Rise

WHY DO WE FALL?..

RISE

"It's when ordinary people rise above expectations and seize the opportunity that milestones truly are reached." - Mike Huckabee

Every legged being on this planet has fallen before learning to walk or run or even stand. Taking a larger picture into account, some of us remain limp even when our hair begin to grey. The world seems lesser organic when the sight of men loses its sheen. It is the touch of color that makes the world beautiful and vibrant while monochrome is always an intense color! No prizes for guessing the title of the cues that inspire this writing.

Throughout life there come two kinds of success, one where you outperform your ownself and another where you outperform others. Both of them have a lot of sugar to digest. Set your eyes on a certain goal so high that your neck cracks by even looking at it. You work hard, harder- your hardest to achieve something magnificent that others can only dream of yet cannot savor it. Leave everything behind; your materialistic things, emotions, your feelings, even yourself if you've to. Pushing to the limits is what a few of us do nowadays, mentally. Then the reaping day comes where you get the result of sowing of your seeds. The result comes out in your favor, the likes of which the people has never witnessed. You rise to the occasion and enjoy the spotlight. The thing about spotlight is that it is never permanent. There's an element of surprise here and that is why the people remain in an awe. The stage awaits the man of the hour with all the glory imaginable. Extraordinary things happening to ordinary people always catches attention. Here you outperform your competitors and are set as an example for the future potential-ists. The person becomes the eyecandy and enjoys h-is/er 2 minutes in the glory. This part is what most people dream about. This part is what makes it 'The Thing' to achieve! Sound the bugle, roll the drums, pour the champagne! There is no feeling close to this. It all seems so heavenly and pristine like every butterfly performs a special piece for you.

Soon, reality calls..

With all the heroics achieved, the person becomes invincible to the others; the untouchable. This is what 'fear' of a god-like person does to other people. Meanwhile the person in glory might brag about, wandering in all h-is/er super-confidence. During the time of test, fear gallops. Fear has a lot of power and mustn't be underestimated, it can prolong the torment in men. The expectations of the people are sky high and the onus is on the person to outdo h-im/er -self. Ground reality calls and mind begins to wander various alleys. Forget outperforming, the person can't even repeat the previous performance. The spotlight dims and the person gets off the stage. The golden chair that once invited the person soon finds him estranged. The whole world turns upside down and it takes a lot of courage and spirit to turn it right side up again. Sinking in the ocean of your own passion, prospects & creations. Dreams turn to nightmares as the real world comes to haunt the very essence that made the person achieve such thing - the Spirit. Cold streets with growling beings make it harder to breathe outside and makes the world a lot more claustrophobic than it actually is. Break a person's back and see how the spirit follows! Hope is the only weapon available, along with Endurance. The person begins to retrospect and can either find emptiness or elements that can bring h-im/er back in the game. The head knows what the body can ever imagine. Take a screwdriver and pick up any wrecked thing you've around you and your mind will do the rest. This is what we call the grand 'Comeback'.

"Listen to the sound of your own voice & you can rise above doubt and judgement." - Nancy Lopez

Start from the scratch with a peace of mind that even the wing beat of a fly could be sensed. We're all but malleable pieces of energy so concentrate on the ground reality. Never aim of outperforming others. Eclipse yourself and you shall find the courage and the determination to transcend to where you belong. Just imagine the fire of your own passion for the thing you aspire to be and dig deep enough that you find your lost Ire. We're ultimately a substance of our own doings and the choices we make over the chances we take. Dedicate every inch of yourself to the work and build a utopia. Run after the peace of mind like a dog chasing cars and watch the success bird come knocking on your door. 

The key to surviving the whole episode is to savor and embrace and analyze the situation correctly, keeping intact its true meaning and essence. One needs to subsume the feeling and be satiated at one point to prevent harm to oneself. Unreal goals are inspiring till a point of getting a person back on feet, to rise that person. The person should never create a forcefield around h-im/er -self to lead a prosperous life. The person must never turn to anti-social events as it is what we do that defines our true character. The beginning of this post was meant to be taken as a story of a whole and not a fragment in itself. Ignition is needed to start a fire but you cannot ignite a fire from fire! It is fascinating how we use hot temperature'd words to signify passion and dedication towards something. It takes a lot to reach the numero uno spot but it takes everything to maintain that spot. Contended people are those who acknowledge the calling of time and graciously step down at the correct moment. The first step to Rise is accepting one's weaknesses and overcoming them without the sense of self-pity. Falling down is a blessing in disguise for everyone as it maintains the level of sanity required for the normal functioning of humans all around. Stumbling down is a virtue full of life and hope, if you look at it!

So why do we fall? Only to Rise again, I guess!

"Limited in his nature, infinite in his desire, man is a fallen god who remembers heaven." - Alphonse de Lamartine

The Hand Of Fate: Part II

THE HAND OF FATE

PART II: BELIEVE

"We're all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde

It takes two to create & appreciate a work of art. Any work done in the world is either appreciated or rejected. Thus, the world needs a 'giver' and a 'receiver'. Similarly it is obvious that, like I mentioned in the previous part, people either believe or they do not. Being humans, every person in this world share certain similar dreams of leading a peaceful life, no troubles with anyone etc. The strings of a wet violin or an acoustic guitar can provoke certain emotions and feelings that no other thing in the world can. But what is music to the deaf! 

It has been extensively discussed that whether or not all the things that happen to us happen suddenly or are they pre-programmed? Just imagining this question initiates a chain of thoughts and the person knows whether he/she is a believer or not. Some people like abstruse things while most prefer simplicity i.e. what they see is what they believe. The idea is to romanticize the whole concept and turning it into an indirect way of introspection. It is our innate tendency to ponder over events that take place during the course of our lives, "Why did this happen? What is..? How can this be..?" Nearly all the chordates in the world possess two eyes each but yet don't share a common perspective on certain things.

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" - Tina Fey

"It's a bird.. it's a plane.. it's Superman!!" Sounds familiar? How apprehensive we are towards the paranormal or supernatural things or entities that we need a constant reminder of such things that stand parallel to the values with which we are familiar; such as mortality, morality & the biggest of them all -it's Tangibility. Who would believe a man able to fly or read our minds correctly? Perhaps it is also for the same reason why our imaginations let us explore this super-natural phenomenon, with a human heart. Take the success of movies such as Star Wars, Star Trek and some recent super-heroes from the likes of Spiderman, Iron Man, The Avengers, Dark Knight trilogy & the most recent Man of Steel. The creators of these reboot movies made a small integral change to the character as a means of achieving ultra-reality - Heart. The protagonists, no matter the symbol, had their heart in the right place thus connecting with the audience and attracting a wider one. The main character's were regarded as a symbol they wanted to signify, at the same time seemingly appearing human-like/believable with a conscience and a conviction. It accounts for a perfect blend of power & sense. Who hasn't dreamt of being able to fly, seriously?!

For extra-ordinary achievements there's a process:

Think (and brainstorm)

An Idea (is the seed)

Imagine (and let the idea grow)

BELIEVE (in the idea)

Concentrate (your energy into your belief)

Work (like there's no tomorrow)

Once you show people your current stature and magnitude of your success, they would want to test you to your limits. It is only when a person is able to repeat his/her heroics that s/he is regarded with respect. But the beauty of humanity is also that if the person fails to repeat the same performance, s/he earns what is most precious on earth - Respect. When a person respects another person, s/he believes in that person. Respect is a bridge that connects a person to the most amazing experiences. Similarly when a person 'respects' and understands the mystical ability of nature and the laws of humanity, the fruit of belief won't be left untasted. Extraordinary things happen to ordinary people, it is that they choose to believe it, "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"(rings any bells?). A non-believer is essential to complete the balance of the universe. Some believe that to believe is a gift; believe it? ..or not? Why not take a leap of faith then!

"Sometimes you've to take a leap of faith first, the trust part comes later." - MoS dialogue

The Hand of Fate: Part I

THE HAND OF FATE

PART I: INCEPTION

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Life is a gift with multi-layered packing. No one knows where does one gets its energy or the courage to stand the test of time. There are several unexplained phenomena in life that one can only feel but not describe in human words. 

"Oh, I'm a fortune's fool!", says Shakespeare in his Romeo and Juliet. The most interesting wandering of the mind is felt when it starts drawing parallels with the surroundings. You go on a walk with your best friend and suddenly after a few meters, the legs get synched. This is no fate as science had earlier suggested that the brain has this mechanism of getting in the 'perfect rhythm' with the person or thing it is closely associated with at that moment. The Neocortex (or Neopallium) is responsible for performing higher functions efficiently, such as those of sensations, language & reasoning. In other words, it is the human part of the brain. Cognitive learning is what makes a person what he/she becomes.

Most people see the world as they want to see, and it has been a practice that we tend to fool ourselves quite often. An agnostic won't believe in the miracles of the world even if he/she can witness it. The callous mind wanders off to deduce the occurring. The person lives in pain, in sorrow - in the eyes of an optimist. A lovely movie duology came in the 90's titled Before Sunrise & Before Sunset which portrays the Hand of Fate much clearly. There are these two people meeting by 'chance' and leaving only to re-unite after 9 years. What would eat the atheist the most inside would be "what did they do in those 9 years?" Same thing goes with life, we lose a few people along the way, meet new people & that is the way our life functions. Only during our testing times do we realize the importance and the beauty of the merrier ones, rather the past ones which seem dear only now[THINK!]. 

“We are - all of us born with a letter inside us, and that only if we are true to ourselves, may we be allowed to read it before we die.”  - Douglas Coupland

Genetics states that our genes are the only pre-programmed units of life & that whatever we do, think or even create comes from that programming ergo, the sequence of the nucleotide base pairs. Applying this logic to a larger mass, by extension, leads us into  thinking that the actions of all the living beings present on earth had already been determined and thus in a way, the world is in fact actually a play & we all are mere artists. But one wonders to the heed paid to the amount of details that our actions possess such as looking at something, smelling something  - the notion of pre-program feels rather rhetoric in such events. Now even if it has been pre-programmed, who is the programmer? A rationalist believes that everything is a coincidence, a believer believes it as a way of God or some supreme power. No matter who we are, there's no denying that there's a superpower that exists in the universe that creates, guides & leads us to our destination. In a population of more than 7 bn how can only a few handful of people get so close to us? 

Two people aren't meant to be at the same place at the same time at once, how about jinxes? How does one explain Deja vu? How is it that a person is able to wish another person "Happy Birthday" precisely on time without having actually possessing its knowledge? Co-incidences do occur but only co-incidences do not. Such 'co-incidences' defy the common logic that we are equipped with. We fear the aliens, mostly because we don't know them. A human being is always afraid of things that it doesn't know. Knowing is everything for us. We know a pet dog won't bite us because he has been trained such but we don't know that a stray dog would only bite us! It is a wonderful life we all lead. All I can say regarding fate is that it is a feeling, sort of a pseudo-sense that comes to those who truly believe.

Since the topic is so vast that I cannot cover even it's 10% in a single post, I'm going to write it in parts - as and when new thoughts emerge into my mind.

In the end, I'd suggest the reader to take a look at the ending scene of Signs, a movie by M.Night Shyamalan, the window scene towards the end. This post is inspired by the track of same name, used in the climatic scene of Signs. Funny, I didn't quote my inspiration in the beginning- maybe because it wan't meant to be!

“Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.” - Lemony Snicket

Besides The Dying Fire..

BESIDES THE DYING FIRE..

"You can always see a face in the fire." - Henry David Thoreau 

Life is a wonderful gift. It is said that to appreciate the good one must confront the bad. Similarly, we humans have a tendency to envy those that are doing better than us. Envy is listed in the seven deadly sins of Christian ethics. A person earning a nugget more than another can create this feeling. The two people or parties, entities are termed as Rivals. Now, rivals are the entities that thrive to be possessed by the achievement of some common goal. This cannot be termed jealousy as, by definition, it is reflective of a person's attitude/feelings towards another person whilst envy is a person's attitude towards others 'achievements'. A fire burns in the heart of men that are possessed by this evil.

"The rivalry is with ourself. I try to be better than is possible. I fight against myself, not against the other." - Luciano Pavarotti

In terms of economics, a rival is looked upon as a subtractable good the consumption of which reduces the sales of the other (non-subtractable) good. To be competitive is healthy for any sustainable civilization and it becomes necessary too as it serves as a means of progress. It helps a person to be more progressive and to contribute to the betterment of the self and society. This type of a rivalry is a healthy one, in other words termed as Pro- or Constructive Rivalry. A person flaunts his/her dedication towards the deed and strives to outdo the other, while remaining conscious of personal limitations. The rivals here look up to each other with utmost regard & respect. Usually, such rivalries end on a positive note with both parties gaining the most from it. We must thrive for such kind of practice. 

“Envy is like a fly that passes all the body’s sounder parts, and dwells upon the sores.” – Arthur Chapman

The other kind of rivalry, a more darker version termed as Detrimental Rivalry. This kind of rivalry results in dis-balancing the harmony. Here one entity in enviable of another's persona/achievements. The person gets obsessed in besmirching the other & thus retain its alpha status. This kind of rivalry is most often found. The person burns with anger, which might be primarily induced by its own failures - but the yearning to outdo or rather demolish the other person's achievements fuels the fire & might take a defining turn. The turn might result in increased dedication towards achieving the goal, more self-composure & increased perseverance. The other turn might result in anti-social activities. Everything that has a beginning has an end & this fire has to end sometime too, but not until a conclusion is reached. The adverse effects may result in complete lack of self-confidence, self-reliance i.e. a loss of self. Here the entities are not considered rivals, but opponents. Every step taken by one is considered grim by another. Obviously the 'trust' is lost between the players. Any action taken by one is cross checked over & over again, repeatedly. It is just a matter of time when it becomes a cat & mouse chase. The players, turn restless as they close-in on the goal. Usually there is no logical reason towards hatred as every human is different & has an own way of doing/achieving things. The parties remain oblivious to the good that the other party possesses. 

In every game one party has to win while other is bound to lose. It is how we take our failures that defines our character, our level of maturity. I've elaborated on the latter kind of rivalry as it is this one which results in anti-self activities and later result in the destruction of the person (self). The people that are most benefited from any kind of rivalry are the intermediate ones, the extras of this game who possess no loyalty and possess a selfish motive to warm themselves from this fire. 

But no matter what has been said or expressed, a person never remains the same when the fire of envy dies, for he/she may have found resort somewhere else! THINK!!

“Rivalry is the life of trade, and the death of the trader” - Elbert Hubbard