Everything cancels out in the end!

The 4th Beatle? Paul is dead? 🐕

A successful Bollywood star was once interviewed for a podcast. The star had apparently struggled to climb the ladder of success without any connections or dynastic lineage to boost. He delved deep into his humble beginnings as he cosied up to the interviewer. Soon the whole conversation became up, close and personal. The Tinseltown star started reminiscing the times he grew up pathetically poor.

The family lived on the poorer side of town. Five family members, parents and three siblings squeezed into a tiny bedroom. A slight cough, hiccup or even sigh would alert the others to inquire whether things are alright. Besides pacifying each other, they would prepare some kind of concoction. Whether the home remedy worked or not, the love shared obviously did the trick. They were closely knit.

Jackie Shroff

Lady luck dropped in, and stars sparked brightly. With fame and fortune came a big mansion. Each family member had a private bedroom and attached fittings. The star was happy to 'pay' back to the family for standing by him through thick and thin. 

As cyclical as life is, life had its unexpected turn of events. Early one morning, the mother was found dead. Later, she had a massive coronary event the night before and succumbed to her condition.

The star then became philosophical. If only they had stayed together like before, when they were poor, one would have looked out for the other. The mother would have been rushed to the nearest medical facility, and appropriate treatment would have been instituted. 

But then, life is more complex. With minimal savings or medical insurance, expensive cardiac interventions remain a piped dream. With affluence, morbid conditions may be detected earlier and treated accordingly. To what extent should one give up the joy of living to worry incessantly with fear of dying? As Murphy's Law dictates, anything that can go wrong will go wrong if it is meant to. And Sigmund Freud chided Carl Jung for proposing something like 'Synchronicity'.

When we were young, we yearned for that plate of fat-laden juicy mutton varuval; we just could not afford it. Now, when possible, our cholesterol levels give a disapproving head shake. As the Tamil proverb goes, 'When there is a dog (and you need a stone), there are no stones; when you have stones, there is no dog in sight!'

Like the Epicureans, we have to rejoice in our wheat and water. And the Stoics, King Rama being the great example, troubles will pop up in torrents; we should face them valiantly and do the right thing to the best of our ability. 

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A minute's pleasure, a burden to Mother Nature?

Nature does not give favours. It just spins on its wheel as the Universe goes on moving forward and expanding outwards. It does not care for the weak, the rich or the powerful. It whitewashed the nation in one swing, denuding the land and flattening enormous erections.

A pup is born in a freak accident of Nature, combined with the estrus cycle of an ovulating bitch and the mating season. It is not a season of joy but a mere duty ingrained in the female canines to care for the pup. The Nature that brought the puppy is playing its tricks again. Nature unleashes its vigour yet again. At every level, elements strike him. The pup grows because of and despite the forces of Nature. In a way, Nature is strengthening and preparing the dog as it meets the hurdles that will befall it in its future. The weaklings will be cancelled. Its presence would not be missed or recorded in the annals of dog history. Sometimes you wonder what the purpose of all these is? The same force that creates also destroys. All these strengthening of species for what; a breed of super dogs?

You should ponder the next time you see a neglected puppy by the roadside. Should you go out and save the poor soul from the elements or let it go through the process of Nature that it was supposed to go through? 

One minute's pleasure, a burden to Mother Nature? Where does karma come into the picture?

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Doggone Man!

Chief, Doggy extraordinaire
Credit: IMDB

I watched an episode of the documentary 'Forensic Files' where a dog, when it failed to protects its masters, still managed to bring justice to the masters via its DNA to expose the identity of their murderers. 

A group of gangsters had entered a couple's home mistakenly thinking that the stash cocaine that they were looking for was there. Chief, a pit bull-Labrador mix pet of the household, pounced at the intruders only to be subdued by a gunshot on its shoulder. The gangsters continued their harassment by shooting the wife dead and giving non-fatal shots at the husband. Despite his near-fatal wound, Chief pounced back on the shooter as he was aiming at his master's chest. The shooter turned and shot Chief right between the eyes. The couple and their pet succumbed to the injuries eventually. Despite all the extensive police investigations, the perpetrators could not be pinpointed. Finally, Chief's DNA and furs were instrumental in bringing a guilty verdict to the gangsters. Poetically, even after its death, a dog did his duty to bring justice to his Masters by bringing to light their killers. I am pretty sure that is what his owner would have wanted. 

That episode left a sour aftertaste after learning what a domestic animal could do for his master; serve even after his death. I could help but compare to the news that had been hitting the headlines recently. 

The Human Resources Minister recently made a spot check into some foreign workers' living conditions in a particular small glove-making factory and was shocked to discover that their hostels were comparable to cowsheds.

It is besides the point whether his officers were ignorant to all these and that the minister was living under a rock, this is how human beings treat their kind. The bosses depend on their workers' loyalty and toiling under extreme conditions to fatten the company coffers, and this is what they get in return - living conditions fit for cattle. 

Then there was a woman whom I met in the course of my daytime work who just enough to sneak herself into the country to work clandestinely in a small factory but not intelligent enough to care for her biological organs. When the employer, the biological seed contributor, after discovering her parturient state, hurried off and claimed ignorance. That is how much loyalty is reserved for a fellow human being. 

For a piece of discarded bone, a pat on its head and a walk with his leash, I guess a dog would serve its master with its life. That is much more what a thinking Homosapien would do for another.

P.S. The word 'Doggone' is a euphemism for 'Goddamn it."

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Unsettled business?

Appa was never a friendly person. In his lifetime, I never saw him had friends coming over for a jolly good time or, he, being in the company of buddies or workmates for one. He is a man of few words. His idea of relaxation is the company of himself, within the confines of the four walls of his home and the accompaniment of his faithful transistor radio. 

He is one who taught me that so much could be expressed without verbalising a single word. Bonding can be shown without any unnecessary spoken word or meaningless display of emotion. He could spend a whole hour connecting with his sibling seated in a room for a full hour without a single sound. In short, he was economical with his words and not so expressive in his actions. 

All that, however, took a 180º turn when it came to Tango. Tango, not of the Tango and Cash fame, but was a lowly mutt who gasped his last breath quite recently after 13 years of existence. That would equal to 91 in human's equivalent.

Like Appa, Tango was also quite selective of his acquaintances. Known for his ferociousness, he was feared amongst the feline population and even the stray dog community. In many instances, he had defeated and had bought home carcasses of his kill on his occasional escapes from his home during the mating seasons. He was not particularly cordial to visitors of the humankind either.

Again, all that changed when it came to Appa. Hundreds of metres away, hearing the whirring of his motorcycle engine, Tango would spring to life. Wagging his tail, ear sprouting high, barking in playful, excited tone and jumping around, he was quite open with his display of pleasure. On Appa's part, he was never short of treats and dog food for Tango. Together, they would sit together contemplating and staring into nothing.

Now that both of them are no longer present on Earth, they would probably continue their ponderings in the ethereal world. 

Perhaps, all living things have a soul. Maybe, people and other beings connect at a primal level. The interactions of the souls in the cycle of births and rebirths make us all meet each other in different realms. We may have to finish unsettled businesses of our previous lives. Unfortunately, we cannot seem to remember. If karma is to punish us for our past shortcomings, is it unfair to punish us for something we do not know? How are we to amend the mistakes that are unknown?

https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson 

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Doggone life?

Credit: stress.org

You think you have it bad, working your butt day in and day out, dancing to the tunes of the loved ones around you and clowning to the antics of your potential clients. You were made to think that you are responsible for your mess. It is not proper for one to absolve himself of his misdeeds. It does not matter if the mistakes were made in the prime of youth when the heart control the mind and the sacral plexus were more dominant than the pre-frontal cortex. You reap what you sow, they say.

The demands of the modern world get too overwhelming. The pressure cooker lifestyle that you lead needed decompression. Your friends tell you to de-stress your life. Their mantra sings, "Lose your wife and reduce your stress by 50%; lose your Wi-fi for the remaining 50%!"

On top of the world, not looking,

without a care in the world! © EsKaySK

Then you tell yourself that you have to unleash from the chains of this proverbial dog's life; shooed, shied away and under-appreciated even though you treat your loved ones as God.

© FG

You go incognito in pursuit of peace of happiness in the company of you and yourself, losing your wife and Wi-fi conveniently. You scale the high mountains and knee-deep snow seeking serenity and solace. You reach the pinnacle, you are mesmerised and humbled by Nature's creation. You lose yourself in awe but what do also see? Lying at the edge of heaven without a care in the world, basking in the crisp sunlight, eyes closed in forty-winks with a sly smile on the side on its little lip are bushy dogs who seem to have found permanent residence in Triund, about 2000 metres above sea level.


Then, it strikes you. A dog does not have a dog's life! Human chooses to have a conniving rabid-like environment around him. He thinks that by creating such a hydrophobic atmosphere, he achieves much. Conversely, the dogs take it lying down.

The world that you create depends much on yourself. A dog's life, a godly one, a being always on the move or to just take things lying down - pick your choice. The world is your oyster. You are given one life, only one. Use it wisely.

asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson

I see black dogs everywhere...

Like a line of falling domino tiles, one by one, they all fall. Yet another one fell prey to the black dog. Even the outwardly strong minded ones with barrage of ammunition to shoot you down if you were to cross their paths, go into fetal position like a helpless infant when the final straw of hay broke their back. Like an epitome of patience, like a turtle she went on her duty on earth with diligence without complaining. Then came the challenges, one, another and another and poof she went all jello.

Young and old alike, they seem to be swept by this epidermic.
Coming mostly from humble backgrounds, one would have think that after enduring the uncertainties of life for a square meal and other comforts in life, enduring uncertainties by now would literally be a walk in the park. The general consensus is that one could not buy himself out of all troubles. Crying in a BMW, however, certainly looks less pathetic then crouching over a pavement but then the hopelessness are the same. It just goes on to say that there are somethings that money can buy like crying in comfort albeit the melancholy.

Just like stupidity, everybody around the victim realises the affliction except the affected party. The sooner the party realises her predicament, the sooner remedy can be sought. Failing this, she would continue barking up the wrong tree to find another name for her bad times. Blame it on the rain, stars, sun, planets and everything in between but the space between the ears.

Winston Churchill had a black dog
his name was written on it
It followed him around from town to town
It’d bring him downtook him for a good long ride 
took him for a good look around
Reg Mombassa: Black dog

World War 4 would be fought with sticks!

Tomoyuki Yamashita @ Tiger of Malaya
1885 -1946

His name rhymed with dog, so we call him one. Maybe because he tried to live up in the shadows of his brother who was a Valedictorian and school head prefect, Anjing-san wagged his tail around the teachers in the beginning of year for him to be thrown the bone of the unenviable post of class monitor. Our last three doggone years of primary school were filled by his tyranny.

Looking like General Yamashita of World War 2 infamy with his physique and hair cut, he fitted the role of a loyal bulldog very well. With his iron-fist style of leadership, he managed to instil morbid fear in our young fragile chicken hearts.
During the brief moments that the teacher would leave the class to run errands, Anjing-san would morph to the front ready to pounce as he jotted down names of 'trouble maker' students on the class board for the teacher to peruse.

He made it appear as if he had a special one to one divine relationship with the class teacher. Any word from him would get us all in trouble and only he had the 'get-out-of-jail' free card. Life went on dutifully. Our young impressionable and gullible minds were cowed into submission.
It only took one dissident to create a melee at the end of his seemingly endless brutal tenure. One day, the class teacher sneaked in at the back of the boisterous classroom to witness first hand Anjing-San 's iron-fisted fascist administration. Anjing-san got a earful which included pull of both ear pinnae and a rant. Only then did we realise that Anjing-san was mortal like us after all. We had unnecessarily lifted him up and placed in high on a pedestal.

Funny how after four decades, there are still people who think they have direct communication lines with the Forces above, be it administrative or divine. They interpret the circulars as they like to and insist that it is meant to be the way they say it is. Shirkers and non conformists are berated. Band of yeoman are cajoled to monitor that His alleged law is carried out on Earth as He would have wanted. Interestingly He is silent and has not showed any seal of approval or otherwise. Conveniently random same events are interpreted at will by believers and naysayers in any way that suit them.

History has shown us that challenges in life come in different and newer forms. In order for the human race to survive way into the future, as they have done in the past, they have to embrace the problems with newer ideologies and strategies. Living on past laurels and utilising middle age innovations to combat space age issues is a sure way of annihilation.

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.

Albert Einstein US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)

Nobody owes nobody nothing?

Just the day I was thinking...

Unlike my dog in childhood, Rexxie, who used to get all excited, jumpy, tongue waggly, drolly kind at the sight of any of the family members as they return home, Felix (the cat) is not the least bothered.
Returning home after a hard days' work, you think that looking at some(one) who is all excited about your return would just make you feel alright. But Felix at the corner has other plans... He saunters casually in a relaxed fashion, strutting his stuff, gyrating his hind legs (guess that is why they call it catwalk) walking haughtily  with his nose held high (like inhaling imported air) looking away from you without a care in the world. At that moment he does not need anything, only his breathing space! Just leave him alone (stop dogging him around!) pun not intended...

catwalk

He does not need you right now. You have bought his chow, his litter bag, his playpen, got his veterinary needs fulfilled. He is big and strong, he does not need you now.
That is the same story about life. Nobody owns anybody. Everybody fans for himself. At the desperate time of helplessness, nobody can help you. You have to help yourself. You have to swim yourself to shore, you have to fight the waves, shark and the wind.
Nobody owns anybody in this modern world except if you are in the human trafficking business. Your merchandise that you own is human flesh, bone and feelings that go with it.
Slavery supposed to have died, has it really?
And then there is something called emotional blackmail where some Indian mothers know just strings to pluck to strike the chord of self pity and helplessness! These strings of control are subtle ways to control the subjects and cow them to submission...

All things will/must pass...

A coincidence happened a few days ago to convince me that all things will pass and not to get upset about things. And it also convinced me to look at the other side of things. Somehow, wearing the other person's shoes, the problem does not look like a problem anymore!

 A few days ago, my neighbour's puppy started barking incessantly. Prior to that, nobody in the neighbourhood even knew of the existence of  a dog in their backyard until the eventful day. Calls after calls rang of the  hook of my neighbour's phone complaining about the nuisance so much so that he became phobic receiving calls and stopped answering them.

Almost like magic, during a casual conversation with my sister living 300km away a few days later, she was complaining that her neighbours were unhappy with their loss of sleep over the continual barking of her dog. She was at wit's end trying to get to the root of the problem with no avail.

Back in my neighbourhood, the barking ceased. It could be one of the follows: dog died/put to sleep/whatever offending the creature was removed/ dog just stopped barking/in somebody's cooking pot! Whatever it is, my neighbour never saw his neighbours the same way again after all the hurtful words hurled at him at the spur of the moment.

 On the other side of the 300km end, my sister zeroed it on the fact that the dog must be feeling cold after an overzealous grooming. After probably the disappearance of the initial irritation and adaptation, her dog stopped whining in the next few days and everybody in her neighbourhood were all smiles again. 

And life goes on.... Hurdles, tragedies, ailment, loss and calamities are just obstacles that we have to pass through in our voyage of life. No point getting upset as all thing must pass. Sometimes we pass with them too but we may be in a better place (so they say)......

A touching story

A Stray Hero from Hisyam on Vimeo.