get used to cheap transport. Once you are employed and you have the luxury of commuting in your own motorbikes and buying Air trips back and forth, its hard to imagine going back to school-days when your pocket money was a 100 Rs. ($2 in those days. Not now.) note for a month. Brush up your footboard-hanging and hitchhiking skills.
3. Recognize your first-world problems and deal with it. When you are in your comfort zone, it's natural that you dig up discomforts in your daily routine, and cry about it to make your life miserable.
   Like you never have enough time, the food in the canteen is either too spicy or not spicy enough, your broadband is not broad enough, the girls in your college/workplace are not outdoorsy enough, the beer you get is too bitter and there is no end to this rant.
   I have done it too; and I despise myself for doing it. Trust me you would have lots to complain about, in the future.
   
   
   What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

   
   Go by that thought.
   Recommended watch: Into the Wild - essentially a primer course in living with no money.

Learning to Live

As I look back at 22 years of my life, I realise that my life took two sharp turns to define me as a person that I am today.

In my defence, this is not a prose in praise to myself. Nor am I saying I am the perfect son or most adorable friend you ever saw. I had some life-changing incidents, and a few influences; and it might help you realise, how much wider your mind grows with age.

A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.
- James Allen

Age One: Dawn of Teenage (12-15)

    Naive, unassuming me. I was a child of reason, and accepted life as it is. Rarely doubting what my friends would say. The funny thing is, I never realised I was like this. However in those days, I went on, as a dreamer. And I dreamt of science and how it could change the world, things I still believe in.
     With a small circle of friends I was happy. People who I still swear by, even now. Jayashankar knew what went through my "alternate universe" and we talked about it, lots. Even when I was stuck home, many  pointless topics were furiously discussed over the phone, God knows why. We were similar in ways more than one. We obeyed the Law of conservation of mass, conserved it for years. The world beyond us seemed lesser than us. To add spice to this world, I put up with my male chauvinist act.
     And there was Kalyan chettan, my cousin, my mentor. He taught me how to ride the bicycle. He made me believe, that maybe I was different, in a good way. I knew I had a long way to go.
    The best part - I was being myself, never tensed, never self-conscious. Who knew things were about to change soon?

Age Two: Reinventing myself (16-17)

     High school was over. I was fed up with my school and somehow I was sure, it held no future. What followed was 2 years of dramatic changes. I chose to switch schools.

      Following the call of Pink Floyd, I slowly started undoing the wall. An artistic eye opened in me. Public speaking, was something I had never even dreamed I would be capable of; turned out I was more than OK at it. Majority of my Plus One days in school were consumed by the Drama rehearsals for Annual School Play. For the first time in my life, I danced - a skill that I would cherish for the rest of my days.

     But all the good things apart, I was drifting away. I was surrounded by an uncanny peer group. Some were down to earth, and fun to hang out with. Some made you think you were larger than life, and lied to your face. The naive me, had to change if I had to survive. Arjun, my friend, helped me realise this and since then I thought for a second, before I act or react.

     Too much goodness could damage you. 

     For the Plus Two year I was engulfed in the usual rat race of Board examinations and Entrance Tests. I am grateful for my parents for avoiding putting pressure on me. And that's the story how I was saved from drowning in the deep.

Age Three: Light at the end of the tunnel (18-22)

    College had begun. I had to start anew. No old friends were here to cling on to the past. But just like everyone else, I couldn't forget how wondrous school life was. I couldn't find the same awesomeness in my new college. I was doubtful. Not that I locked up myself in a room and threw the key away. I did meet people, made a lot of friends; but I kept my distance.
     Why? I was afraid that drowning in the madness that was college- the mobs, small gangs, and perverted talks- could get to me and eventually, change me.
      And then there was Arun. He said, "You know what your problem is? You are never happy with who you are!" A few honest words are all it takes to wake up your friend. It shook me; it shook me from deep within.
     Maybe it was that shadow of dissatisfaction, that was driving me to seek better. But now, I was grown up, and responsible. I could command myself. I then, took the dive. Let go my mind, and lived in the moment. Sharing your life with your friends is some of the best moments you'd ever get.

    So what did I learn? You might not get everything right, the way you want it. Be good to people and they would be good to you (Karma, karma!). Never lose yourself, be the master of your mind.... and stay happy!