War - A Poem
Soldiers Die, Civilians Die,
Patriots Die, Nationalist Die.
Mothers Die, Daughters Die,
Brothers Die, Fathers Die.
Accountants Die, Actors Die,
Teachers Die, Doctors Die.
Landlords Die, Tenants Die,
Shopkeepers Die, Butlers Die.
School Bullies Die, Sweethearts Die,
Poets Die, Authors Die.
Teammates Die, Competitors Die,
Heroes Die, Villains Die.
Atheists Die, Believers Die,
Hopes Die, Dreams Die.
But the one who starts it all, does not Die.
Long Live the Politician. They do not Die.
March 2022
One Day
One day, all the money in the world would be spent,
Enjoy what you have, today.
One day, all the trees in the forest would have burnt,
Lie in their shade, today.
One day, all the flowers in the garden would have blossomed,
Watch the bees relish their nectar, today.
One day, all the beautiful women would have married,
Dance with your sweetheart, today.
One day, all the friends will be busy,
Waste time with them, today.
One day, all the birds would have flown their nests,
Train them, today.
One day, all the battles would have been redundant,
Rest your axe, today.
One day, all the dreams would have become old,
Chase them, today.
One day, all the grapes would have become sour,
Wine them, today.
One day, all the roads would have been taken,
Get lost discovering, today.
One day, all you love would have vanished,
Hug them, today.
May 2024
Happily, Unhappy !
'Don't Look Up', the latest Netflix blockbuster starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a satire on how humanity is missing the big picture of survival. Everyone is busy focusing on the tiny pixels of individual greed and ambition and willing to ignore the apparent looming danger. The film portrays how manipulated collective wisdom overcomes the fundamental human survival instinct. In the movie, clever marketing, political propaganda, social influence and economic greed paint a picture of euphoria even as Armageddon is near and inevitable. Dreams are sold, promises are made, and an apparent glaring solution is swept under the carpet. The omnipresent problem is made invisible by ensuring people do not look up and see the problem.
It is the Emperor's New clothes on a global scale.
There is individual pain and tragedy in the destruction. However, the wisdom of the crowds prevails, and evitable destruction becomes an inevitable reality. Packed with great performances and crisp editing, the movie brings out an individual's vulnerability in the face of a collective narrative. Most individuals are willing to accept irrationality because it is marketed so well that the obvious becomes a rarity.
Accepting the irrational by the individual, just because society dictates, is not a new social phenomenon. After all, it is how we are encouraged to organise our social structures.
Even though the film talks about physical destruction, I could not help but question whether we have already bought into another marketing gimmick? Is the meteorite destruction not already playing out in real life? What is being destroyed every day, yet no one is acknowledging it?
Happiness. The answer may not be obvious, but I think it is accurate.
Today, most people willingly destroy their happiness because we are told that happiness is external. 'Don't Look Up' may be fiction, but 'Don't Look In' for happiness is a reality today. Today, happiness and mental health are glaring problems. Still, few people are willing to address the core and fundamental reasons for the root of these problems. The obvious is made to hide in glossy narratives like in the film. So, what is the apparent reason for most people never finding happiness?
The world has successfully made us look at happiness as a goal. The destination has been made more important than the journey. The marketing machines of the world are continuously churning out content that is supposed to open the world of happiness for us, provided we are willing to make our happiness conditional to buying their products!
This happiness narrative tells us happiness lies in holidaying in the Maldives during the pandemic and not in being grateful that you have a roof on your head that makes work from home possible. We are told happiness lies outside, we are told happiness is difficult, we are made to believe that happiness is an enigma, and it takes effort to find happiness. We welcome clutter into our physical, mental and spiritual world, thinking happiness can only be found when we have a mountain to climb.
And unfortunately, most people have to follow these instructions and look outside for happiness. As a result, most people are willing to complicate their simple lives because how can happiness be straightforward after all?
Like in the film, everything is rosy provided you follow the instruction 'Don't Look In.'
This power shift has made happiness conditional and goal-post-driven. We strive to achieve happiness and not attain happiness. This is unnecessarily hard work, but most people work tirelessly in this stupid pursuit. We are eager to complicate our lives because uncomplicating these complications gives us a sense of achievement. Many people are guilty of what I call ‘the problem problem’ - finding a problem because you have a solution.
The world has belittled the word 'gratification' because it threatens to put a spanner in the wheels of 'progress'. A productivity race is advertised and promoted. 'Doing nothing' is considered a sin. Being grateful for what you have is looked down upon as it reflects a mind that lacks ambition. A dangerous myth that glory and success can only be won if you are willing to sacrifice your happiness has been promoted at the mass level.
Simple joys of life are not meant to be valued in this world of marketed pleasure. The small and mundane are insignificant. Only big and glorious are to be celebrated. However, is complicating your life the only solution to finding happiness?
The apparent reason for unhappiness is this willingness to complicate. If you were to think of it, it is this willingness on our part to welcome complications that is the root of all unhappiness. It is ironic that, on the one hand, we are willing to live in complicated relationships, clutter our homes with junk and break the rules to achieve our goals. On the other hand, we complain that we are not happy. We want the world to work for our happiness. Still, We refuse to try to unclutter and uncomplicate our lives to find happiness.
We are adamant about not acknowledging and taking action to unclutter our lives.
We must always agree and practice that the most direct knowledge holds incredible wisdom. An uncluttered and uncomplicated life is the best bet to find true happiness.
Always look up and look within for happiness; don’t be happily unhappy!
January 2022