Category: journal

A collection of essays, musings, confessions, rants, announcements, etc.. Basically, anything that I felt like writing on a particular day!

The Relationship Between Words & Reality

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot more instances of the gap between what reality is, and the words which we use to describe it. And it impressed upon me how limited words are in their capacity. Reality, on the other hand, quite literally, encompasses all there is.

Yet, when talking about things, people, ideas, we tend to get caught up in the words that are used. Not only that, words are not even objective; they are highly subjective. The same words can mean different things to different people, depending on their own personal journeys. (I’ve talked about this before, and if you’d like to explore this idea in slightly more detail, you can check out my post, “What Do You See And Hear?”)

Now imagine using something so limited and subjective like human vocabulary to describe the utterly rich and complex reality of the world around us. When we stop to think about it, it shouldn’t be surprising that there’s a huge gap between what we can describe with words, and the real thing.

But as Boyzone said, “It’s only words. And words are all I have.” We have to do with what we have. So, I’m not saying that we should just give up on using words to talk about things. But what we should do is to try and avoid getting boxed in by these words. We should remember that no matter what words we use, no matter how well we articulate something, reality will be, more often than not, way more than that.

The key is experience. We need to really live the thing we talk about to fully grasp and appreciate it. And until we can do that, we will do well to remember: it’s only words. And words are not enough.

Oh, and yeah, the irony of using words to describe how words are not sufficient to describe reality is not lost on me! 😅

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Credits: Quote by yours truly. Image created with Canva.

People And Their Stories

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Just one of those days today. Contemplative. Thinking about the connections I have made over the years with people. Now that I think about it, it’s only natural to be in this mood, this time of the year: ‘tis the season! The year-end holidays give us an opportunity to pause and to look back on the year gone by. And sometimes, on more than just the current year.

Have you also ever reflected on the people you’ve crossed paths with in your journey? And I’m not talking about family. We are kind of born into this group of people. I’m talking about friends, partners, colleagues, and even strangers in some cases.

At this point, I’d encourage you to think about someone whom you know well now, who is important to you, but who was once a stranger.

Now think about how, over time, you have come to trust, rely on, and confide in this person, who was once upon a time a total stranger.

I’m guessing you guys found a mutual connection somewhere. Of course, the connection would’ve solidified and become stronger over time, but the potential of this connection was always there, wasn’t it? Yet did you really know that one day, you would connect with this person this way, when you had first met them?

And that brings me to the point of my post today: there is so, so much more to people than what first meets the eye!

Every person has a story. Every person is a story. Every. Single. One. 

And sometimes, we tend to forget just how deep and rich these stories can be! There are so many little things that make us who we are today. Things we have done, things that interest us, things that we want to do, things that keep us going.

It’s easy to get caught up in the fast-paced life of today. Everyone is rushing from one thing to another, one day to another. Work, family, friends, our own interests, everything demands our time and attention. It’s rare to find people who can say they have extra time in their life; most of us always have more things to do than what we can manage.

In this rush, it’s easy to see people, and yet not really see them. We come across so many people today, whether through work, social media, dating apps, travel, whatever. And when we meet all these people, we quickly put them into buckets, based on broad categorization criteria like their appearances, or job profile, or family background, or a myriad of other ways..

But people are more than that, aren’t they? Aren’t you? 

A lot of what makes us, us, are the little details about our lives. The pet projects and pet peeves that we have. The quirks, the edges. 

I think most of us go through “phases” in our life. During any one of these phases, we are very much into one particular thing or another. Some examples: those years or months when you were into sports. Or gymming, gaming, singing, reading, learning a foreign language, baking, traveling, blogging… The list can be endless. These are like the sub-plots in our “main” storyline. We do these on the side, while on our main journey of studying, working, dating, family, etc.

Sometimes, one of these “phases” consumes us enough that we want to pursue it rigorously. We may decide to take it up as a career, or stay invested in it some way or another for life. Most of the time, we simply outgrow these phases. Sometimes, we move on to a different phase. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our “main” storyline, that all these other things seem childish and a waste of time.

But irrespective of what happens to these phases in the end, the fact remains that at some point, they were a significant part of our life. And I feel that over a lifetime, these small things taken together is what really makes us unique. Millions of people do the job that I do. Millions come from similar socio-economic backgrounds. Millions might have the same kind of family structure that I have. Yet, everyone is unique. Why? Because no two people would’ve had the exact same kind of life because of these small details.

And I find getting to know these details about people fascinating! Discovering these tidbits about a person makes me feel more connected to them.

[As I write this, I realize this sense of “discovery” is a recurring theme with me. Few years ago, I talked about something similar, when I wrote about “the joy of discovering connections”.]

Anyway, getting back to the main theme of this post: A friend was recently telling me about one such phase of her life. And it made me feel like I was seeing this side of her that I had not known of before at all. And there’s so much that you learn about a person even from the smallest of things, isn’t it?! The reasons why someone gets into something, why they keep doing it, and why they stop. I had an even greater appreciation for this friend after getting to know this part of her life.

And it made me realize that there are so many such mini-stories within the main story of everyone’s life. And this is true not just for others, but for ourselves too! Which is something that at least I, personally, tend to forget sometimes.

But yeah, the thing I want to remember from that night, and the thing that I hope you’ll take away from this piece is this: people are way more than what meets the eye. So, ask them their stories. Of course, not everyone would be willing to share theirs with everyone else, but if they give you that privilege, recognize it as one. Ask them what things they were into as kids, as teens, as young adults. Even the things they are into now. And the things that piss them off. And the things they think about late at night when they can’t sleep. Really get to know them. It can be a beautiful and life-affirming experience.

And on a related note: look for opportunities to share your story too! Some people might find it hard to initiate talking about themselves. I do sometimes (Ok, maybe not in writing, but in person, yes.. 😅). We tend to overthink that why would someone else be bothered about these things about us, perhaps we shouldn’t bore everyone with our weirdness. But chances are they just might appreciate us sharing all of these things! I know I am glad that my friend decided to share that story.

If you are a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fan, maybe you can relate to this example: Remember the series finale, where Monica reveals that Ross tried to make it as a dancer in New York, and Ross replies that they almost went 10 years without this topic coming up? Such a small detail, a passing reference really, and yet, didn’t we feel like we knew so much more about Ross just based on this one thing? Didn’t we feel more “connected” to the character?

As another year dawns tomorrow, perhaps this can be our new year resolution: that we will try to connect more with those around us – that we will encourage them to share their stories, that we will strive to be more open ourselves.

I don’t know about you, but it seems like a good idea to me! 🙂

* * *

On that note, I’ll wrap up for this year. On a personal front, this year was one of the toughest for me, for several reasons. Of course, I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that this year was far worse for so many others, owing to wars, climate catastrophes, natural disasters, poverty, political conflicts, etc. So, I’m just glad this year is in the rear-view mirror now for everyone.

Here’s hoping that the coming year brings a lot more peace, prosperity, health, happiness, laughter, and love for you, and for everyone around the world. The world really can do with some better days!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! 🥂

See you on the other side.. 🙂 

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Credits: Photo by Maegan Martin on Unsplash

Israel vs Hamas: Who Are The Good Guys Again?

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

There are very few things in life that can be classified easily into black or white; a lot of life is just some shade of gray. One blatantly black-and-white thing though is the killing of civilians in any armed conflict.

No matter how justified you may think your reasons are, no matter how justified they may actually even be, nothing, NOTHING can justify the killing of innocent, unarmed civilians.

The on-going conflict between Israel and Hamas has been an eye-opener in this context.

What Hamas did on October 7th, 2023 was an abhorrent and despicable act of terrorism. There can be no arguments against it. The Hamas organization can think it was fighting for a just cause all it wants, but targeting civilians, and that too in such a brutal and barbaric manner, is totally unacceptable. This act justly reinforced the “terrorist” tag on this organization.

However, what has been truly shocking is Israel’s response to this act of terrorism – a response that has been nothing short of inhumane, and a dastardly and blatant violation of basic human rights and international law. Like Hamas, Israel can try to justify its actions, saying it “has a right to defend itself”, but as mentioned before, killing civilians can never, ever be justified, no matter what.

At this point, I do want to differentiate between an elected government or organization, and the people who put them there. The actions of a selected few can not, and should not, be seen as the collective will of the populace. There are always those who would disagree with the actions of those governing them.

The common Palestinian or Gazan citizen does not represent Hamas. Similarly, the common Israeli citizen is not a stand-in for the Israeli government. Neither anti-semitism, nor Islamophobia, can have any room in civilized dialogue, even when one disagrees and actively opposes the respective government policies. Again, targeting civilians just because they happen to belong to a particular country or religion is unacceptable.

Despite this basic tenet of modern civilization, both Hamas and Israel did target civilians of the opposing side. Hamas targeted a music festival full of young people, as well as several peaceful communities along the border. The Israeli response has been even more indiscriminate, as it has targeted housing complexes, schools run by the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO) facilities, ambulances, other hospitals, UN shelters, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aid convoys, etc. And not to forget: the complete siege of Gaza, cutting off basic human necessities like water, food, medicines, fuel, telecommunications. And the apartheid, and ever increasing harassment, imprisonment, and elimination of the Palestinians, including children, in the West Bank.

This begs the question: how different are Hamas and Israel’s actions really? In their own minds, both have justifications for their actions (we don’t need to argue about whether those justifications are actually right or not at this juncture; the main point is both are convinced that their actions are just), and both have targeted and killed innocent civilians, including children. Yet, only one of these two entities is labeled a “terrorist”?

There are those who try to justify the actions of Israel, giving all sorts of excuses. Let’s talk about those.

The most common one is: Israel is “only targeting terror cells and infrastructure”, and is “doing its best to avoid any civilian casualties”. Really? By Israel’s own admission, one of its army tanks has hit an Egyptian post near the Gaza border, causing injuries to guards posted there. Israel has even apologized for a targeted missile strike around a group of journalists near the Lebanon border, that resulted in the death of a Reuters’ video journalist, while injuring others as well.

When the Israeli army can’t even target these areas that are far away from the center of the conflict accurately, killing and causing rampant damage in its rage-infested hubris, how naive, or stupid, does one have to be to think that its strikes on Gaza  – the most densely populated area on the Earth – are precision hits? That all of its thousands of missile strikes so far have hit actual terror targets? That it is “doing its best” to avoid civilian casualties? If this kind of widespread destruction is indeed the best it can do, then we all need to be very, very afraid. This is a classic case of a monkey playing with fire. And the world, especially the US, needs to stop supplying matches to this monkey.

Then, Israel also says that the civilians being killed are Hamas’ fault because they are using the Gaza citizens as human shields, as it has built an underground network of tunnels below hospitals, schools, houses. And that by bombing these places, which ideally would be considered sacrosanct from any sort of military persecution by any law-abiding military force, Israel is mainly killing Hamas operatives, and only a small number of civilians, who are just “collateral damage”.

This again shows how Israel is blatantly lying its way through this genocide. First of all, even if the citizens were being used as human shields, does it justify killing and maiming them in this way? One can’t expect “terrorists” to honor the sanctity of human life. But at least the so-called “civilized” world, which Israel thinks it belongs to, should. Secondly, Israel needs to clearly account for this: how many of the more than 13,000 people massacred so far were Hamas operatives? How many of the more than 5,500 children slaughtered were terrorists?

Israel’s intentions and reporting seem even more dubious since it has not allowed independent UN teams, composed of representatives from the Arab world, the Palestinian Authority, and other non-aligned parties, to enter Gaza and do a comprehensive, well-rounded, and objective analysis of the conflict, even as it has allowed reporters from western media agencies like CNN, BBC, Fox News, etc. inside Gaza. Clearly, this is because Israel knows that it can rely on the western media to help propagate its false narrative. Already, there have been several instances in which Israel’s so-called “proof” of militant activities have been found to be lacking. Here are some resources for those who want details of Israel’s false narrative: link 1 | link 2

If Israel was engaging in this conflict in a fair and reasonable manner, then why not allow a team of UN and other international representatives, when you can allow BBC and Fox News?

Another narrative being peddled by Israel, in collusion with the US, is that the number of casualties in Gaza, reported by the Gazan health ministry, are inflated, and unreliable to begin with.

The truth is the numbers are quite accurate. James Elder, a spokesperson for UNICEF, in a recent interview to CNN, has confirmed that UNICEF’s own, independent verifications (after a thorough vetting process) into the number of casualties in past conflicts has always closely aligned with the numbers reported by the health ministry. The difference, if any, has never been more than 1-2%. And with so many UN agencies already in Gaza even now, all confirming that the death toll is indeed astronomical, and with the scenes of absolute destruction and mayhem that we can all see for ourselves on our screens, how can anyone even think of questioning these numbers?

One can understand why Israel would muddy the waters on these numbers. But it is an utter disgrace for the President of the USA, Joe Biden, specifically, to question these numbers. You are the most powerful man, the supposed “leader” of the free world. And these are your fellow human beings. Mostly just children. You can save countless innocent lives. You can stop the war. But not only are you refusing to call for a ceasefire, you don’t even have the decency to acknowledge their deaths?  Surely, the US, with its state-of-the-art intelligence capabilities, knows the accurate death toll. Yet, you resort to misinformation, to denying dignity to children, even in their untimely deaths. Shame on you, Mr. President. History will not be kind to you. And it rightly shouldn’t.

While we are on the topic of the so-called world “leaders”: this conflict has exposed the “leaders” of the “developed” countries in the west for the petty politicians that they actually are. Most of them have shown themselves to be cowards, afraid to say, and to do, the right thing, for fear of repercussions in their domestic political landscape. Initially, they promised “unwavering support” to Israel, and it is only after their local vote banks started aggressively agitating against the unjust and inhumane treatment and condition of the people in Gaza, have they realized that now, after thirteen thousand people have been slaughtered, that perhaps things are getting a bit out of hand – just a bit though, not too much, because it is still not enough for some of them to openly call for a complete ceasefire!

Perhaps they never had a moral compass to begin with, or lost it along the way somewhere, but the whole world can now see that their actions are only determined by re-election mathematics, and not from a deep-seated sense of righteousness. Henceforth, they have lost the moral authority to lecture anyone, anywhere in the world about freedom, democracy, law, justice, and human rights.

In fact, it is the “less developed” and “smaller” countries like Bolivia, Honduras, Chile, Colombia, etc. that have shown the spine to do what is right in this particular case, by putting real diplomatic pressure on Israel, instead of doing mere lip-service. These countries are not even part of the Middle-East or the Islamic world (countries which should ideally be doing a lot more), and for them to be going to such extents, is really praiseworthy. If only the more “powerful” countries had their courage.

The hypocrisy of the western world is also evident in the extremely different responses to the two major conflicts in recent times – Russia vs Ukraine, and now Israel vs Palestine. The NATO countries, again led by the US, immediately banded together, and imposed wide-ranging and harsh sanctions on Russia for its aggression. Yet, in Israel’s war on Gaza, the very same countries immediately provided their full backing to Israel. There can be little doubt that Israel wouldn’t have been this emboldened in its brazen disregard for international law and human life if it did not enjoy the protection of the US and its allies. 

Russia’s war on Ukraine has also killed and displaced innocent civilians, which can not be accepted under any circumstances, and must be condemned, without any qualifications. However, compared to the atrocities being committed under the leadership of the genocidal maniac Netanyahu, Putin seems like a downright humanitarian! And Russia has been mocking the US and the world on this by proposing draft resolutions in the UN that call for a ceasefire in Gaza. A classic case of the kettle calling the pot black, but here’s a simple fact: Between February 24th, 2022 (when the Russia-Ukraine war erupted) and September 10th, 2023, Russia has killed about 550 children in 80 weeks. Compare that to the more than 5,500 children killed by Israel in 6 weeks! That’s 10 times the number of children killed in 1/13th of the time.

The UN has been declining in its credibility and effectiveness already for some time now, even before this latest conflict. However, the sheer impotence with which it is standing on the sidelines, just watching this genocide play out, has been unbelievable and tragic. It might be too soon to call it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the last nail in the coffin for the UN.

Any time anyone tries to raise a voice against Israel’s atrocities, the response is, “but do you condemn Hamas?” Here’s my answer: I do. I have from the day of the attack itself. I condemn Hamas and their actions.

And I condemn Israel and its actions, too, in the same breath, and with the same vehemence, if not more. After all, Israel has killed more than 10 times the number of innocent civilians that Hamas has killed.

Remind me: Who are the good guys again?

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Credits: Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

How Many Times More?

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

On a recent trip down the rabbit hole (while searching for something on the net), I came across something that I felt like sharing with you all today.

Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless…

This is an epitaph written on Brandon Lee’s tombstone. For those who don’t know him (I confess, I didn’t at the time), he was an actor, and the son of the legendary Bruce Lee. And unfortunately, he died at a very young age of 28.

And to give credit where it’s due, the above epitaph is actually paraphrased from a 1949 novel ‘The Sheltering Sky’ written by Paul Bowles.

The reason why I wanted to share this is because I found something really heartfelt about this quote. It just makes you pause and think about things, doesn’t it?

How many times do we really see the full Moon rise? When was the last time that you saw it? How many times do we share conversations and laughter with our loved ones? How many memories do we have that we cherish beyond anything?

The numbers may vary for different people, but one thing I think would be common for us all, is that we never think about how many more times we will get to experience those beautiful moments again. We just take these things for granted.

We are so used to certain things that we never fully realize how precious they are. We have such fragile and ephemeral lives. Anything can happen anytime. Yet, it’s like we are blind to the whole thing.

Now I do understand that there’s a practical aspect to the whole thing, and that we wouldn’t be able to function properly if we kept thinking about the impermanence of it all. I agree that we do need to focus on the present moment, and not worry about what might happen in the future, which we can not control beyond a certain limit.

But that should happen as a conscious choice, isn’t it? Not because we don’t realize the nature of these things, and are just living unconsciously, tumbling from one day to another. We must remain aware of how limited our days are. Because only then can we truly, deeply appreciate things like those wonderful memories, beautiful Moon rises, the laughter of loved ones, etc.

We get so caught up in our lives, postponing our plans for that vacation, for that conversation, for that reconciliation, for that thing that we always wanted to do, that we never stop to think what if there isn’t enough time to do those things later?

Experience what you can while you can. Go see the Moon rise!

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Pic Credits: brandonlee.com

Phases Of The Mood

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

If you are one of those few who read the title correctly (“Phases Of The Mood”), and think there’s a typo there, let me tell you: that is not a typo. 🙂

We have all heard of the phases of the Moon. The Moon waxes and wanes as it revolves around the Earth in a 29-day cycle. And as it does so, some days it shines brightly in the sky, some days not so much. And some days, not at all.

Indulging in a little bit of personification here, but recently, I was looking at the crescent Moon, and it made me wonder: Does the Moon doubt itself on those days when it shines less brightly, or not at all? Must it feel like an imposter, that on the rare days when it does shine with all its might, it’s just a random fluke?

We are all like the Moon in a way, isn’t it? Some days, we are high on energy. We feel good, and we light up our surroundings. While on some other days, we feel low, and can’t “shine” as brightly. We question whether we are good for anything. We have self-doubt.

But as I continued to admire the Moon, even in its crescent form, I realized something: the Moon may shine less brightly on some days, but it’s still the very same Moon that shines as brightly as it does on the Full Moon nights!

The Moon is what it is – it remains whole, whether it shines brightly, or not at all. It doesn’t change one bit, no matter how much it is glowing on a particular day. It’s only a matter of circumstances – being in a certain place at a certain time – that affects how bright it appears. And actually, it’s not even about the Moon itself if you think about it. It is about where the observer is in relation to the Moon. If one could leave Earth and be in the right place, they would see a Full Moon every night!

So, on those days, when we are feeling low, or inadequate, or having self-doubts, it would do us well to remember that just like it's simply the phases of the Moon, and nothing more, that affect how brightly the Moon glows that night, we also go through our own phases of the mood.

We remain the very same radiant being who has illuminated their surroundings earlier. If somebody tells us that our light is no longer the same as before, maybe they are just catching us in a bad phase. A matter of circumstances. Maybe our current disposition is just an intermediate step on our way to full glow. A phase of our mood. Or perhaps the observer themselves is not at the right viewpoint to see our full potential.

It is totally okay to go through these phases of the mood. The thing to keep in mind is that the whole of us is still there. Not glowing as brightly on some days doesn’t mean we are any less of a person than what we were earlier.

And just like it’s a given that the Full Moon will eventually come around, we too will once again shine with all our light soon enough.

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Credits: Photo by Marcus Dall Col on Unsplash

Welcome!

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Hi! A very warm welcome to this corner of the internet! Hope you are having a good day! And thank you for visiting! 🙂

You can read what this blog is all about in more detail on the “About” page, but below is a quick summary and index of all that you can find here. Click the links to read posts from that particular category, or just scroll down further to read the latest posts.

Poetry

Some original poems, written by yours truly. Some of my favourites are: ‘O My Moon‘, ‘A Stranger‘, and ‘Chemical Reactions & Business Transactions‘.

Quotes

A collection of some famous and not-so-famous quotes, with my thoughts on what they mean to me personally, and why I like them.

Journal

Lastly (and this is how it all started actually), a whole lot of essays, musings, confessions, rants, etc.. Basically, anything that I felt like writing on a particular day!

Quickies

Bite-sized posts on any random thought or topic, in the style of “instapoetry“. This is something new I’m trying, so please bear with me. 🙂

Curations

Curated content from across the web that caught my fancy, and which I felt deserved to be shared with readers like you.

The idea behind this blog is to share my thoughts, in the hopes that someone, somewhere will relate to them, and realise that they are not alone. And if you do find something here that speaks to you, please forward the same to others too! And if you have any thoughts or feedback, positive or negative, or even if you just want to say ‘Hi!’, please drop a comment! Looking forward to hearing from you… 🙂

Wonders Of The Night Sky

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

So, sometime ago, a friend and I, both interested in the craft of writing, were talking about writing something based on a prompt. We randomly selected “the night sky” as our writing prompt, and we decided to write a short poem on it.

This post is not about that poem though. The poem I’ve already written and shared earlier (can you guess which one that is from this list?) In this post, I wanted to delve into what I find so fascinating about the night sky after all.

We usually don’t think much about why we feel a certain way about something. We just feel the way we do. At least that’s the way it is for me. So, from time to time, when we do sit down to think about the reasons, it can seem like a journey of discovery. About our likes and dislikes, our ways of thinking, our inherent nature. About ourselves.

There aren’t many things that can give us the kind of mind-opening, light-bulb-turning-on, a-ha! moments that learning something new about the self can. And I love those moments!

So, without further ado, following are my reasons for being in love with the night sky, in no particular order, but grouped into categories:

Physical & Scientific

I’m always, always amazed by the universe. The only thing that I think comes close to it, in terms of how amazing it is, is the human body.

Talking first of the universe: it is astonishingly vast. We can not even imagine the distances. On top of that, it is remarkable how the stars work. Not many of us realize how the processes that power stars work. But I’m sure that those who do, can not help being in awe of them. If you are interested in knowing more about stars and how they work, I recommend this short video by Phil Plait.

Then there’s the marvelous ability of the human eye to perceive something that’s millions of light-years away! From the way a light photon is generated, absorbed and re-emitted, thousands of times, as it travels across the vastness of space, to reach the eyes of that single human observer, to then travel through the optic nerves, to be processed by the human brain (which itself is the most complex thing in the known universe), while the brain simultaneously observes itself observing the universe. Wow!! I mean, just wow! I get goosebumps thinking of it all!

Spiritual & Philosophical

The night sky often puts me into a reflective and introspective mood. It reminds me of how small and insignificant we are, how small are our problems and concerns, in the overall scheme of things. We amount to nothing, yet there is so much beauty in the fact that we are able to perceive and appreciate that moment. How can that kind of beauty be insignificant? What exactly adds “significance” to something? What does it all mean in the end? What lies beyond? Why are we here? Once you start pulling on that thread, there’s no stopping the stream of questions that sprouts.

But despite all those unanswerable questions, the night sky still brings a sense of peace that goes beyond just the quietness of the night.

Romantic

Well, this goes without saying, doesn’t it? Countless odes have been written about the Moon, and how it invokes such romantic feelings in people. I’m no different. And it’s not limited just to the Moon either. The stars, the clouds, the wind, everything takes on a sense of intimacy in the serenity of the night. In that moment, it is just you, and the night sky. And maybe someone else too, looking up at a similar view somewhere, thinking and feeling the same things, maybe hoping to find someone who appreciates that moment like they do. Like you do.

The night sky is the common cloak enwrapping you and that stranger, across distances, protecting and warming you both against the coldness of the night, both literal and figurative. It makes you feel closer to your soulmate, one you may not even have met yet.

Imaginative

When I look at the night sky, I sometimes can’t help but wonder what life on another world must be like. The universe is so huge that I don’t doubt whether or not there would be some form of life on another world somewhere. There most definitely would be, even if it is microbial or very primitive. Intelligent life would be harder to come by, but again, in the infinite possibilities out there, how can it not?

What would those worlds look like? How would it feel like for a human to stand on that world, and look up to find three suns in the sky, or maybe a giant planet hanging right on the horizon? What kind of societies would they have, if they have any at all? Would they have flying cars (a reality, finally, at least somewhere in the universe)? How would they view life? Would they have hopes, and dreams, and fears, too? Would they understand love? Might someone from that world be looking right in our planet’s direction, at that very moment, while I’m looking in theirs? What would it be like for our two species to encounter each other? When the mind starts wandering, it really does wander, doesn’t it? 😀

* * *

So, as you can probably guess from the above, the night sky invokes a lot of feelings and thoughts in me. If you look at it, in a way, it reminds us what it means to be human, by speaking to us through knowledge, consciousness, spirituality, love, companionship, curiosity, imagination.. everything that makes us, us.

The night sky is a thing of beauty and wonder. And I just hope I never lose touch with it. 

How do you feel about it though? Does it move you too? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below or on our social media channels! 🙂

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Find Your Words…

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

As J.K. Rowling said:

Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.

– Albus Dumbledore in “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows”

I absolutely love this quote! And I couldn’t agree more. Words are indeed magical, and we can all do with a little bit of their magic.

And sometimes, we are the only ones who can bring that magic in our own lives. Because, we know ourselves. Because, the stakes are highest for us. Because, if we don’t, nobody else will.

So, find the words that give you hope. That show you the way forward when you feel lost. Only you would know the exact words to use.

Find them, write them down, and then put them on the walls, on your screens, in your heart.

And remember them on the days when you need a glimmer of hope.

Everyone needs to be a writer.

Not for anyone else, but oneself.

Because there will be days when you need the right words to get back up.

And the only person whose words would work would be yourself.

– Ehsaas

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Credits: Quote by me. Photo created with Canva.

Six-Year Anniversary!

A Wondering Wanderer2 Comments

Time flies, doesn’t it?!

Today is the six-year anniversary of this blog! Yayy! Happy Birthday to you, bloggy! 

Wow! I had to check the date multiple times on that first proper blog post I wrote here to actually believe this. It sounds like a cliche, I know, but it really feels like just yesterday that I wrote that piece.

(Well, okay technically, I had created the blog much, much earlier than six years ago – way back in 2011, but I started writing here somewhat regularly from July 25th, 2016 only, and so, that’s what I consider as the starting date of this journey. As they say, things happen when they are supposed to happen!)

And it’s been a good journey. I’ve learnt some things about myself as I tried to put my thoughts and feelings into words. Writing kind of forces you to streamline that jumble of internal monologues into somewhat of a coherent thing, which gives you some clarity. You ask yourself questions, see the inconsistencies, try to resolve them, and when you can’t, you discover, and make peace with, the contradictions that are present in how you look at things – all leading to better self-awareness in one way or another.

Trying to write more regularly also motivated me to introspect more than I may have done otherwise. It introduced me to some good quotes too, as I thought about sharing them as a change from the longer-format essays I usually posted here. Then came the poems. Although I used to write poems even before I started blogging, the incentive of having a wider reach of audience definitely played its part in keeping that flame alive. Let’s see what comes next.. 😉

But, even given all of the above, for the last couple of years, I haven’t been able to write as much as I wanted to. And I’ve been missing it. It’s just that I haven’t been in that zone to be able to actually refine that internal noise into something meaningful. Even though I now have more time than I used to earlier, it still feels like, somehow, things have become ever more complicated. That constant clutter in the background hasn’t allowed me to focus enough to be able to finish my drafts, or to reflect on new ideas.

Plus, it’s difficult to have a creative process work at a fixed, regular frequency. I tried it initially. But I realised that over time, it was becoming mechanical. I was writing for the sake of writing. There was a conflict between two opposing ideas.

One said that I should push myself to write, no matter what. Because you become better only by writing more and more, and if that means setting deadlines and schedules, so be it. And if I’m being honest, there was also a concern that if I don’t put something out regularly, I’ll lose any readers that I may already have (even though I probably have like just 2-3 regular readers, if at all. But for a newbie, wannabe writer, even they matter a lot!).

The alternate view was that writing should be organic, especially given the themes and purpose of this blog. Writing was supposed to be an outlet. What was the point of indulging in it, if I was becoming more concerned about the “materialistic” aspects of it. And like I said before, things happen when they are supposed to happen; we can’t really force them into existence.

So, I’m leaning towards the second argument these days. But I wouldn’t be surprised if, in some time, I start leaning towards the first again. As most things go in life, this might also be cyclical in nature. But yeah, for now, I’ll try to write more regularly (or rather, try to reflect on things more regularly), but I won’t make a thing out of it. If something comes out of those moments of reflection, great! If not, that is okay too.

But I do hope this journey continues for a long time ahead. For six years (!!), I’ve managed to hang on, even if on an on-and-off basis. Writing has made my life just that little bit easier. And I think you’d agree, we can all do with life being a little bit easier.

I’d also like to believe (and really wish) that perhaps, somewhere, someone found some value in this blog. Maybe a thought, or a feeling of being a little less alone, or maybe even some practical advice.. anything. I know I’ve been lucky enough to find words, written by strangers I’ve never met and will probably never meet, that have given me hope on a cloudy day, laughter when I needed it, acted as a guide when I felt lost, and in general, just enriched my life in myriad little ways. In turn, I’d really like to be that person for someone else now – pay it forward along the chain. With interest, if possible.

So, with that hope, I’ll wrap up today’s blabbering.. 😁 Feeling too sentimental I guess. I could go on and on and on… But I’ll stop. For now. 🙂

See you around!

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Acquired Negativity & Its Effects

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Today, I wanted to talk about the issue of “acquired negativity” that we have to deal with in our lives, which we might not even be aware of on many occasions. That might sound confusing, so let me give you the context first.

So recently, I ran into some issues. Nothing major, just life’s little inconveniences. Like when your car battery dies, and you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, or when you come down with an ailment just when you have to go on a vacation, and which you must now cancel as a result.

So life was having a bit of fun at my expense. These things happen, and you just have to deal with them and move on, but I actually was feeling a bit overwhelmed and anxious about this particular incident.

But then, in a moment of clarity, I thought about what was so overwhelming about this thing after all. The answer: nothing really. Something happened, and I had to do something to fix it. Just regular maintenance stuff.

So, why the anxiousness? Good question. I asked myself the same. From what I could tell, this thing was coming from something more deep-rooted than what would appear to a casual observer.

I’m sure all of us here would agree with the fact that the kind of environment we grow up in affects our future lives pretty significantly. And I grew up with a parent who was easily overwhelmed and prone to get anxious at the smallest of difficulties. They would make a big deal about even the small inconveniences of life (the kind of examples I alluded to earlier), and how difficult our life would be now that we had this new “issue” to deal with. Overthinking and overanalyzing. Unfortunately, they couldn’t stop themselves from projecting the same onto those around, and especially onto an impressionable young mind.

I’m not trying to blame anyone here for anything, but just trying to highlight that over time, if we keep projecting our own insecurities, anxieties, and worries in our surrounding environment, it affects those around us too. Over time, they start to manifest the exact same insecurities and fears.

And this is true not just of our parents. We, ourselves, do it too – whether as spouses, siblings, friends, co-workers, neighbors, or even as total strangers on the internet – we broadcast our own fears and anxieties in all directions, without really thinking much about the impact they will have on others.

In most cases, if you ask the person responsible, they’d say, truthfully, that they didn’t intend to spread this negativity. But because we live our lives on auto-pilot most of the time, we do end up doing these things, albeit unintentionally and without realizing what we are doing.

Constant exposure to such negativity starts affecting our own thinking and how we deal with life. We start seeing things from the same view that is projected onto us, and in time, and in turn, we start projecting it further onto our own spheres of influence. Negativity begetting negativity.

The good news is positivity begets positivity too! We need someone to break that chain, and even reverse the effects, if possible. And we can do that by being more cognizant of our words and actions. Everyone has some fears and anxieties, and sometimes, we do need to share those with our loved ones, but we should be very careful of how and when we do that, and that we don’t burden them with the same unnecessarily, especially when they are not founded on sound reason.

If we can somehow become immune to the negativity surrounding us, and see things objectively for what they are, instead of the imagined demons lurking in the shadows, that would not only improve our own lives, but of those around us also. Instead of getting overwhelmed with life’s little inconveniences, we learn how to take them in our stride, and to not let them affect our mental peace. And in time, we can help others with the same too.

Wherever there’s a problem, there’s a solution; let’s focus our energies on finding that instead of on dwelling on the problem itself. It’s not easy though, but we have to try. I have to try. It will be a long journey, but as they say: the longest of all journeys begins with a single step. And the first step on this journey is to realize this whole issue of “acquired negativity” that we have to deal with.

Maybe all this is pretty obvious to everyone. But just in case it wasn’t to you, I hope you found some value in these words, and I hope that you, too, will help in breaking that chain!

Till next time! 

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