Brothers........

There are two parts, you and the rest of the universe. Each is responsible for the shape the other one takes. I usually argue that all virtues are actually virtual and are made up by us to make ourselves feel virtuous. But there are feelings which happen when anything happens. There are tears that come out certain times when memories pay their visits. When i think about it i realize that everything that happens now reminds me of something that happened then and more. You people come in my dreams, discussions, debates and anything and everything.

More part of me is made by you than by the rest of my life. I see guys playing here, I say "our guys were definitely better even in the school days". I see the dramatics here, I say "our school guys were better in a many ways even back then now they would be awesome". I see parts of our college festival and say "our sports day was spectacular". Our chariots were awesome and so was the time spent on them. Our cards were beautiful. Our Saturday nights seem beautiful now not 'coz of the movie. Our class also don't seem bad at all now nor do our attempts to bunk them (both successful and unsuccessful ones). Our meals don't seem all bulletproof puris now, all i remember is the hiding food under mat, wasting food, echo effect food prayers and sitting together for the meals. From the older times, the suitcase tunnels, dorm cricket and hockey (very rarely though), sneaking in food, headstands, handstand walks, backwalks, fivestones, stories, laughing at everything and things like catching teachers playing with beads and "go and sleep in E-dormitory".

These are the times that have and are shaping my everything. I don't know about charity beginning at home, but for me everything began there.

Guys thank you for the time we spent together and i regret no part of it. Every single thing that happened there was awesome and amazing. I don't know what to say but it makes me feel happy and cheerful whenever something (that is almost everything) reminds me of those times. Sorry for any time I have been an asshole but you are more than brothers to me. I don't know why i felt like writing this but its a way to vent a few feelings. If like in a movie i have to say t"his is the best thing that ever happened to me" i'll have to add a "since those days" to it. You are the biggest part of my rest (the universe minus me). Looking forward to meeting you all guys........if the time is the sea, those time were written on the shores of the Sea of Tranquility (on the moon) where nothing can wash it away.

Virtual virtues

There are , broadly, 2 ways of looking at this world. One, like we all do mostly and normally ( and some would add "with responsibility"), and the second being like a child. The child when it is born doesn't like its mother for what she does or how she lives. He loves her for what she is. Reasons don't play a role. He is just a curious fellow looking at the world as it is with no prejudices. He is ready to accept things for what they are. You might call it his inability to think and analyse, but i would say it is our inability to look at things unprejudiced. why is something wrong and something right? What makes a person bad and another good? who are we to judge. Sure things form in our heads, but that doesnt make him bad or good. why should some one be looked at as a wrong does even if they haven't done you, or anyone you know, any wrong?

There are two ways of looking at this. If you think you are a logical person and can reason out, search for a reason that some one is bad. For example, why should prostitution be lookt at as it is? try to reason out logically ('coz u think you are a logical fellow). Try to find reasons to say it is a bad thing. Every profession has unwilling workers, every profession has its employment hazards, every profession has its harsh and unacceptable clients. So what makes this bad in a distinct way? If it comes to trafficking, that comes down to bad handling of the issue, and by the way children suffer in industries also in quiet traumatic conditions.

Now the second way of looking at it is, "I somehow don't like it, it just doesn't make me feel o.k about it"). This kind of view is fine but the thing is may be you don't feel its fine coz the people around you want you to feel so. It is not necessary to feel ok with everything, but lets be open and make an attempt to accept things as they are. The effect has gone to such an extent that the people doing it feel they are sinning. Sure, they may not be happy about it, but that doesn't make it a sin.

Look at the world as it is. Be ready to accept things which until now seemed wrong just because the people around you feel so. Its fine to feel somethings are not right, but feel it 'coz u feel it and not "coz the society wants you to feel so. Virtues are all virtual. These are things used to make people to do things they normally wouldn't. You needn't accept everything, but be ready to consider everything and think for yourself. Don't just convince yourself to be convinced.

Who the F*#k are they.....

See, the world we live in is, as we can look at it, made of 2 parts. You and the rest. It's the same with everyone single one in the rest. Now, what each of us do is going to affect the rest and eventually what the rest does is affecting you (and normally most would add a "for good or bad" here). But this fact, as obvious as it may seem, has far reaching effects. This effect of everyone affecting everyone shows some unique properties. How the rest affects you is not the sum total of each of the rest affecting you. the rest influences the rest to act in a certain way. That is everyone in the rest isnt acting independently. They act in ways that they feel will make them acceptable to the rest. Now, there is nothing wrong with that. But, what is wrong is, what is acceptable to the rest is not necessarily what is acceptable to each in the rest. This is kind of a vicious circle. Everyone thinks everyone else things only this is acceptable. Why was widow remarriage not accepted? Why did people fight wars in the name of such things? This might seem like old stuff that no longer exists. But the same phenomenon exists only the acceptable things change. The then society was convinced that there was something wrong in widow remarriage and something righteous and brave in sati. This was some thing the society as a whole forced everyone to believe, though surely every daughter's father was broken when his son-in-law died. In the present situation, why is a gay relationship wrong? You know why, 'coz the society want us to think it is. Now the question comes why does it want us to think that way?. Now that is a question which might have a very complex answer. But the fact still remains, that the society wants us to think some things are wrong. They might argue the continuation of species crap, but the fact is if it was about that tell him to only fuck once in his life. And in the present situation, our species will survive only if there are fewer of us coming per second. There was this article in the Reader's digest about this guy who lost his sense of smell in a school brawl and later after many years got it back after an operation. This guy, one day noticed a smell and surprisedly asked if it was a new perfume only to realize it was a fart. What this points to is 2 things, the fart smells bad to us 'coz we have convinced ourselves it is bad. well, in some ways its good for us, diseases n all. But the fact is we convinced ourselves it is not right to think that a fart smells good. In a way the nazis weren't that bad, they convinced themselves that jews were low. Its just a matter of magnitude. If we run along the same lines we could be convinced of something of a similar magnitude .So, finally the point is who the fuck are they to tell us something is right or wrong? Its important to have perception, but not ones that are based on what some they ,which consists of no particular somebody, want us to think. Sure we have grown beyond evolution and need some moderation, but still who the fuck are they to moderate.

So, be open to things. And keep your judgement. 'coz if you are strong enough the act of expression of your judgement can cause the rest to think without thinking. So in the words of the bard

"Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice take each man's censure but reserve thy judgemen".