Surreptitious Radical Maniac

Being broken. Not an easy thing, as maybe you don't always build things, but you still face consequences. It teaches you lessons. A broken leg... first responsibility is taking care of yourself A broken heart... people who love you are more important than whom you love A broken wallet... what you want and need are different A broken career... finding job can be easy, but not purpose in it   Never realized had all (maybe more) of them, until they were broken. Now, building all of it. But, patches would remain and can be seen.   P.S. I started by writing 'taught,' but realized, it's still 'teaching' me.

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am." The woman below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude." "You must be a programmer," said the balloonist. "I am" replied the woman," How did you know?" "Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far." The woman below responded, "You must be a manager." "I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?" "Well," sa...

Are we constantly worrying about the future? Working towards it? Tamed by it? Or are we creating it? Making our fortune? Or just watching as time pass by. It's very curious to see the way 'time' is constructed, which created past, present and future. Taking a smaller example of it, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Interestingly, the Hindi language word for yesterday and tomorrow is the same: 'kal'. Does that mean anything? Why didn't/couldn't they think of different words? Maybe they saw it was unnecessary, and we are just in a perception of time. When I learnt this for the first time in school, it baffled me. I was appalled to see how do I communicate effectively if the word is the same? But, I didn't face much trouble, because it's the same case for everyone. Not just me. “The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.” – Ma...

Capitalism is an economic and political system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. As critics point out, capitalism can cause inequality, market failure, damage to the environment, excess materialism and other challenges. Although these problems can be seen as endemic, it is still one of the major systems across the world. It is seen as broadly winning against communism, and even socialism. But, if it’s successful, as even adopted by many countries, why is it seen as dangerous? Does it have to be dangerous? What makes it stick? Pondering these questions makes me think of human nature. The famous parable of ‘A pond full of milk’ where the king asks people to put milk, but everyone puts water. It explains the innate nature of humans, where they think 'I don’t have to put the milk, someone else will do it.’ Conversely, let me explore the question of capitalism. What makes it stick? Capitalism gets into human nature and biolog...

Is saying 'no' hard? How often are we ready to say 'no'?  In fact, it is one of the most common word which a baby starts to hear from parents, which manifests in different forms like stopping from doing something to eating or playing, etc. Often, this 'no' ends up the baby's list of things which he/she is eligible to do. Well, that's on the opposite end, where the baby hears 'no'. Now, how often, are you ready to say 'no'? Is it easy for you? Why or why no? Here are two interesting examples, both American, one fictional and one real. But, that shows the power of 'no'.    The power of a positive no – William Ury Consider the challenge faced by my old friend Emily Wilson, longtime housekeeper for the family of the celebrated economist John Kenneth Galbraith, when President Lyndon Johnson called one day, looking for the professor:  “Is Galbraith there?”  “He’s taking a nap and has left strict orders not to be disturbed....

I've always been wary of planting trees. Not that it doesn't do good. I don't think anyone questions the benefit and usefulness of a tree. But, my hesitance and wariness is from a different concern. Once my father told, 'taking care of a tree is equal to raising a child.' I'm not here to dispute or question that statement, but critically analyze it with respect to trees. Human babies are the most helpless with respect to any other mammals, and need lot of support and upbringing, even at later stages of life. The physiological development at least demands nearly 10 years of continuous effort from parents to raise the child. It is actually the same with trees. There has to be consistent effort to make sure the planted tree is receiving water and nutrients, and growth has to be supported. Raising a pet is also seen equally to raising a child. Planting a tree also falls in the same respect. The tree grows, ages and also has a lifespan.  Of all the people who pl...