Kahlil Gibran's 'The Prophet'

Selections from 'The Prophet'

THEN a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.
And he answered:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with yourtears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into yourbeing, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the verycup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes yourspirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only thatwhich has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping
for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you atstandstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs mustyour joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

Time to move

Today is 15th Sep, and time for me to pack my bags once again and leave. Got up in the morning thinking that I will do my packing, and then leave for office, so that i am not constrained in the evening. My flight to India is tomorrow. However, the exchange of messages on orkut with Gautam yesterday made me open my laptop, and check my mail first thing in the morning to see if wrote anything else after I logged out yesterday.

Well, he did made me sit back and think about ISTT. I, actually, was an active participant in that, and now its been so so many months that I have not written anything. Infact the last Kolkata Meet was in Aug 2004.

Alrite, will do something in Cal this time.

The Virtue of Selfishness

"To think, is to man's self-interst; to suspend his consciousness, is not. to choose his goals in the full context of his knowledge, his values and his life, is to man's self- interst; to act on the impulse of the moment, without regard for his long-range context, is not. To exist as a a productive being, is to man's self- interest; to attempt to exist as a paraasite, is not. To seek the life proper to his nature, is to man's self- interst; to seek to live as an animal is not."

- Nathaniel Branden, 'Who is Ayn Rand?'

I came, I saw, I conquered!

When I look back and think of my childhood, there is one picture, which is imprinted in my heart. It was 1987, and I was eight years old. Our family had just moved to a different place, and as soon as I got an opportunity to explore the place, I was on my way to our terrace, and from their to our neighbour's terrace on 3rd floor. There was a small wall dividing our neighbour's terrace from their immediate neighbour. I managed to climb on that wall, and stood there with one foot infront of other, barely balancing myself on that narrow wall. And when I looked infront of me, I could see hundreds of small houses from there. I had managed to stand on the tallest structure in our street in a small town. I dont know why but that sight was so engrossing....I was mesmerized. I have always loved heights. And I figured it out pretty early in my life (terraces, and such walls were my favorite spots). That sight was an achievement in itself, just the fact that I managed to see it by sneaking into some unknown neighbour's terrace, and standing at that height, gave me a pleasure unknown to me before.
Years later, I still look out of window everytime I travel on plane, or wherever I manage to be on a tall building . I still remember whenever our family use to go to some hill station during summer vacations, my head always use to be out of car. Even my parents scolding was not enough to keep me inside the car for more than 10 minutes. Whether it was a hill station or top of a narrow wall in my street, looking at the things infront of me, I always had a feeling as if the world is out there for you to come and conquer it!
That was long time back....so many things have changed. I am a grown up person now, have supposedly seen a lot in life but there are few pictures and memories which keep on coming back to you! And few things which keep you reminding that yes, world is still out there, waiting for you tc come, and conquer it!