Running in circles....

A lot is said about this magical city, a city that existed before time and will exist beyond. A place preferred for dying, because it is a notion that death here is liberating, liberating you from this world, from rebirths, and this endless cycle of birth and death. We heard our drivers call this city Kashi, the city which sits on the pinpoint of Lord Shiva's Trishul(Trident). A city along with its inhabitants who are dear to the Almighty Father Shiva and Almight Mother Parvati. We heard a couple of people say this to us, and we could sense who said it with a depth which could be felt vis a vis where it was to get a heavy tip. People go there looking for the truth, for the answer and one thing I observed was the certainty with which people believed that crime will always be lower here, and that this city will never perish, even when the world finishes or even if time comes to an end. I was listening to the river, watching the silently flowing river. Reverence of the priests for the...

I was just wondering what happens when we fall for someone? Do we go to any lengths to love them, to be loved by them or to be accepted by his/her people? Do we change ourselves ? More importantly do we realize that we are changing ourselves? Are we still "US"? Enough with the questions, my own experience tells me,  YES! OF COURSE WE CHANGE OURSELVES! The only thing which determines the color of the flags for this change is whether we change our core values to fit in, to please, to be reciprocated to. I have been on sides, where I changed myself, to fit in, to be accepted, to be respected - killing parts of me which were precious.  I would love for us to decode our change... step by step....  We are who we are because of our choices, our perspective, our strengths, our weakness, a lot more is to do with our background and upbringing and of course the crap load of past trauma! With that backdrop, our first choice is choosing someone- that reflects our core values, what are...

 I have recently(like literally a couple of days since) started a routine which takes me for a morning walk in a small neighbourhood park, its size doesn't intimidate me and also the people who walk in are also familiar, softly. There I noticed a couple of kittens, a little grown-up maybe like 6-7 human years. They were sometimes together, sometimes apart, some times preying sometime playing and with every lap, i found them in completely different moods. But most importantly while talking to one of my cowalkers, i realized they had fixed homes they were served meals. So these twoplayful kittens were actually enjoying their leisure time, trying to hunt birds as stupidly possibly. But yet they had a safety at the back of their minds, a place where they will be fed anyways. And then it struck me, it's the best of both worlds, and they are teenagers learning the ways of the world, with a safe backdrop.  I wonder how many of us, are actually able to experience this. A lot of curtai...

 Are you feeling estranged from your own home, from your own people, or from your own work? I have recently experienced, quite strongly, a new feeling of homelessness in the very premise of my home, in the very presence of my own gang, and at my very own workplace. It is a feeling of not being understood, not belonging or I would rather say a lack of being myself. That made me question what home really meant... I always thought home is a place where I could be myself and could do whatever I wanted, however, it is not that simple. A number of our wishes are not accepted, validated, or endorsed by our society. I like quiet mornings, however I observe some pressure to be religious and loud in the mornings. I would love to cook something unique for breakfast, but then I share my grocery and fridge with others who keep track and don't like to eat the same. The way I dress, the routine I would like to follow, and even the activities I would like to do in my leisure time are influenced by...

 A hike can change your life... Not all of us understand hiking and are seldom mindful enough to understand it really. I was fortunate to experience this beautiful journey, a wonderful activity to rejuvenate the mind and give you a fresh new perspective on life itself, which enhances its understanding within us. A hike begins with dreams of beautiful views of forests or mountains filled with sunshine, greenery nature, and solace in nature's lap. We dream vividly and imagine the end result in great detail and depth, almost always, fortunately, and completely forget about the ride on the way. We are supported by the people who want the best for us, who understand us and believe that we can do this. They are also wise people who understand the worth and lessons learned from this hike. Hence we begin any plan with borrowed strength. So we plan a day, like I did with some sunshine expected to make the journey brighter and much more enjoyable. We prepare a small backpack with some thi...

  Others include everyone other than the self. This difference between the self and others plays an extremely important role in our lives, we derive the purpose for our lives by weaving a life around these "significant and closer" others. But do we only give? Of course not, on the contrary, we usually need something from these others to choose them over the "distant others". We need like-mindedness, a sense of approval, validation, and belonging before we can actually connect to someone. So, all our relationships are quite conditional no matter how good we may think about ourselves. In our own heads, we are all righteous, trying to do the right thing, trying to make it right, and trying to undo the wrong done by others. This creates the premise for a background moral conflict always. We encounter these others in our family- at home, our first experience of this world. If acceptance and free will are encouraged at home, we get a liberal individual who is accommodati...