10 awesome movies

 

Thought of the day

 They both thought they were right... and that's where they went wrong. 

"If you love something then let it go, and if it comes back then that's how you know..." ---- 

Ever heard that song? ----- No don't do that. Do not let it go. If you love something or someone then show them, nurture it, nourish it, invest in it - your time, energy, attention, heart, mind, effort. That is what love is. If we love something we should not set it free, we need to put in the work, show them that we care, show them that we want them in our life, don't let them go by putting in zero effort, give it your all - be it friendships, relationships or our career, goals, passions. if we love something - we need to give it our everything. 

Too many times we take out the worst of us on those who do the most for us and deserve the best of us. 

Focus on what is. Rather than what if. 

Past can not be re-lived, it can only be relieved. 

What we watch, listen, eat, read, talk about - influences our state of mind. If we watch idiocy, listen to crap, eat junk, and talk nonsense about people then we can not expect calm and peace in our mind, in our body. We can not input poison and expect peace as an outcome. 

When we meet someone I think it is important to remember that we are just a tiny moment in that person's entire journey. We should not judge them based on that tiny moment and take it as a representation of their entire existence. Maybe they had a bad day, maybe they are struggling with health and whatnot. Just cut some slack. We will meet different people at different points in their life and have a completely different experience. 

I feel we should do our thing - not for admiration, attention, or validation, but because it fuels us, nourishes us, and makes us happy.  When we are busy doing things that we love there is no space for others' thoughts, opinions.

 

We should not worry about what others are thinking, what they are talking about, who are they talking to - about us, we need to worry about what we think about ourselves, what we are saying to ourselves, worry about what we are doing in our life, because they are just renting space in our mind for a little period of time, they will come, they will go, but we are in our mind 24/7, so what we think about ourselves is far more important than what others do. 

It is best to accept ourselves for who we are but be aware of the changes that we need to make to grow and improve. We just need to look in the mirror, focus on our own faults and growth rather than finding faults in others to feel better about ourselves. 

We do not need to be anyone else, We are enough, We do not need to like what others like, look how they look, dress how they dress or work as they do. We should not desire what others have, every single thing that we need to be content - lies within us. 

Let go or get dragged - I know that we all know so many things that no longer serve any purpose in our lives, that no longer have meaning, or enhances/ uplifts us - but we find it hard to let go of them because they become part of us. but if we don't let go of it, it will keep dragging us into a negative place that we don't want to be at - whether it is a relationship, friendship, a grudge, place, thing, whatever it is we need to know when it is time to let go of it. 

We recognize our strengths and weaknesses based on if it is bringing us results, money, fame, success and whatnot. Why can't we just do something for the love of it... without being attached to the expectation of any result. Something that just gives us pure joy. 

Sexism in Bollywood

 

Aurat (woman)

 What a wonderful wonderful poem written by Kaifi… can not believe it was written 70 years ago…

Aurat (Woman)
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe
qalb-e-mahoul mein larzaan sharar-e-jang hain aaj
hausley waqt ke aur ziist ke yakrang hain aaj
aabgiinon mein tapaan walwale-e- sang hain aaj
husn aur ishq ham aawaaz-o-humaahang hain aaj
jis mein jaltaa huun usi aag mein jalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

Arise, my love, for now you must march with me
Flames of war are ablaze in our world today
Time and fate have the same aspirations today
Our tears will flow like hot lava today
Beauty and love have one life and one soul today
You must burn in the fire of freedom with me
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me

zindagii jehad mein hai sabr ke qaabuu mein nahiin
nabz-e-hastii kaa lahuu kaamptii aansuu mein nahii
urne khulne mein hai nakhat kham-e-gesu mein nahiin
jannat aik aur hai jo mard ke pahluu mein nahiin
uskii aazaad ravish par bhii machalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

Patience will not help you struggle through life
Blood, not tears, sustains the pulse of life
You will fly when you’re free and not ensnared by love
Heaven is not just in the arms of the man you love
Walk unfettered on the path of freedom with me
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me

goshey goshey mein sulagtii hai chitaa tere liye
farz kaa bhes badaltii hai qazaa tere liye
qahar hai terii har narm adaa tere liye
zahar hii zahar hai duniyaa kii havaa tere liye
rut badal daal agar phuulnaa phalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

Wherever you go sacrifice awaits you
To surrender is a way of life for you
All your charms condemn you
The ways of the world are poison for you
Change the seasons to flourish and be free
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me.

qadr ab tak terii tarriikh ne jaanii hii nahiin
tujh mein shole bhii hain bas ashkfishaanii hii nahiin
tu haqiiqat bhii hai dilchasp kahaanii hii nahiin
terii hastii bhii hai ik chiiz javaanii hii nahiin
apnii tarrikh kaa unvaan badalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

History has not known your worth thus far
You have burning embers too, not merely tears
You’re reality too, not a mere amusing anecdote
Your personality is something too, not just your youth
You’ve to change the title of your history
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me.

tod kar rasm ke but bare qadamat se nikal
zof-e-ishrat se nikal, vaham-e-nazaakat se nikal
nafs ke khiinche hue halq-e-azmal se nikal
yeh bhii ek qaid hii hai, qaid-e-muhabbat se nikal
raah kaa khaar hii kyaa gul bhii kuchalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

Emerge out of ancient bondage, break the idols of tradition,
the weakness of pleasure, this mirage of fragility
these self-drawn boundaries of imagined greatness
the bondage of love, for this too is a bondage
Not merely the thorns on the path, you have to trample on flowers too
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me.

tod yeh azm-shikan dagdag-e-pand bhii tor
terii khaatir hai jo zanjiir vah saugandh bhii tor
tauq yeh bhii zammruud kaa gulband bhii tor
tod paimana-e-mardaan-e-khirdmand bhii tor
banke tuufaan chhalaknaa hai ubalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

Shatter these resolve breaking suspicions of sermons
these vows that have become shackles
this too, this necklace of emeralds
these standards set by the wise men
You have to turn into a tempest, bubble and boil over
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me.

tuu falaatuno-arastuu haii tuu zohraa parviin
tere qabze mein hai garduun, terii thokar mein zamiin
haan, uthaa, jald uthaa paae-muqqadar se jabiin
main bhii rukne kaa nahii waqt bhii rukne kaa nahiin
larkharaayegii kahaan tak ki sambhalnaa hai tujhe
uth merii jaan mere saath hii chalnaa hai tujhe

You are Aristotle’s philosophy, Venus, Pleiades
You control the sky, the earth at your feet
Yes, raise, fast, raise your forehead from the feet of fate
I too am not going to pause, nor will the time
How long would you falter, you have to be firm
Arise, my love, for now you must march with me

Code breaker

 My new video post - 

The Tradition

 

There once lived a man, he had a cat. Whenever the man did puja his cat got all excited, she jumped on the plates he used for puja and drank the milk he had placed as an offering for the god. The man had to get up a hundred times during the puja to put the cat away. One day he decided enough is enough and started to tie her on a leash in the corner. 

 

Years passed by, the man got married, had kids, when the kids were a little older they started to tie the cat in the corner before the puja started. One day the man died and the kids started doing the puja, then the cat died and they got a new cat because a cat needed to be tied in the corner during the puja. The man probably assumed that his kids will know why the cat had to be in the corner. Generations passed and the man’s descendants were still tying a cat in the corner before puja. 

 

I just told you the story of all our traditions. we follow them without asking - when and under what circumstances did this tradition begin? Why am I following this? is it important and relevant in today’s time?

 

Rakshabandhan is the tradition that I want to talk about today, where a girl does aarti of all her brothers and ties a thread on their wrists asking them to protect her, and then the brothers give her gifts, and the brothers apparently need a reminder about this once every year. Quite a tradition. This tradition started when women were distinctly seen as inferior sub-humans, who would stay confined at home, behind a veil, cook, produce children, take care of the in-laws and entertain their husbands. They were not allowed to get an education or go out and work. So if something had to go wrong with their husband or marriage then they were financially dependent on other men in their family. 

 

I don’t need to tell you this but Women since then have challenged the stereotype, they have stepped out, surpassed in education and employment. They have asserted their independence, opinions, financial freedom and are demanding equal treatment. 

 

And yet we are following a tradition which is a reflection of women’s dependence, helplessness and something that started because they had no other option. 

 

I have discussed this with many women around me and some said ‘but this has to be followed, this is our tradition, We can not follow things just because our ancestors did it, because we today are more evolved and advanced species than what they were and it is only natural to do things in a more evolved and advanced way.

 

some women said this is how we show love for our brothers’. Respect, caring and understanding shows love in any relationship, you don’t need to tie any damn thread to show love. Just like you don’t have to celebrate valentine’s day to prove that you love your partner.

And some women I talked to also went on to say that they don’t care because they love the gifts they get on Rakshabandhan. Ladies, if you haven’t noticed then women are earning their own gifts, it is high time that you start doing that too.

 

Let’s see how many little girls will choose to tie a rakhi after hearing what tying a rakhi implies. 

it implies that a female cannot fend for herself and is dependent upon her brother to protect her and it implies that she is weak and incapable of being independent. 

 

There are other such festivals like  “Bhau Bij” when the sister prays for the long life of her brother and padava when a wife does aarti of her husband. Don’t you see a pattern here? there are no such festivals when brother prays for sister’s long life, or a man does his wife’s aarti. 

 

I wonder If the women from the past came to life somehow what will they think of today’s women? Wouldn’t they feel proud that we have surpassed so many obstacles and have achieved so much, reached places even been to space? Or will they feel proud that we are still following a tradition that reflects woman as a helpless dependent being?

 

rather than blindly following a tradition one needs to understand what the tradition stands for, what is its origination, what is the message that it conveys, is it relevant today and are we following something regressive? 

 

If we have to then we need to leave traditions for the next generations that are a reflection of today’s society, we need to send a relevant message for them that women are strong, independent, free, we earn our own gifts and we are capable to protect ourselves, our family and for that matter our society. 

 

Before you celebrate Raksha Bandhan next year Think about it. This change needs to happen. If not now, when? And if not you, who?

The Cooking Chromosome

“Rasikaaaa how will you find a husband if you don’t know how to cook?” a man once asked me out of concern.  I panicked, I didn’t know it was a prerequisite to get married. And I was so angry with my parents because, well, they always told me to make a career, make a living, be independent but never told me to learn how to cook.

 

A woman once told me “Rasika, You better learn how to cook, because the way to a man’s heart goes through his…. stomach,” yes she said stomach, I don’t know what you were thinking. 

 

A way to a man’s heart goes through his stomach, you must have heard that before. I obviously ignored her as who even wants to marry such a shallow person whose heart revolves around his stomach?

 

I think you get the gist of what I am trying to say. 

 

I often wonder why is there so much pressure on women to cook? 

 

I wondered if women are born with a cooking gene? It can not be genetic for sure, because I and many women I know are definitely not born with that gene. So I thought it must be some sort of brainpower that can only be acquired by women? Like you know, learning multiple languages is not everyone’s cup of tea. But It can not be that too because most of the rich and famous chefs around the world are men. So there is neither a cooking gene nor a cooking chromosome.

 

So I don’t know why women are socialized to see cooking as their role? The problem with gender roles is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are. It prescribes what we should be doing rather than recognizing what we want and do not want to do.

 

today women are pilots, doctors, engineers, scientists, police, construction workers, astronauts, teachers. Women have reached everywhere, but what is it about men that they are not able to reach a room called kitchen in their very own house?

 

I always thought that at this age We should celebrate being women and having the opportunities to do things that our grandmothers and great grandmothers were not allowed to do. Though now, of course, I realize that women are expected to do the cooking, cleaning, childcare, chores along with their ambitions… It is disheartening to see this happen. 

 

Men should be able to Realize that women are burdened with a lot, they are equally tired as you are, they are equally looking for a break as you are, and I am not even talking about equality here, but it is basic humanity. 

 

Also, I feel Going to restaurants, having frozen food is not the solution to this problem,  it won’t let you create better health and body for yourself and your family. Fresh home-cooked food every day for kids is going to build them a strong health foundation. 

 

This is 2019 and if you still think that it is a woman’s job to cook then you have some deep-rooted issues and it is high time you address them. 

 

Now obviously there are many men who cook because many people evolve, advance and progress with time, age and with the world. But I have often seen that when a man cooks his wife’s attitude is judged, their relationship is questioned. 

 

What I don’t understand is Why do people even notice it when men are cooking? See, I do not like to cook but it is an important life skill that I had to acquire for better health.  And what I have realized is cooking is comparatively an easy skill to acquire, as long as you can see, have hands and can read and follow basic instructions called recipes, you are good to go. And many Men are intelligent enough to acquire these simple skills. 

 

So Why isn’t it still seen perfectly normal and natural that a man cooks, takes care of his own child and takes care of chores around his own house? 

 

There is nothing derogatory about cooking. The ability to feed and nourish oneself and one’s family is quite a noble task. So if a man is being responsible then why is this behavior condemned?

 

Do you think that it is unmanly to cook? I think it’s unmanly not to be able to cook. Because if you really want to go for the archaic gender definitions then a man spends time with his family, a man is independent, a man is healthy and strong and a man provides for himself and others. 

 

History tells us that cooking is the woman’s job. But what we do today is also going to be history for the next generations, let's create an evolved history for them. Let our kids see mothers and fathers both cook in the kitchen.  

 

And next time you see a man cook, remember that there is nothing wrong with his wife’s attitude, or their relationship. In fact, men who cook live in happy marriages because there is less stress, better health, more family time and more energy left to do whatever they want to do. 

 

Hatred

(There are many forms of hatred... some leading up to criminal activities/terrorism... and obviously, I am not talking about such in this post, I can only talk about things that are derived from my own life).

Have you ever heard anyone say "I hate Shahrukh Khan"?.

I feel people who say that are.... very 'lucky'. Why? Because hate is a very strong word and only people who haven't experienced hate can use it so casually.

So what exactly is hate? Is it extreme dislike/ disrespect/ anger/rage - yes all of these are a part of hate but then we always have an option to avoid things that make us upset/ angry/ uncomfortable/ or feel negative, how in the world do we reach that extreme state of hatred?

Let's say, you work under a manager who micromanages/ checks/ controls every single thing that you do, who demeans/ belittles/ disrespects and gossips about you. Have you ever reported to any such manager? No? Lucky Bastard! Because I have! Let's call him Synthol. I had an instant dislike towards Synthol and so did the other team members. My rage reached hatred only because... Synthol held power. I felt helpless/ powerless and I feared losing my job (and my visa) if I rebelled.

Only helplessness, powerlessness, and fear can cause hatred - which is an extreme emotion that can cause immense rage, anger, abhorrence, abomination, mental trauma and intense levels of stress.  Unfortunately, I have experienced hatred a couple of times, I am not ashamed to admit it because hate is a justified reaction for a person tormenting us in the present, either physically or mentally, a person we are at the mercy of and either cannot free ourselves of, or at least believe that we cannot. As long as we are in such a state of dependency, or think we are, then hatred is the inevitable outcome.

From my experience hate is far stronger than love, it occupies your entire headspace, it affects your sleep, health, mood, and everything in a bad way. People are wrong when they say love and hate are the sides of the same coin... they are not... they are different coins altogether.  I might have parted ways with people I loved but I have never hated them... not even in my wildest dreams... love, for some reason, stays intact. I have only hated things that I disliked, to begin with... but had no option to free myself from... or so I thought.

Just so you know I HAD NO COMPULSION TO HARM, ANYONE, BECAUSE OF MY FEELINGS OF HATRED, but there are people who do...Hatred is a dangerous curse, it can poison an organism, it is bad for our own health, peace of mind, and general wellbeing and in many cases, it leads to hurting others.

You will get to hear from people that 'we need to free ourselves of hatred as quickly as we can and for that forgive the tormentor, have some compassion, think about where does his behavior arise from....'. Have you heard that before? It's a great speech! But it is...garbage.

Religion and morality constantly prize forgiveness and suppressing our feelings as a virtue. What kind of person would I be if I could not react, temporarily at least, to injustice, presumption, evil, or arrogant idiocy with feelings of anger or rage? Would that not be an amputation of my emotional life?

I have learned to understand my feelings rather than condemn them, to regard them as friends and protectors instead of fearing them as something alien that needs to be fought against. Though our parents or teachers may have taught us to practice such self-amputation, I think we must ultimately realize that it is in fact very dangerous.

I recently read it in an article that no teacher will beat the children entrusted to his care unless he himself was beaten as a child and forced to learn to suppress his anger. He will take it out on the children in the class without knowing why he does so. I believe that awareness of this fact could save many children from exposure to such brutality. It is not our feelings that make us a danger to ourselves and our environment, it is the dissociation of those feelings caused by our fear of them.

If we hate some characteristics... let's say...hypocrisy, insincerity, male chauvinism, mendacity or anything for that matter, then we grant ourselves the right to fight them wherever we can, or to withdraw from people who show those traits. But if we pretend that we are impervious to these things, then we are betraying ourselves.

Hatred or for that matter any emotion that we go through - sadness, fear, depression, anger or anything is a logical consequence of what happened to us... it tries to tell us something about the injuries we have been subjected to, and also about ourselves, our values, our specific sensitivity. We must learn to pay heed to it and understand the message it conveys. If we can do that, we no longer need to fear hatred. I feel it is important to ask yourself whom your hatred is directed at, and recognize why it is in fact justified? Then we have a chance of living responsibly with our feelings.

Any uncomfortable emotion is trying to convey to us that something needs to change, and for that, we need to take action. In all my hatred scenarios the person did not hold any power over me, but I thought they did, it was all in my head... so what if I hated my manager?  I could have changed jobs any day and in other cases, I had the option to burn the bridges and move on but I lingered on trying to save relationships and trying to save people around me from being hurt and all that crap. I was the kind of person, who didn't want to say anything even if I experienced bad behavior, I shed tears. I no longer do that. If I ever feel suffocated with a person/ place/ object I move away from it before it turns into hatred or fear... but here is the thing, I don't forgive tormentor/ bad behavior/ cruelty with or around me, evil or bad behavior cannot be forgiven, otherwise, it prevails, now I confront people, I tell them how bad their behavior has been.

Hatred fades away with time... but the way to deal with it when one is actually subjected to it is by accepting that what you are experiencing is that feeling, and take action, make a change, confront the tormentors, you are helpless only if you believe you are...you are powerless - only if you think you are.

There are many stages in my life that I consider as 'growing up' experiences, but every time I had to take an action or make a change in my life to fix an unpleasant emotion that I was going through...are what I consider my metamorphosis... it built inner strength... because I had to push all that weight to the corner. Nothing holds power over me anymore...

So the thought of the day is: Bite your tongue next time when you say I hate Shahrukh Khan because you are not at a gunpoint to watch his movies.... you always have options.

Hatred is a feeling, albeit a very strong and assertive one, I must tell you that it is the WORST feeling that I have experienced so far. I do not want to experience hate again...ever in my life, it is a very nasty feeling and nothing in the world is worth going through it...but don't fight the feeling, fight the cause of it... head-on.

Dawkins

Since I was little I asked many questions like why is there any existence, you know life, stars, planets, universe. What is the purpose of existence? Is there even a purpose? And How does it make a difference because there is something, what if there was nothing?

 

Why do people worship these idols? How come a figure with a human body and an elephant head is a known god in the East and the West has no idea about it, if they are gods then how come they didn’t make themselves known throughout the universe? 

 

When I asked people 'if God made us then what made god', they looked at me as if I was an idiot. They told me that the creator created itself. And I wondered If something can create itself out of nothing then maybe there is a possibility that the universe could have created itself out of nothing, it is its own creator.

In my teenage years, I felt a disconnect with the world. Temples, churches, mosques, god, rituals, religions, prayers... I did not understand its necessity. And to be honest with you I felt inferior.  I felt as if I am one of these lowly creatures as I lacked the most important thing that drives the world - faith. I lacked faith and I still do. While believing strongly, without evidence, is considered a mark of madness or stupidity in any other area of our lives, faith in God still holds immense prestige in our society. Religion is the one area of our discourse where it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about. 

(before I continue here is the definition of faith - Any belief that is devoid of logic, reason, rational, evidence or witness - is called faith.)

My teenage years were a frustrating phase for me as I was forced to take part in rituals and customs that I didn’t believe in and sadly I had no courage to speak about my lack of faith.

When I was around 19-20 one of my older brother introduced me to books by Richard Dawkins, When I read them it dawned on me that I wasn’t abnormal, but it is quite normal to wonder and ponder over the various aspects of existence and moreover to question the thousands of years old belief system. Then there was no looking back for me, I read all his books, and by many other scientists. Even though we learn science in school/ college I feel I started learning science and became interested in science in its true sense when I started reading books by Dawkins. reading books related to science (and not just textbooks) makes one realize the pettiness of religions, gods, wars and all that crap.

Yes, I am an atheist, I have no religion. Did Dawkins turn me into an atheist? No! I always was a non-believer. The only difference is now I admit it openly. And I feel atheism is a person’s default state. Every single person is born an atheist, every baby you meet is a non-believer, it has no clue whatsoever about the concept of god, if it is born in Arkansas then it is taught or pressurized to believe in one thing and if it is born in Kabul then it is taught or pressurized to believe in another thing. 

Humans are the only animals with imagination, on planet Earth and the godly figures were born thousands of years ago through people’s imagination, through the stories that they told. I do not think that God created man but I believe that it is the man who created God. 

So there is a possibility that thousands of years from now people might think that Harry Potter really happened. Maybe they will build temples of Harry Potter and burn Voldemort's effigy once every year like they currently do with Ravana. 

I feel in awe of this technologically advanced world. There is so much intelligence around, I feel honored to even have coexisted the Earth with people like Dawkins and Hawking, but then I also see these overzealous, religious people who believe, follow and fight over thousands of years old traditions/scriptures/customs/rituals/gods and superstitions… Thousands of years ago humans were so primitive… all they could do was imagine and tell stories. and it really is perplexing for me to see that we still follow the customs/ rituals/ scriptures/ traditions/ superstitions/religions and gods created by these primitive people.

Don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for people who are religious and so-called spiritual and in spite of that they are good humans.

I do believe that science will one day conquer all the ignorance in the world. It might not happen in our lifetime but all gods will die off one by one as their relevance outlive our evolving intellect.

 

I am sure I wasn’t the only kid who went through a frustrating phase, there are many more out there. All I can say is Encourage your kids to ask why, let them follow logic over thousands of years old beliefs, rather than trying to mold them let them just blossom, and make them learn science in its true sense.

 

And here are some great books by Richard Dawkins that I highly recommend.

 

The Selfish Gene, The God Delusion, The Blind Watchmaker, The Greatest Show on Earth, Ancestor's Tale and one of my favorite is 'the magic of reality'.

 

Random thoughts again

 As the area of our knowledge grows so does our perimeter of our ignorance 

What’s bad for our ego is good for science 

If you are not actively dismantling patriarchy then you are factually benefiting from it. 

Updating just our wardrobe does not make us modern. Our ideology needs to catch up with our technology too. 

 Anybody that does not see how phenomenal and beautiful you are and that does not value the fullness of you as you are essentially does not deserve to share space and time with you. 

Drawn in by my smile but repelled by my boldness

New video - Gotra system the complex science

 

Random thoughts

The only common factor between all your failed relationships is you.

Quality means rethinking, reworking and polishing.

I miss a lot of people, but remember just a few. 

I remember what they do, what they like, where they went to school, what they said, their opinions, when are their special days. 

Missing people is easy, remembering takes an effort. I guess I love those more who I remember. 

It is always the small actions that say more than what big words do. 

Stillness is often recommended in the form of pranayama and meditation, sit, lie on the floor and go into nothingness.

Stillness for me is not about focusing on nothingness, it is about creating a clearing and opening up an emotionally clutter free space and allowing myself to feel, dream, think and question. 

Mid life crisis - I feel it it not crisis but unraveling. A time when you feel a strong pull to live the life that you want to live than what you are supposed to live. It is a time when you are challenged by the universe to let go what you are supposed to be but embrace what you are.

Worried about…

 I am worried that people don’t talk anymore, forwards and emojis do not count for a communication or conversation.

I worry that people do not ask why, they follow beliefs superstitions faiths traditions without ever asking why.

I worry that people who sing and dance well are rich and famous and people who think well die poor.

I am worried about stupid , it is all around us.

I worry that we glorify stupid on tv shows, we watch shows like big boss and people’s stupidity entertains us. Shouldn’t it be something intelligent that entertains us? 

I worry that we as a society will make dumber and dumber decisions and there won’t be anyone to recognize these bad decisions or say anything about them

Sound of silence

 

Kabhi kisiko mukamal

One of my favorite ghazal and it’s meaning -

 kabhii kisii ko mukammal jahaa.N nahii.n milataa

kahii.n zamiin to kahii.n aasamaan nahii.n milataa

No one ever gets the entire universe 
Somewhere the earth and somewhere the sky is missing  

jise bhii dekhiye vo apane aap me.n gum hai
jubaa.N milii hai magar hamajubaa.N nahii.n milataa  

Whoever you see is lost in their own sorrow 
They have thoughts to share but no companion to listen  

bujhaa sakaa hai bhalaa kaun vaqt ke shole
ye aisii aag hai jisame dhuaa.N nahii.n milataa  

Who is able to douse the embers of time 
This is a fire that has no smoke  

tere jahaa.N me.n aisaa nahii.n ki pyaar na ho
jahaa.N ummiid ho isakii vahaa.N nahii.n milataa

It's not like there's no love in your life (universe) 
Where you hope for it you won't find it there

~~Nida Fazli

Tv shows I loved part 4

 

Don’t procrastinate

Start exercising today, don't wait until everything is just right, things are never just right. Start and put things right as you go.

The in-laws problem!

 

Birth Right

What perplexes me the most is what holds women back from conveying our point of view? Why do we complain about 'unfair treatment' but never make an effort to achieve equality in every relationship?

Is financial independence required to gather courage? Is it even valid to say I earn so treat me as an equal? It is the birthright of every individual of all genders, races, and castes to be treated square.

3 in Science

One fine day something happened out of nowhere. That something created everything, it is the reason why we exist. I am talking about the big bang.

 

Was there space before the big bang? Or then the big bang created the space? What exactly is space? Why is it there? What is the shape of the universe? Did it exist at one point of time and then something went wrong, everything collapsed and then the big bang happened again? 

 

Are there multiple universes? And why not, if it could happen here then it might have happened somewhere else. 

 

What if none of this had happened or existed ever? how does it make a difference because there is something? What is the purpose of existence?

 

It is frustrating as humans have so-called 'intelligence' factor, so they want to have a purpose to everything. It is beyond us why would there be something without any goal, aim, purpose or ambition. Also, it bothers us that there is a creation that has no creator, so we want to believe in a creator. Well, that fixes us in an endless loop of what created a creator with conscious?

 

Would there ever be a time when scientists get closer to the answers? Maybe a billion years from now? Would humans even live that long to find out? 

 

Reading books related to science genre doesn't answer many of the questions that I have, in fact, many times it leads to having more questions than before. But I would rather die happily with unanswered questions than living a life with no questions or wonder or curiosity about existence. I would also rather read science to gain answers to my questions rather than visiting self-proclaimed enlightened masters who say they know the cosmic truth. Whatever that means. It will take me another post if I start talking about them so I will stick to the topic which is the top 3 books that I highly recommend in the science genre. 

 

1. The Sun’s Heartbeat Bob Berman

 

The Sun will die one day, just like all the other stars do. Ever wonder what will happen when our Sun dies killing everything surrounding it and leaving the beautiful intelligent life that resides in this galaxy go extinct? Would the future 'aliens' ever know that there once lived a Sun that gave birth to such stupendous life forms who invented such extraordinary things like the social media :-) Or the knowledge of all our inventions will die with us?

 

Our hearts beat because the Sun's heartbeat is still intact. Maybe we will die before the Sun does, because of global warming, wars, population, pollution, maybe an asteroid hits the Earth or maybe we will kill each other before the Sun does in a dispute over the name of 'The Creator', in that case, we can't blame it on the Sun.

 

The book is about everything one would want to know about our life-giver and the Author's sense of humor makes it an excellent read.

 

2. A short history of nearly everything - by Bill Bryson

 

While reading each and every chapter I felt as if I am actually witnessing it. For example, while reading the first chapter I thought I am actually watching the birth of the universe and then in the next chapter I was sitting on Pluto and watching everything in the universe pass by…

 

The book is fast-paced. It covers everything from the universe, cells, chemistry, dinosaurs, birds, evolution, volcanoes and a lot more... 

 

3. Physics of the impossible

 

Adjoining is a picture taken by Hubble telescope. It shows thousands of galaxies that surround us. Each one having millions of stars and planets. There is a high probability that there is life somewhere in those 100+ billion galaxies. Is there anyone living far away who evolved as we did? Since Earth is a newborn compared to other galaxies is it possible that the life existing there is much more advanced and have also figured out the radio frequencies, space travel and what not? 

Would it ever be possible to contact them? 

 

There were so many things tagged as impossible a century ago, such as man on the moon. There are many we still tag as impossible such as space travel and tele-transportation. 

Ironically the word impossible itself says I am possible ;-).

 

The famous theoretical physicist Michio Kaku talks about these impossible things and how far scientists are in cracking the code in his book 'Physics of the impossible'.

 

Do you think a billion years from now humans will be hopping from planet to planet, populating (and polluting) everywhere around? One can only wonder or then read what these brilliant minds have to say!