A Big Leap
10 years ago
Happy New Year, folks! Last week has been a kind of revelation... nothing to be really proud of... a little disorientating, to put it mildly. Loads of things happened to make me feel that I'm, well... not that young... anymore. So I thought about it... and I have here my own list of the top ten (in no particular order) signs that you can look for, to determine whether or not you've had a reasonable amount of progress in terms of age..
- When most of the bottles and jars in your shower rack or dressing table have some version of the word "age-defying" on them.
- When the beauty parlor lady begins to plead with you to at least now, colour your "virgin head of hair".. and the top reason is not because it "improves your hair quality" or "makes your hair softer" but because it "will hide your greys for longer". (What!?!? I have grey hair?? I was in denial all this while I guess!!)
- When you suddenly feel that you're being stared at by one and all while you're browsing in the Misses section in the clothes department.
- When you think of the last ten parties you've been to and the list only includes birthdays of toddlers.
- When you find yourself checking a higher age-range while filling a form.
- When the list of your routine medical tests gets just a tad longer.
- When you hear from an old friend after a number of years which is greater than how many you believe you've been alive for!
- When you suddenly find that if a teenager is calling out to "Aunty..", its you they are referring to.
- When you meet your niece/nephew after a long time and you realise that she/he's not a teenager any more!
- When the bhaaji-wallah starts to address you as "Behen-ji" as opposed to the "Shishter" title you've gotten used to.
When I shared these thoughts with a few friends they definitely tried to make me feel better with words like "Yummy Mummy" and "still the same cartoon I knew five years ago" flying around... thanks, guys. Still I guess I will take a few days to get over this disconcerting feeling! My sons are being a great help though... I can really be a kid with them!! :) Its fun jumping around and yelling and singing like no one's watching... or listening. So here's to a new year full of happy things to look forward to. If you've got ears, say "Cheers!"
Have a great 2009!
Something unique I came across today. Disney is trying to sell me a trip to Disney World and this is how they promote it.
What a great idea!! :)
The following thoughts have been stimulated by the post, Cynic in Wonderland: Minding the Mind, by a friend.
Dear Cynic, all your hypotheses about the slowdown in one's intellectual growth are just fine. What you have not done, is consider external elements that tend to shake up the equilibrium. Let me illustrate. A perfect example of these external elements would be children. Well, you did briefly mention, in your third hypothesis, "real life, earning one’s livelihood, responsibilities" and children, I would say, become your prime responsibility. Combine this with "earning one's livelihood" and you've got yourself a highly combustible mixture. Suddenly you see yourself sliding back down the left side of the bell curve.
From devouring one cryptic crossword a day, suddenly you're down to five clues a month. From looking for intellectually challenging reads or New York Times bestsellers and the likes, suddenly you find yourself scanning the horizon for "Bruno learns to share" or "Pepper plays with fire" and other picture books with big letters. And, you know you've hit rock bottom when the only song you can think of to sing at the office picnic is "This old man, he played one...".
Then when you're slowly climbing back up the curve with the children, you realise that this is not the same route you took when you were growing up. The curve looks a lot different now, a lot steeper than you remember. And you find that your children have no trouble running up it, they've already reached way above you and calling out to you from the top, mocking you, as you struggle to keep up.
So, dear Cynic, think about this, and think hard because there's no turning back, no exit, no escape route, nothing... once you've gone in through this door.
Although, on the up side, if your inner child is still alive and kicking and wishes to stay that way, then these could end up being the best years of your life. In this case, you will find it just as exciting to plan a toddler-friendly trip to Disney World as you would a snorkeling trip to the Maldives. So the choice, dear friend, is all yours!
So, who are these guys?
Just random, young, lost souls that fall into the wrong sort of company?
I mean, what kind of brainwashing techniques do the head honchos use on these poor souls?
Must be something really strong and scientifically advanced... if you can be led to believe that you should kill all these innocent people to get to heaven! And if you can be led to believe that it is your God's command and that it is for Him that you must be prepared to kill others and yourself! Can't even begin to imagine the mental make-up of such people. Of the misleaders and the misled!
What can you do to try and stop someone who is so prepared to die?
What are they thinking?
Do they not have even a molecule of mercy in their hearts?
Why can't such kind of energy be channeled correctly and for good purposes?
Or, wait, is this a good purpose for them?
What is the end goal of these terrorists?
To rule the world?
Do they not see that they are a minority?
Have they not heard all the stories where the good guys always win?
Why do they bother?
Why can't they live and let live?
Or if they're so keen to die after all... then die and let live!
Where do they get all the money from?
Who finances their weapons and training camps?
Whats in it for these financiers?
Is it just some pocket change that they don't know what to do with?
Or are they true believers in the spread of fear and tragedy?
Why? Just because they have the power?
I'm sure there are good people who are more powerful than these guys. Where are they?
Why are they not financing some clean-up operations?
And why is everyone around me saying, "Oh well! There's nothing you can do about it!"?
I'm sure there is!
"Enough is enough... and enough is too much!" (- Popeye, I think.)
When everyone is cursing the politicos and how they don't do anything for the country ..blah blah blah, why should I keep my 20 paise to myself...
So, I think that the people governing this country are on an average, a bit too old. What kind of person does India want as a leader? Does India want a septu/octo-genarian, silver-haired person, with years of experience, but who can barely walk, or has a lullaby voice and reads his speeches as if he doesn't mean a word he says.
Wouldn't you rather have a face that is young, a face that is strong, a voice that is confident, speech that is vibrant and articulate and uplifting, a head that is always held high, a walk that is brisk and determined, a personality that exudes confidence and can represent a billion strong country all over the world? Would such a leader not give you a greater sense security?
I'm not saying that the experience of the octogenarians is not useful. It is! By all means, it is! But they should be among the advisers, they should be there backing up the ONE! That is why there is a ruling party and not a ruling person.
At least the following changes need to be implemented, according to me:
- Have a maximum age limit to hold such high offices.
- Keep a minimum educational qualification level to stand for elections (at any level).
- Do not allow anyone with even the smallest criminal record stand for elections for any office.
- Abolish sycophancy - everywhere!
- Make people aware. (yes, a very general statement)
- A lot of young people today are afraid to join politics. Why? Rope them in.
- Have transparency and accountability for every office in the government.
- Punish bribers and those who accept bribes
What the general public can try to do to improve their own quality of life and not curse politicians for:
- Keep their own surroundings clean
- Do not accept/offer bribes
- Understand the foreigners are not superior to us
- Get as much education as possible
- Do not give in to superstition
- Do not blindly follow people who claim to have extraordinary powers
- Keep a watch on people in your neighbourhood. Report suspicious activity
- Let your religion be Humanity (I borrowed this thought from a friend. Thanks, A.)
- Have a sense of responsibility for our country and its people (you're not just a drop in the ocean)
- Do random acts of kindness...every little gesture goes a long way
Look... the main issue with India is its number of people... every single problem boils down to this. So why not try to turn this problem to our advantage?
Labels: politics
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