Tag: change

LFTR #1 | On Switching Lanes Often

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

If you are wondering what that weird abbreviation is, it is this: “Lessons From The Road”.

With this post, I hope to embark on a journey (pun intended), where sometimes, I’ll be sharing some of the lessons I’ve learnt while being on the road. And before you think of me as having a fun, travel-based lifestyle, and this as being some sort of a worldly-wise, rich collection of experiences (I wish!), let me tell you that, unfortunately, that is not the case.

When I say “lessons from the road”, what I mean is things I’ve noticed, or thoughts I’ve stumbled upon, while literally being on the road, behind a wheel. I enjoy driving, long drives specifically. There’s something about the open road, with the wind in my face, that tends to put me in a philosophical mood. That, coupled with the focus on driving, makes me notice some parallels / analogies between our journey on the road,, and our journey in life. And that is the genesis of these thoughts.

This is the first post in the series. However, this isn’t the first thought – there have been some earlier as well, but this is the first one I’m writing about. Keep an eye out for the rest in the future, as I hope to share them once those are penned down as well.

So, without further ado, here’s LFTR #1: Switching lanes frequently isn’t always as helpful as we might think.

Here’s what I mean by that: 

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COVID-19 & Us

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Hello. Been a while. 

I last posted on this blog at the end of last year. I was hopeful for the year that was about to come. But, as life can do from time to time, it surprised me.

Though there have been some good moments this year, there have been some bad ones too.  But more than anything, it’s the big cloud that we are all living under that has cast a shadow over everything.

I’d been wanting to write at least something for some time now. And it’s not like I don’t have things to talk about. But life has been surprisingly busy this year. Or maybe I’ve become lazier. Whatever be the reason, the point is, there wasn’t enough motivation. But today, I’m taking a bath (cue the motivation-is-like-a-bath quote). 

But I can’t write about the usual stuff I post here, not yet. Talking about anything else feels like ignoring the elephant in the room. I’m, of course, referring to the crisis that the world is facing today in the form of COVID-19.

So, today, let’s talk about that only. Read More »

When Do We Stop Being Ourselves?

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So, recently, I had another one of those moments of insight into my thinking and experiencing process. And I thought it might resonate with you too.

A few days ago, a friend and I were discussing something at work. Now both of us consider ourselves fairly open to looking at things from different perspectives, not being bound by our own experiences and first impressions.

For example: I may not get along well with a person X, but if some other person told me that X was a nice person, I wouldn’t not believe them. I’d chalk up my own bad experience with X to circumstances, or just misunderstanding, or maybe just that we don’t get along well together, even though we may both be decent people individually. There are so many possibilities, and plus, if the other person considered X a nice person, she must also be doing so based on her own experiences. I see no reason why my own experience was likely to be more accurate than hers. So, I’d give X the benefit of the doubt, and in any future dealings with X, I’d try and not start off with a confrontational attitude from the beginning itself, and instead try to see things from their perspective too. Well, I’d try, but I’m only human after all… 🙂

And the same goes forRead More »

A Stranger

A Wondering Wanderer4 Comments

A poem about a chance meeting with a “stranger”:

In a cool autumn breeze,
Walking down an old street,
I came across a stranger,
And it made me lose my ease.

Memories, I tried to plow.
But my mind wouldn’t allow.
I knew I knew the man.
Just didn’t know how.

He was old and wrinkled.
But his eyes still twinkled.
“Hey there! Remember me?”
My heart, his voice tingled.

He smiled at me, bit amused.
I stared at him, lot confused.
“Sorry, but how do I know you?”
Said I to the man perused.

To which he said:

“I’m the wolf that wasn’t fed,
Surprised, I ain’t already dead.
Missing, marooned memories –
I’m what time hasn’t yet shred.”

Thinking him mad, I began to leave.
My quandary, he seemed to perceive,
For he spat, “Time, when one gifts,
Be humble, and their wisdom, receive.”

He went on:

“Friends were we; grew up together.
Our bond was to be our tether.
Keeping us safe, sane, spirited –
Storms, it would’ve helped us weather.”

The fog lifted at this mention.
I realized our deep connection.
Shocked, surprised, I almost cried,
At this ghost’s resurrection.

I inquired where he had gone.
Why return this beautiful dawn?
Why couldn’t I see him before?
Why did it have to take so long?

He answered with:

“Too busy to look or listen;
In a rush, you missed all the fun.
I was always ’round the corner;
You just… never made the turn.

But, for a breath, you stopped today.
So, here I am, plain as day.
Fate often looked you in the eye,
Only, this time, you didn’t look away.”

***

We meandered through a park.
Enthralled by the song of the lark,
I gaped at the colors of fall,
Wondering where had gone this spark.

As the old leaves fell,
I felt my heart swell –
A lightness long forgotten,
The lifting of a dark spell.

Finally, I understood this:
That feeling of something amiss,
Was just me not able to see,
A life blessed with beauty’s kiss.

So, at long last, I said to him:

“All your words are indeed true.
I’ve missed this place, this view,
Missed the laughter, the light,
Missed so much about you.

Last we talked, I was a child.
Living in a world less wild.
With a heart full of wonder,
Worried far less, much I smiled.

But somehow I lost that zen.
God only knows way back when.
Times changed, and so did I.
Never been the same again.

I so wish I could’ve seen,
The futures that could’ve been.
Life, blessed with your charisma,
Would be so much more serene.

I lost you once, and was lost.
But, thank God, our paths, at last, crossed.
Don’t leave my side till I close my eyes.
Not again can I suffer that cost.”

***

And so continues our story.
I just pray I never again see,
That deep, dark, death of a night when
That “stranger” is, once more, a stranger to me.

So, finally, I’ve managed to finish this poem! Although the idea for it came is swiftly and unexpectedly as ideas are wont to do, fleshing it out into the poem you see above has taken up a considerable part of my attention over the last two months. I know it’s not great, but it’s definitely the longest poem I’ve done in my short career as a poet, and given how much time and effort it took, and the subject, it’s quite close to me (although, as an artist, everything I write is close to me!). Hope you guys like it too!

P.S.: The inspiration for this poem came when reading the poem: “The Crooked Man” by Elrow Swift on hellopoetry.com. As I was reading about the “crooked man” in the linked poem, an idea suddenly popped into my head about what it would be like to meet the “stranger” from my poem.

Photo Credit: Nathália Bariani on Unsplash

Change Is In The Air

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So, a couple of days back, it’s 10:30 at night, and as I’m driving home, I come to this intersection, which has a traffic light, one that people hardly follow, even in broad daylight, let alone that late at night (yeah, that’s a common occurrence in my part of the world). Nothing special so far.

But today, traffic stopped when the lights turned red. And there weren’t even any cops there to explain that. There wasn’t even any traffic from the opposite sides to warrant stopping. Traffic stopped only because it should’ve.

Earlier, I never would’ve expected to see this behaviour at this time. In fact, if some poor soul did stop at the light, she would be harassed by those behind her, by their continuously honking to get her to move, along with a few glares as they passed her by.

Not today though. Everyone waited patiently for the light to turn green. And even those behind, were calm and quiet. This made me realise that there indeed had been a gradual change in people’s behaviour. Couple of years ago, traffic used to be more chaotic. In heavy traffic, coming in from everywhere at the same time, everyone would be in a rush to get through first, often leading to jams. That’s still the case these days, but now there are more people who are willing to wait a few minutes if that means giving a chance for the traffic to decongest.

I feel individuals are more open now to take a personal “hit” if it means improving conditions for many or all others. Maybe it’s just a case of me seeing what I want to see, but I am quite pleased to see this change. And when I read reports like this that indicate that individual philanthropy is on the rise (indicating increase in compassion for those less fortunate), my suspicions are further cemented, although I know it’s a lot more complicated than just that.

Governments and political groups can spew nationalistic rhetoric all they want, but I think it’s the small actions like these, undertaken by the citizenry of their own accord, that lay the groundwork for truly making a nation great. Of course, following proper civic sense, at one traffic light, in one city, on one day wouldn’t give you a great nation tomorrow. But it does show, to me at least, that the citizens of this country are capable of being better, of improving things that are not right, that they have integrity, that they are on the right track.

Because without empathy, compassion, integrity, and all those other “human” qualities, what good are technological, economic, social advancements of a developed or “great” nation?

Photo Credit: Alexandru Tudorache

When Sides Are Already Taken…

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Came across this article the other day in the newspaper. Have to say, the author, Amulya Gopalakrishnan, has made a very acute observation into human behaviour here. And she’s done a great job putting those thoughts into words.

The gist of the post, which I strongly encourage you to check out in detail, is that there’s only so much that we can do to convince people who already have quite strong convictions about the things that they believe in. They may be wrong, and you can provide all the facts and proofs in the world, but it’s unlikely that any of that will have any significant impact in changing those people’s thoughts.

Instead, the author suggests a different approach:

We all protect our identities; to detach a belief from a person, one needs to sever the link between the attitude and the holder’s self-image. We need to tell the story differently. Point-scoring does the opposite, it makes people descend further into their trenches.

Do check out the complete article here.

Be Aware Of Your Path…

A Wondering Wanderer1 Comment

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

– Lao Tzu

When I first came across this quote, I thought it was a warning to change one’s path before it was too late, before one ended up at a regrettable destination. I always thought that the quote was only about avoiding negative outcomes.

However, just today, I came across this comment, that totally changed how I look at the quote.

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Switching Jobs? Think About This…

A Wondering WandererLeave a comment

Recently, I’ve been thinking about switching jobs. And I’m sure many of you would agree that deciding to switch jobs, and evaluating options when they become available, is not an easy task. It isn’t for me, at least. I think it’s a very big and important decision, the kind that could really change one’s life’s direction, and I think one needs to make this decision in the “right frame of mind”, and after asking the “right” questions.Read More »

If Love Can’t, Why Let Hate Change You?

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We have all given in to the temptation of revenge or hate at some point. Maybe, and I hope that is the case, not to the extent of committing a grave crime like a murder or something similar, but small “misdeeds” like swearing at somebody in traffic just because they cut you off earlier, or saying hurtful things to someone just because their words hurt you first.

Sometimes we intentionally do things that hurt others, either physically, financially, emotionally, or boost our ego at the expense of others’, but as soon as the deed is done, we feel bad ourselves because of what we did. We don’t like the person performing these actions (ourselves), yet we tend to repeat them over and over on other similar occasions. We’d normally not engage in these actions, but we allow ourselves to change, just for that moment, just to “get back” at the other person.

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