The Other Side of Life

My outrage about moral outrage deserves a part 2. And here it is. Taking an action has a lot of impact on how someone feels about a situation.  I am thirsty, I drink water and I feel better. I am thirsty, I don't drink water and I will be uncomfortable. I am hungry, I eat food and I feel better I am hungry, I don't eat food and I feel cranky. When you don't take action, the feeling persists, like a sore pain. And then over time, it festers into an seething anger because the mind will just amplify and focus on the discomfort, even if it not so bad.  What happens when you cannot take an action? You tell yourself taking a stand and showing anger is the only thing you can do and you let your brain do that. Which leads us to this: Revolutionaries are the ones whose names are in history books - Bhagat Singh, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela. Closer to our times, Greta Thornberg (She actually acts on what she says and never flies). They felt outrage about something and took a strong...

My absolute favourite dialogue from Schitt's Creek (which is also my most absolute favourite show) is when Moira Rose warns her husband, “ Be careful, John, lest you suffer vertigo from the dizzying heights of the moral ground .” I hear this dialogue and nod vigorously, every single time. Is it just me or has our need to take moral high grounds increased? There's a sudden pressure to take a stand on everything. God forbid, you are indifferent to something. Oh by the way, you don't just have to not be indifferent , you also have to share the exact same high ground with everyone with the exact same opinion. Logically speaking, I see two problems with this amazing situation we find ourselves in. First Problem:  The higher the moral ground you take, the higher the chances you will fall off it.  True for anything physical. True for anything philosophical. Case in point - Someone taking a stand and saying, I am always environmentally conscious, will find themselves in various s...

I have never stopped a Blogathon in between, but desperate times call for desperate measures. With all the uncertainty around in India, getting myself to think about something funny to write about everyday is becoming harder and harder. I recognise privilege.  I know I am lucky to be in a place where things are back to normal, where we can go about our daily lives, unaffected by anything, except the minor inconvenience of donning a mask. But that still does nothing to reduce the emotional strain and guilt of not being able to be around family and help them through these really hard times. It's hard to go through news and Twitter feeds on a daily basis and not be burdened by the helplessness of it all. It's difficult to have conversations with parents and keep telling them not to step out. It's hard to hear of yet another case or yet another death in circles around us.  And I am not even dwelling too much on the thought that I have no idea when I will get to come home, with ...

THE SANITY PROMPT How are you? Last year's situation brought us to the test. It wasn't only COVID-19 that gave us a lot of stress, though it might have been the main culprit. Mental health incidents could happen at work or even at home. Many have also experienced it. Write a poem about these experiences. Occupied In March, it was shock, In April, all emotions under lock. In May, I was baking. In June, happiness faking. In July, video calls. In August, juggling many balls. In September, work took over life In October, Konmaried many a strife. In November, Mandala'd my time In December, made lemonade from wasted lime. In January, waited with hope. In February, accepted it's hard to cope. It's March, one year since we went home. Was time stuck or flying?

THE UNCERTAINTY PROMPT This a migrant’s life. There’s always uncertainty, no matter how capable we are. Write about what you feel about a current situation at work or in your life. Uncertain Poem Should it be  haiku  or should i not bother to count the syllables? Or should it be a limerick? I can make it quick And make the AABBA rhyme Simple and sublime. But it won't sound exotic. Well, I could make an acrostic poem Hope everyone sees through the mayhem Only the smart will figure out Know what the poem is about No, it's not about uncertainty Or is it? I can't say with certainty Who knows that the first letters of each Sentence will cause the big breech.