Wednesday, December 30, 2009

My Dream

the train moved swiftly
gently along with the breeze
all in sleep so softly
the chillness around to freeze

tick tick tick on the cabin door
forcing me out of sleep
The man at door forced me to floor
my balance i could not keep

Edge of knife pointed at me
your favourite possesions part with
was told to me at cost so free
shattering in me the humanity myth

I tried not to succumb
But else what could I do then
My courage reduced to a tiny crumb
My life over the edge of knife, driven

Faint overcame me and I didnt know
As an angel came rescuing me
It was my friend after all i didnt know
with care so ample just so free

Little did I know that I would
Come home all so unharmed
with him to care for me I could
overcome this whole world just love armed.

© Jaysvimal ...
This was a dream I dreamt last night ;) Now what does that mean!!!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Darkness and Shadows

Every day, there is one point of time when men cast no shadows. In the evening , after the sun sets but before the light fades completely, the world stands out in a sharpness and clarity misleading to those who do not foresee coming darkness.

There exists a peacefulness in that time, when the day's creatures retreat to safety and those of night have yet to emerge. This time belongs to the ghosts of the past, who, visiting again the world they once knew, depart their attics and spirit-dwellings to wander. Humanity treads here also, bravely or foolishly ignoring the last warnings of the dying day. But if the workings of humanity were to be silenced, no sounds would remain except the rustling of the wind and the fleeing footsteps of the shadows.

Even those flighty figures - hazy, distorted reflections of ourselves - know when they have outstayed their welcome. Shadows: insubstantial, invulnerable. Yet each evening they flee westward with the setting sun, staying within the safety and warmth of the light while their solid portions remain to fend off the darkness.

Humans will never rule the night. As the darkness closes over the planet, we lose our grip, our power to control our surroundings. We can light our candles, shine our torches, point our lanterns out into the night, but we cannot drive away the blackness. It is an invincible force that surrounds the universe, waiting for each source of radiance to be extinguished. Light is only temporary; darkness, once established, is eternal.

It is the darkness. Yes. The darkness is the one that changes the world. Not physically: our constructions remain the same, as do the land and the people upon it. The distortion is much more intangible, more insidious than a simple transmutation of matter. The transformation is one of the mind and the soul. Our fears come out to play at night. Our mental state alters, as does our perception of our surroundings. The dangers of the world increase, and the beasts hidden behind the human form emerge.

Perhaps the shadows are not our reflection; perhaps they are the soul and we their images. Without them, we lose our humanity, become like the animals we were in ages past. The fear returns. So, too, the feeling of being hunted, the violence, and the evil in our beings.

The night belongs to murderers and thieves. It is the realm of the vampire, the werewolf, ghosts and witches. The lunatic and his namesake moon belong here, as do monsters under the bed and the things that go bump in the night. The land of nightmares awaits humanity with open arms, and we foolishly meet its embrace, all the while feeling a foreboding sense of dread that we will never see the light again.

It is not the beasts, real or imaginary, that frighten us, however. No, it is a far more horrifying thing that chills our hearts and causes our breath to catch. It is a truth we all know but none have come to accept. Within us all there is a monster: a stalker, a rapist, a murderer or even more vile creatures whose natures it is best not to contemplate. As the darkness surges forth, so do our inner demons. Each night we fight to keep them in check, but we realize the time may come when we fail: when our sanity goes the way of our shadows. Then we will finally become that from which we have hidden and run blindly, and that against which we have fought, and lost ourselves in sleep to guard against.

And that is what we fear the most. To one day awaken to life as something we have condemned and see no harm in the change. Nothing compares to the fear and revulsion a human being feels at the thought of being subverted to the point that he no longer realizes he is a victim of subversion. Darkness instigates this process. It misleads, misinforms, alters our reality to create other than what was. Once the fatal step is made in believing the lies of the night, it is far too late. A hold on the mind is formed, one that cannot be broken, one that continues to spread.
Beware the night; its tricks, its lies. It is a time better left to the moon, the unknown, the vampire. Shun the night, and rejoice at shadow's return each morn.

© 2001. This is a prologue to my novel written many years ago. The Story is set to take shape. May be in a decade or so ;) I had posted the prose earlier at different portals. But then, why not at my own weblog :)

Thursday, December 3, 2009

When you think someone is wrong... Think again...

The secret of one's success, lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from that person's angle as well as from your own.

Henry Ford once said, 'The best angle from which to approach a problem is the Try-angle'.

How does that matter now? Well, read on...

Once an LKG Class Teacher was teaching counting to the little children in her class. She thought happily that all the children had now mastered the concept of counting. But then.. there was little Riya who kept answering differently than the whole class.

The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three). Maybe the child did not listen properly, she thought. She repeated, 'Riya, please listen carefully." If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have? Riya had seen the disappointment on her teacher's face. She now calculated again on her little fingers. But within her she was also searching for the answer that will make the teacher happy. Her search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that would make her teacher happy. This time hesitatingly she replied, "Four". The disappointment stayed on the teacher's face. She remembered that Riya liked Mangoes. She thought maybe she didn't like apples and that was making her loose focus. This time with an exaggerated excitement and twinkling in her eyes she asked, "If I give you one mango and one mango and one mango, then how many you will have?"

Seeing the teacher happy, young Riya calculated on her fingers again. There was no pressure on her, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her new approach to succeed. With a hesitating smile young Riya enquired, "Three?" The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She wanted to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once again she asked her, "Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?" Promptly Riya answered, "Four!" The teacher was aghast. "How Riya? How?", she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice. In a voice that was low and hesitating young Riya replied, "Because I already have one apple in my bag."

Cool enough?

When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect, dont think they are wrong. There maybe an angle that you have not understood at all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen with a predetermined notion. When you are in doubt, just ask!