The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of

I suppose a significant few of you would have heard of the name Susan Boyle. For those who haven't she is a Scottish singer who received general attention, when she first appeared in the show, Britain's got talent. Now the thing that set her apart from all the usual sort of people you see on television, is that the first impression you get is nothing particularly remarkable.
When she first appeared on the show, the public as well as the judges, sort of looked upon her as a bit of a joke. They saw a 47 year old woman, who was not remarkable in her looks or in her demeanour, someone who seemed cheeky enough to have the audacity to come and participate in a well known television show.
Well, nevertheless, the judges expecting to chuck her out the minute she would sing, asked her to go ahead.
The song she sang was, "I dreamed a dream" from Les Misérables. And frankly, her rendition took the crowds by storm.
So much so, that by the end of her performance, she received a standing ovation.
Now, before she had sung the song, one of the judges, Simon Cowell, asked her, what's the dream? And she answered "I'm trying to be a professional singer". Now, on being asked why she hasn't been successful so far, she said that she never had the opportunity. And furthermore, she hoped to be as famous as Eileen Paige(a famous English singer) . Now, this earned her a couple of guffaws from the audience, and raised eyebrows from the judges.
Nevertheless, the minute she started singing, all the smirks from the audience were soon replaced by a look of awe.
And the rest is history.
Last I heard, she has been awarded a music contract from Sony music, and is well on her way to fame and stardom.
I have a lot of adoration for the woman, who in spite of the hostility from the audience, managed to win their hearts by the end. Its like something out of the books and novels.
In life, such incidents really inspire you and make you think that there is nothing out there which is impossible.
The thing is, I can completely relate to her.
It is not uncommon, for people to put you down, snub you, or discourage you, when you speak to them, of your dreams, your ambitions or your innermost wishes.
People have a way to put each other down, and make the other person feel worthless, or like some sort of insignificant insect.

It takes a great deal of courage and self confidence, to brace yourself to all the smirks and the guffaws that will follow you when you set out to achieve your goals.
I don't know why humans keep underestimating one another. Perhaps its the result of their own cowardice, or their own insecurity.
But all in all you have teachers telling children that they are stupid and thoroughly incompetent. You have "friends" who smirk when you tell them what you want to do with your life.
Unfortunately sometimes, even parents can end up discouraging their children.
The biggest joke is, when Einstein was a child, his school teachers thought him to be "dull" and unable to learn things.
We all know then who had the last laugh.

People have told me all sorts of things, through school and collage.
Even now, when I tell some of my "friends" that I want be a specialist in so and so field, I cant help notice the judgemental look, which reads "are you kidding me"?
Like I said, humans seem to get some sort of pleasure in putting each other down.
The thing is, like Susan, I suppose the best thing to do, is to wear your best smile, and look nonchalantly at your judging audience.
They will eat their words in due time anyway.
Its very rare to have people genuinely encourage you, when you set out to live your dream.
Some of us are fortunate in that aspect when our friends or family are happy for you, and egg you own to do your very best.
But for the remainder, the best thing to do will be to hold your head high, and not care a damn about those who keep putting you down.

All of us have a right to live our dreams. But its just our own inner fears and insecurities that keep us from achieving them.
It really gets my goat, when people underestimate me. And frankly many a time I have as a consequence, felt discouraged and forlorn. But I have in time learned to make peace with the fact that I don't have to give a damn about what people think.
Its up to us to prove the world wrong and have the last laugh. And making all the people who once called you stupid, ugly, or just plain dumb, eat their own words.
The worlds one big huge reality show by itself. And frankly one needn't be perturbed by a cynical and narrow minded audience.
You know that you have got it in you, and that's what counts.
For its the sort of stuff that dreams are made of.

Image credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swamibu, http://www.flickr.com/photos/estherase, http://www.flickr.com/photos/curoninja.

Petrified!

The purpose of having a blog are numerous. Some use it to convey what they feel, while some use it to spread some sort of social message. A good number of people use it as a medium to sharpen their writing skills, while a good remainder of people use it to rant out their grudges against life and the society they live in.
Today, I have nothing particularly to convey, nor am I exactly in the mood for personal introspection. On the contrary, as the title says, I am currently within the grasp of absolute petrification.
Within a month and a half, I am going to come across a very major milestone in my life. And that is graduation after six years of medical school!
Perhaps at this moment I ought to sound solemn and confidant, as I look to the future with the resolute calm and ease that would manifest perhaps in an individual who is certain of his prospects.
But I am not that person!
And for a fact I know that life is anything but certain.
On the absolute contrary, I am terrified of the future prospects, and constantly am kindling new and unimagined thoughts that manifest themselves as constant anxiety and nocturnal tachycardia.
Man throughout history has either been curious or fearful of the unknown.
Moreover one always seeks refuge in things that are always meant to be certain and consistent. When one knows what to expect, it usually prepares a person mentally to face whatever that is out in store for them!!
Au contraire, when you feel like in course of your life, you are about to enter a deep dark tunnel, where you have no idea so as to what to expect at the other end, it can be a good deal frightening to a significant few.
I do not have the curiosity and the spirit of adventure, of the sort that perhaps would exist in Indiana Jones, in order to abandon all thoughts of insecurity, and fearlessly jump into the abyss, gliding with ease as to be prepared for whatever lies out there.
The very thought makes me ill at ease.
So far, for the past six years, it has always been the same routine. Ten months of classes, followed by two months of vacation, and the cycle would go on and on.
But now everything is finally going to grind to a standstill.
As human beings, we are all temporarily deceived into thinking, that the lives we currently lead are going to stay the same forever.
We never even stop for a moment to contemplate on what are we going to do when things are going to take a sudden change in our lives.
Like when a student lets go of his fun filled collage days and is about to graduate.
And suddenly you are thrust out there in the world unprepared and find yourself running nook and corner for a job.
Or when someone has to forsake his single carefree days and has to eventually commit to someone eternally in matrimony.
The prospect of uncertainty is too much to consider. Perhaps even overwhelming to some.
I really wish things could always stay the same.
For instance, where the only major concern for me would be preparing some sort of report for the class the next day, or figuring out what movie to watch while I have dinner.
But it is never so!
They say change is good. It refreshes life and removes any sort of monotony.
Perhaps so. But then again, I haven't a clue so as to what sort of prospects will the so called change herald into my life.
I wish all of us were born with a manual which told each one of us, what sort of direction our lives are going to take.
But if wishes were pennies.....you get the picture.
Its just awful that one has to be left wondering so as to what is going to happen next. Frankly for me the current prospect of graduation, and subsequent entry into medical practice is leaving me terrified so as to how will I handle everything.
I seriously haven't a clue.
All I am aware of at this moment, are the final exams that are looming somewhere in the corner, and the tachycardia that seems to grow more and more consistent day by day.
For some the world "out there" is interesting, while for some, it doesn't make a difference worth a shilling. Whereas for me it is just plain scary.

All in all, its an awful thing to let fear and doubt plague you.
Perhaps the key would be to let go of all that bothers you. Like the fears that manifest themselves as malignant dark clouds looming overhead.
And pretend, as though indeed things are going to stay the same forever.
The past no longer exists, and the future is something that is yet to be seen.
The present is the one reality.
I suppose the answer lies in living in the present, and not bothering about what the future has to offer.
I have never been a fan of planning things because things seldom have a tendency to work out the way you would expect them too.
So all I can do for now, is play pretend, act as though there is nothing "out there" to get me.
And live in the moment.
For tomorrow is just another day.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vermininc, http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessjessjess, http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitsa_sakurako,http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsukubajin

The Perils Of Prejudice

The other day on you tube, I saw this channel made exclusively by Queen Rania of Jordan. Its where one can see her interviews, her opinions and thoughts on the current obstacles faced by the Arab nation, when it comes to gender discrimination, religious fanaticism and the focus on educating the poor children.
Now, what struck me profoundly, is that the Jordanian Queen, sought to reach out to the people in a very down to earth manner, where she answered questions by the viewers of her channel, with regard to clearing stereotypes about the Arabs and Islam.
Not many leaders of the current so called major nations, reach out to the public to clear misunderstandings, and enlighten the masses about the correct interpretation of their faith, or the developmental hurdles faced by their community.
Basically she has focussed on drawing attention to the problems faced by the Arab people, especially the women. Pretty much like a cultural ambassador.
The response she has received as a consequence is rather overwhelming.
For anybody would love the fact, when a particular world leader reaches out to the masses and conveys the honest truth about the hurdles faced by them, and at the same time giving out ideas so as to how one can rectify the problems that plague society.

In comparison, I reflected back on the major issues that plague our own society. Not even once has any so called Political leader, ever come forward to ease any social pains, and sought to clear prejudices that plague Indian society.
On the absolute contrary, all they have done, is instil hatred, violence and discrimination between one community and the other.
Prejudice is one of the root causes of any social disharmony. Its moreover easy to instil in an impressionable (not to mention ignorant) mind, and has rather violent consequences.
Throughout history, there have always been fights and skirmishes between one strata of society against the other.
But the advantage of being a human being is to figure out a way to end disharmony and cultivate tolerance.
Any fool can start a squabble. Aggression is the most basic types of genetic programming that exists within the most simplest of species like insects.
Nevertheless, it takes intelligence and wisdom to stop a squabble. Something that can only be possible by the human species. And something that a majority of us have long since forgotten to do.
I doubt that there exists any longer, a line of demarcation that separates us from the remainder of the animal kingdom.

Getting, back to the topic, there can be no doubt in the fact that whatever community we today belong to, somewhere down the line our forefathers have suffered discrimination and persecution from some other community.
The thing is, times have changed. Do you still wish to keep the flames of vengeance alive, or do you take the first step, and let bygones be bygones.
Would you prefer to let things go? Or would you prefer to plant the seeds of prejudice into the next generation?
Its ironic that most of us keep fighting a war that long since ended. We are taught to hate and despise another community, just because our forefathers at one point of time suffered at their hands. And so, you must take up arms against them to retain your communities"honour". In spite of the fact that the community in question is now settled peacefully beside your very own home, and for as long as you remember, never bothered you personally in any way.
Violence always be gets violence.
There can never be an end to constant bickering and hatred.
The problem is, knowing this all to well, our so called leaders have the ability to end the years of prejudice, if they manage to strike the right cord with the public.

But they wont!
Its a difficult thing actually, to convince the masses to let go of old prejudices and live in harmony with your neighbours. Its a personal risk actually, for not many at first will want to do so. And if you tick off a certain community, there can be the obvious risk losing precious votes.
So therefore they choose to do just the opposite. Instigate one community against the other so that one may be well assured of the votes from at least one section of society. In short grant them blood when they want blood. And as a consequence keep the masses busy, burning the homes and families of the "evil" community, while the "leader" can be assured of another term in office.

Queen Rania is lucky that she is an absolute monarch and doesn't have to deal with the nonsense handed out by sleazy politicians who may thwart every honest move, to make society a better place. By the way, Jordan is the only other Middle eastern country apart from Egypt to have made peace with Israel.
Too bad not every nation is gifted to have righteous leaders.
Somehow, the "unity in diversity" aspect of India is turning out to be the biggest sham.
I suppose most of our problems seem to be arising from diversity.
Its turning out to be one of the greatest disadvantages that mar the progress of our country. Not to mention the pseudo democracy that chooses to instigate the masses with their hate filled speeches.
Improper schooling and parenting are to blame as well. As a child, most of us, like Queen Rania stated, are told what to think rather than how to think. And as a consequence begin to inculcate prejudice from a young age.
All in all, in my opinion,
Giving people the right to think for themselves if the greatest gift any political or religious leader can give.
Any other means of rallying the masses through inflammatory remarks is nothing short of human rights abuse.
Times have changed, as far as possible things go, its better to sow the seeds of harmony, instead of being brainwashed by corrupt politicians and biased religious leaders.
The old wars are over, its not our battle any more.
No human being must be entrusted with carrying on the hatred of his/her parents and forefathers towards any particular community.
It has nothing to do with the world we live and breath in today.
For the only key to social harmony is to give up prejudice.
So that the future generations can live in peace alongside one another.

Image credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/a77ebny, http://www.flickr.com/photos/integraldan, http://www.flickr.com/photos/ramananv.

Truths About Moi!!

Brocasarea, tagged me recently, and I have been admonished by todaywriter for not writing this sooner(who tagged me long back)....so thought its about time I posted this!!
While I'm not usually the sort of person who divulges info about me at the drop of the hat, I have nevertheless decided to bore y'all with 25 facts regarding moi.
So here goes!!!
1) I am a single, spoilt and extremely pampered child of the most wonderful parents ever!!
2) I consider myself as a bit of a misfit. Someone who never really belonged here. Always wish I was born, say in the ancient age where things were so much simpler.
3) I have my head in the clouds for a greater part of the day. I daydream a lot. And still have make believe fantasies running through my head.
4) I can tend to get really argumentative. I can ferociously defend my beliefs and my perspectives.
5) I believe in looking out for myself, even if the remainder of the world may deem me to be selfish (which though I claim to be, I am not!!!)
6) I am very superstitious, and intricately study omens.
7) I am not a morning person. I hate getting up early in the morning (though I have to) My day ideally ought to begin say at 11 am.
8) I love hearing about myself. I can be very vain (a Virgo trait??), and there is hardly an astrology site that I have not visited so that I get to read more about me.
9) I am hideously self conscious, one of the main reasons I am late for class, is I keep doing and undoing my hair to get the "perfect look"...which actually just ends up with me looking all the more worse.
10) I love to paint and sketch. I have sketched away to glory during many boring lectures. I consider myself an amature painter, and I like to reproduce pictures. Below is one of my creations!!
11) I love to sing, much to the annoyance of my neighbours who I wake up during my long morning showers.
12) I can sing songs in Hebrew, Japanese, Russian, Persian, Arabic, French, Bengali and Hindi... ironically my Tamil singing only evokes smirks and grins from the bad pronunciation!!
13) People consider me to be a good singer, and I like to immediately learn the lyrics of any song that catches my fancy irrespective of whether I understand them or not. I have a good memory for lyrics.
14) I am a mega huge history buff and can rattle on for hours about the fall of the Roman empire by Attila the Hun, the religious reformation brought on by the Pharaoh Akhenetan or the conquest of Sri Lanka by the Chozha dynasty.
15) I love to read and understand different cultures. I want to travel across the world to see and experience different cultures and traditions. Will venture anywhere, right from the Brazilian rainforests to the sand dunes of Egypt. Heck!..Given the chance I'll even go to Antarctica.
16) I always picture myself performing on stage or giving an interview to a reporter. I long to have a public life..(not like those on reality TV!!!..God Forbid!!)
17) People keep asking me why did I take up medicine, because according to them I am letting my talents go to waste. But I'm sure I can juggle both!!!
18) Never thought I had it in me to write. Frankly, this blog is a first. And its one of the best things to ever happen to me!!
19) I HATE sharing food!!!...I just cant. I would rather give it all away than to part with bits and pieces of it!! I am very possessive about it!!
20) I consider myself to be decent cook. I can whip up quite a few delicacies, right from Biryani, Shahi Paneer, Sambhar, Gajar ka Halwa....you name it!!
21) I consider cooking to be an art, and I hate it when people eat my works of art just because they are too lazy to cook themselves!!
22) I love reading. I am very versatile in that aspect, I cover everything right from comic books, magazines, works by Oscar Wilde and Somerset Maugham (two of my favourite authors!!), and history books...(err...did I mention Medical books??)
23) Love haunting museums and book stores. I am an absolute geek, and I have no qualms in saying so!!
24) I adore dogs. I just love them. The dog I'm gonna buy next is gonna be a Pug!!..They are so adorable. So far, I have had boxers, Great Danes and German Shepards.
25) Am God loving...and I tend to bully Him/Her into giving me whatever I want. And God has thus always been kind enough to to so.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/midnight-digital

The Art of Appreciation

Recently, Rads, of the Rads Blog-a-Zine fame, gave me a blogger friendship award!!And frankly all I can say is, thanks a bunch!!....muchas gracias señora!!!...Truly much obliged.
All I can say, is that discovering blogging has been one of the most self gratifying things for me, and frankly I never knew that I could have the potential to write consistently for so long!
Frankly it has taken me by surprise.
On another note....I just realised how wonderful life can seem, and how well you can get your confidence boosted when people begin to appreciate you for the things you do best.
Blogging seems to be an excellent platform, where you can speak your mind out, without any insecurities attached.
The thing is...frankly none of my friends here and back in India (save a few)....care much about blogs and blogging. So for me initially when I started I felt singled out in the crowd being the misfit that I am.
But as the comments and followers started increasing...I felt such a great morale boost, because finally being acknowledge by someone is a great feeling.
Its not very often that people are fortunate enough to belong to a crowd that appreciates you for who you are and what you do. But nevertheless, blogging has done just that!!!
Hence as a solemn moment of gratitude to my fellow blogging buddies, who have helped shape my blog and egged me on to keep writing, I would thus like to thank,
Rads: For presenting me with this award!!...makes one feel all the more worthwhile.
Viyoma: For introducing me to blogging
Biju: For being one of the first ones to comment and follow my blog.
Shadowthrone: For being such a dedicated follower, and always being there for no matter what I Post.
Choco: For her dedicated comments and her personalised style of writing.
Kadambari: For being a thoughtful writer, who is almost as introsepective as I am at times.
Kaddu: For appreciating my blog right away, and being supportive of whatever I write.
Ramya: For speaking her mind, when it comes to whatever I write.
Sandhya: For being such an ardent follower, so as to actually read though all the posts I wrote when I first started the blog. Totally appreciate the encouragement. Just what the doctor ordered.
Sammy: For appreciating my writing, and being such a dedicated blogger himself.
AS & Todayswriter: Fellow bloggers and good friends who live one floor above mine.
Brocasarea: Being a fellow medical blogger, keeping me in touch with the internship scene in India.

And a special word of thanks to Varun, SSQuo, et and Aquarius, who have recently come across my blog, and commented on my posts.

Its always a pleasure to write for a dedicated audience!!.
As they say in Russian, Spasiba Vam Bolshoi! (roughly translated as..Thanks a lot!!!)

PS: My next post is going to be a tag. I have been tagged by Brocasarea and Todayswriter(long back), so bear with me while I manage to sum up things about yours truly!!

Who Cares?

During the break in our infectious diseases lesson, me an my fellow group mates were discussing the current scenario in India. One of them said that there's no way he's going back, for he would rather settle back in some other country. A couple of my friends agreed and said India was beyond any hope. Now this got me into a defensive and a morally aggressive state, where though being a fierce critic of all that seems to be going haywire in our country, a little birdie called hope keeps floating into my conscience assuring me that all is not lost.
They argued that a mere 30% of the populace is well educated, while a significant remainder remain ignorant, poor and uneducated. So in return I asked, why cant the remainder 30% make a difference?
In return, they asked, really? Would you? Well subsequently, in due time you wont, because nobody cares, and nobody wants to care.
They further argued, saying that for instance, an average medical student spends close to 20 lakh rupees in his education. Mainly due to the monopoly of seats by the private medical collages and the current infamous reservation system.
And after spending literally a fortune on your education, will you really contribute your time and energy afterwards in social service and generous charitable acts for the poor and needy?
It seems it wont be practical nor fair to my own self.
And that seriously got me thinking.
What if that's true?
Certainly a fortune has been spent for our medical degrees. And it would indeed be seemingly irrational if we spent the remainder of our post graduate lives being generous and spend our time and energy to socially uplift the needy. It would end up has economic Hara Kiri.
So then where lies the answer?
Or perhaps there no answer at all?
I have always been irked by the western impression of India as a poor, downtrodden decrepit state. What irks me even more is when Indians don't try to correct that impression by any ways and means.
But with all the problems facing an average Indian, would it really be fair to ask them to forsake their lives so that their country can proser?
Would it be fair to ask, lets say an average middle class Indian to give up his lively hood and set him the task to reform the country.
Frankly I can agree that it is indeed too much to ask out of anyone, because they already have too much on their plate as it is.
Its very easy to say, lets reform the place, lets make a difference, lets set things right. They are encouraging and fill you with hope.
But the thing is, nobody comes ahead to make the first step.
Nobody wants to get their hands dirty.
Not my friends, and frankly, I don't know about myself either. Right now I'm full of enthusiasm. But who knows, maybe life might change me into a career driven guy with a 9-5 job, who has got his hands full.
Even if one wishes to begin the process of reformation, setting things right in India is a mammoth task.
The first question will be where do you begin?
What will you tackle?
Can one tackle the poverty, the illiteracy, the corruption, the ignorance, the religious fanaticism, the pollution, growing population, the snail paced judiciary, growing crime, healthcare deficit, lack of infrastructure, excessive commercialism, terrorism, casteism, or the gender inequality?
Seriously, one doesn't even know where to begin.
Just imagining the numerous hurdles makes ones head spin.
And its at this very point any average human is going to think.."are you kidding me? There's no way I'm going to fall in this mess. Such things are better left with the NGOs and the politicians".
Its true. Indians or not, we are human beings. And to quote Somerset Maugham, "human nature is weak, and one must not ask too much of it."
It has precious little to do with patriotism.
Sometimes I really don't envy the job the Indian Prime Minister has.
Just think of all the things he needs to tackle.
And the numerous hurdles that the so called head of state must encounter while actually trying to make an honest effort into doing something worthwhile.
While all our problems can be blamed on the politicians, frankly there isn't a soul who would take the reigns away from them and decide to make a difference.
So, going back to it all, nobody cares that the country is going down the mire in spite of the brilliant façade of the "booming economy, the 1 Lakh rupee car, launching satellites to the moon and the mushrooming of numerous supermarkets and multiplexes".

The booming economy doesn't explain the huge number of slum dwellers and beggars in every nook and corner of the street.
The Government has enough money to spend on launching lunar vehicles but has no resources to supply small towns and villages with electricity and decent roads.
And the supermarkets have only added to the woe of many small time retailers and green grocers who have lost their jobs to big commercial giants.
And you have the 1 lakh rupee car where you may drive it on already congested and narrow roads, so that the future generations may suffer from chronic carbon monoxide poisoning from being constantly exposed to the noxious fumes from the clogged roads.

Like I said, who cares? Why fall into all this mess in the first place when you can secure your job and future in another country?
I am not admonishing Indians for leaving India, or for not doing anything.
If you asked me what is to be done, I'd say I have no idea as well.
But at the same time every time I look at the picture before us it irks me to no end, thinking, is there really no hope, as my friends say?
News agencies report that there has been an increased voter turn out in India for the past few general elections.
So I presume that the only explanation for this must be that the Indian populace is really desperate for change.
Desperately hoping that someone comes along and makes a difference.
You can only imagine their ire when those they voted for do not deliver.
Its things like these that sometimes bring a nation to the precipice of a revolution.
When people are fed up to their teeth with the overall system and demand answers and seek change.
Like the Chinese cultural revolution, the Russian revolution of 1917 or the French revolution of the 18th century.
I don't know whether there can be a revolutionary storm in India. But if the people are pressed on this way, it might very well seem imminent.
Perhaps not now, but somewhere in the distant future.
Since for now no one cares, in the near future you might end up forced to care when rebels march to the steps of the parliament in order to overthrow a corrupt and incompetent government, plunging the nation into chaos and anarchy.
But till that time, all the majority can do is wait and watch.
Presuming that there is after all some hope yet.
And hoping that someone actually may care.


Image credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/guptasameer, http://www.flickr.com/photos/beija-flor, http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessao, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mworrell

Divine Therapy

There comes a period in our lives, where things don't seem very hunky dory, when in spite of the sunny weather outside, within us there exists a dark cloudy overcast. Times where you sit solemnly staring into the emptiness, seemingly calm on the outside, but withholding a tempest of thoughts on the inside. Not knowing what to do, where to go or whom to turn to. Just looking into the bleak horizon, wishing for someone to help you. But not knowing whom to trust with your troubles.
Usually like any passing storm, the mental overcast does fade away, but at other times, they just choose to linger on, hovering over you, thwarting your every step and your every move, till finally you break down, and let open the gates which contained your deepest fears, your deepest worries and your deepest insecurities.
Hopefully those that are around you might then notice your predicament and begin to help you in whatever way they seem to think fit.
One of the things that people of late, seem to be running out of, is time.
Time for themselves and their loved ones.
As the world nations seem to move faster and faster towards advancement, humanity finds itself within a rat race, as time is money, and there is hence, not a second to loose.
And as a consequence, we seem unable to realise the obvious signs of mental degradation and fatigue. Where the mind is constantly eroded in a never ending charade of work.
School children are overworked to fulfil their academic obligations, parents are overworked to make ends meet, and the teens run helter skelter to find the right jobs.
Amidst all the chaos, you end up physically and emotionally exhausted, and unable to divulge your problems to a third person because that third person is either busy or has problems of his/her own.
In all the chaos, I wonder what's the point?
By the end of the day you might have made ends meet or secured massive profits for your company. But what's point of it all, when you lose your mental peace as a consequence?
I do not suppose circumstances are in our control.
You cannot stop the world from realising its ambitions and in return making humans run to and fro.
I suppose by now people are familiar with the news reports of school shoot outs in the United States. Not to mention the high suicide rates in Japan.
Both nations are known to be technologically advanced with good standards of living, in comparison to the third world countries.
In spite of all the cheap and affordable gadgets and the increased comfort of living, you have people deteriorating mentally en masse.
The thing is, of late no one has the time nor energy to listen to someone else's problems, since they are too busy climbing the echelon towards success.
This however has ended up as a blessing is disguise to psychotherapists or "shrinks" as one would call them.
And their job, is very simple, its just to lend an ear. While one pours his/her heart out sobbing away.
For a moderate fee of course.
Its ironic actually, because back in the day one would divulge their deepest and darkest to family and close friends. But of late due to the lack of understanding and the sheer lack of time, it becomes impossible for a mentally aggrieved person to receive prompt attention.
Not everyone can run to a shrink. And even those who do, it doesn't always grant them immediate solace or a universal answer to all their problems. Irrespective of how well qualified the psychiatrist is in Freudian principles.
As a consequence therefore, since it can be taken for granted that in today's work ridden atmosphere, you might as well end up emotionally alone without an anchor to hold on to, I suppose the best alternative is to turn to yourself for help.
I doubt there is anyone who can understand oneself better that the very individual.
People usually question the role of faith in human lives.
The need to believe in a higher power, or the need to blindly follow unseen and unheard of forces.
Science may ridicule such behaviour, but frankly when was the last time a human being was scientifically saved from self destruction?
The best any psychiatrist can do to a hysterical and paranoid human being on the verge of losing his/her sanity will be to prescribe sedatives and anti depressants.
And we all know that the demons that haunt your senses day in and day out will return once you are out of the "magic pills".
There usually isn't a permanent solution.
The thing about faith, is that you have the ability to look forward to something no matter how tough things can get.
All in all it encourages positive thinking and allows you to cultivate hope.
You may even call acquiring faith as a means of positive therapy.
Its actually not much different from the self help books that are being sold by the dozen.
People mistake faith as a form of an unreal, ritual driven means of living where you are subjected to rigid rules that demand absolute obedience and servitude.
But that's actually something that humans have turned it into.
Whereas in reality, as far as I understand it, its just about having simple and pure faith, without being subject to crazy rules and ridiculous laws.
Just to fill your lives with hope.
Hoping the big guy up there will look out for you.
In the end, when your friends, your family and your shrink fail to understand you, I suppose the best way to deal with your problems is through hope and faith. In whatever form you see best.
In the end I guess its all about positive thinking, and ranting your problems to the divine therapist.


Images credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliannehide, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lexrex, http://www.flickr.com/photos/visionwithin, http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparky2000.