Lincoln..

I have always admired Abraham Lincoln. How can one man be so fine. He has embodied so many virtues, and most important of all humility, which I seldom see in today's world. Since the day I had read anecdotes of this simple yet great man, I have always thought that I should and would be someone like him, someone I can look up to and admire.

While a gandhi or a buddha had their own way leading people, I find Lincoln someone who I can be, without having to shed your clothes or leaving your family. Part of mankind, someone like you and me and yet so fine. This letter, I am sure most of you would have read some time or other. But just for the truth and hope hidden behind the lyrical beauty of the words, I wanted to post it in my blog. Hoping these words would forever strike a chord in my heart...

He will have to learn, I know,

teach him that all men are not just,

all men are not true.

But teach him also that

for every scoundrel there is a hero;

that for every selfish Politician,

there is a dedicated leader..

Teach him for every enemy there is a friend,

Steer him away from envy,

if you can,

teach him the secret of

quiet laughter.

Let him learn early that

the bullies are the easiest to kick…

Teach him, if you can,

the wonder of books..

But also give him quiet time

to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky,

bees in the sun,

and the flowers on a green hillside.

In the school teach him

it is far honourable to fail

than to cheat..

Teach him to have faith

in his own ideas,

even if every one tells him

they are wrong…

Teach him to be gentle

with gentle people,

and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son

the strength not to follow the crowd

when everyone is getting on the band wagon…

Teach him to listen to all men…

but teach him also to filter

all he hears on a screen of truth,

and take only the good

that comes through.

Teach him if you can,

how to laugh when he is sad…

Teach him there is no shame in tears,

Teach him to scoff at cynics

and to beware of too much sweetness..

Teach him to sell his brawn

and brain to the highest bidders

but never to put a price-tag

on his heart and soul.

Teach him to close his ears

to a howling mob

and to stand and fight

if he thinks he’s right.

Treat him gently,

but do not cuddle him,

because only the test

of fire makes fine steel.

Let him have the courage

to be impatient…

let him have the patience to be brave.

Teach him always

to have sublime faith in himself,

because then he will have

sublime faith in mankind.

This is a big order,

but see what you can do…

He is such a fine fellow,

my son!

- Lincoln

the state of our fate...

today, i am not sure whether it was fortunate or not, i happened to read a couple of articles in the hindu editorial... one on the recent floods in maharashtra which were ascribed to extensive deforestation and improper dam designs... and the other on the food security in india (access to food, not just sufficiency) which stated that 57 million indian kids were malnutritioned... and only 47% of the kids got even primary education....

and i was overcome with such an immense sense of shame that i cannot describe it... what am i doing with my brains, my will power and all the energy that god endowed me with when doing something for this country/world did not even seems like a long term goal of mine... i was always thinking that I would enrich the world with art and literature and philosophy... that i forgot the age old adage that said, a man can do anything, provided he his body has a scrap of cloth on it and his stomach has food...

when so many kids, the future of the world have not even the privelege of food and shelter, of what purpose is all the poetry and beauty of the world? can't beauty be found in the contented sigh of all the creatures on earth.... should it only come in the form of color on canvas?? anyways... my brain is muddled with emotion now and I feel addled...

lets see what this seed of thought fructifies into....

abstract concepts....

I have been most fascinated by this pic since the day i drew it some 8 months ago when i was a trifle bored at work...

one of them is made of all lines curving down and while the other is made of all lines curving up... and look at the stark difference... what does it mean??? has god given meanings to shapes too??

I lied...

do you believe in truth?? i am a big time believer of truth... and i believe that even if i lie, my lie will become a truth in itself... so i now feel trapped in truth... there are so many people who lie left and right... and nothing really wrong happens to them... then why is it that i get an almost physical like pain when i am forced to lie sometimes??

and the world is so unfair... it wants lies... like, for instance... when i was sittin gfor placements, i was asked if i wanted to app... if i said, yes, i was not selected for the next stage... so i lied.. got a job... later it so happened that i really lost interest in app, and i didn't app after all... so see... its so scary....

anyways... i recently sorta lied, for another meaningless thing... and am feeling extrememly quesy about it... though it doesn't have a major impact except that if i may have to cover lie later with another lie... and so i hate myself for giving in to pressure and lying in the first place... anyways... the conclusion is that i am not gonna lie anymore... whatever be the reason... though i feel odd at times when i have to say the truth, atleast i won't be suffering like i am now...

its so much more easier to say what you believe in and know its the truth... all said and done... its been a valuable experience... and the main learning for me has been: don't lie! its not worth it...

yours truly....