Life is an illusion

 We live in a very interesting time. Yes, I know this adjective is too positive for the scenario. But my vocab is not very vast.  The great America, the dream of every poor person in the world, the nation where we can become someone has denied the women rights over their bodies. Why, because religion does not accept abortion. Because life is precious etc etc.  Regressive - to say the least. This event is not the only aberration.  All over the world, the schism between the left and the right, between conservatives and liberals is so large that it may split nations and wound them irrevocably.  There were always power hungry politicians whose outward ideology was this or that. (Inwards it was money and power.)  But common man was neutral. He told I don't know about any ideology and I don't care. These ideologies will not buy my bread and butter. Give me a roof over my head and 2 meals a day. That's it. Roti, kapda aur makaan. That's all I am worried about. Now, it's di

 There are all types of people. Men, women, young, old, strong and weak. They all want one thing. Paul to  make it all go away - all their problems, all their worries. As if he has some kind of magic wand. In the series "In treatment", Paul's patients are multiform. Starting from sixteen year old Sofia to almost seventy year old Walter. Immigrant Sunil to gay Jesse.  They all plead Paul, beg him, shout at him and many times storm off the session. They know that things are not good, but they don't understand what is wrong. They are unwilling to accept the reasons hinted  by Paul.  It is interesting - how our mind works. And how the shrinks analyze it. Back to childhood. :) :) All his patients think that they are worthless, loathsome and unworthy of love and affection and anything else. Doesn't matter whether they are successful or not.  Self love - that is what is missing. It made me wonder. This self doubt, in some cases even self hatred, is it common only among d

Immnuel Kant. Nor can I. Well, as written in previous post, I have been trying to read/watch age appropriate subject - philosophy.  And failing miserably. I try to watch videos after videos of Kant's philosophy. Without understanding what he is trying to say.  Why did I select this philosopher? Why didn't I select some one easier like sadguru? No, I am not trying to belittle our great religion and its philosophies. But I do have some reservations about modern gurus and their teachings. So, instead I selected Kant. Kant's book the critique of pure reason basically tells us about the limitations of reason alone. We can't understand the universe on reason alone. Apparently he changed his complete outlook, after reading Hume's philosophy.  He also says time and space are constructs of our mind. And things in reality are different from things as we perceive them. Heavy stuff! So let us say I see a tree. The light rays fall on my retina and my brain interprets that object

 It all started with podcasts, the audio equivalent of youtube videos anyone and everyone is starting. Earlier these podcasts were just my sleeping pills. Now they help me the entire day - to cope with tasks I don't want to do.  One such podcast was philosophize this. The podcaster kept on explaining various philosophers - most of them western. Me, who is hooked to dramas in Netflix and silly standups in youtube surprisingly found these episodes interesting. Because they were tiny bites.  But then I thought enough of just hearing the names - let me try to read the books by these authors. Wrong. A very wrong step indeed.  I downloaded an audio book by Kant - Some Reason . Many of his books deal with reason. There must be a reason behind that. Anyways. As always I am listening to the book and walking. I didn't understand one single word of this book. Sorry, I understood words, but not sentences. Will some body explain to me various philosophies? Please? Then I thought let me unde

 We want some one else to take decisions for us. Be it our parents, our mentors, our bosses or even our children. Because taking decisions will result in being responsible for its consequences. That's scary for us.  And we want them to tell us what we want to hear. If their decision is not according to our want, we get angry and express our anger in many different ways.  We even start resenting them for imposing their ideas on us, after telling them implicitly or explicitly to give us orders.  I am talking about me and also about many patients of Dr. Paul in the the tv serial "In treatment". Almost all his patients want him to tell them that it is OK for them to behave dangerously or to take wrong steps. Just this once. If he says yes, they will be absolved from their responsibilities of the consequences.  Amy wants him to say that it is OK for her to cheat her husband. Alex wants him to say that he is ready to resume  active duty as pilot in air force. And they go ahead

Father Brown is awkwardness personified. I can very well relate. But he is extremely intelligent and solves so many complicated crimes with the skills of any trained detective.  Father Brown from the book "The wisdom of Father Brown" deals with  short stories with strange themes.  There is an actress - quite famous, very beautiful and heartthrob of millions. Two men - a bureaucrat and a solider come to meet her. Her co-actor and her man servant are also present in the room. Next thing we know, in the dark passage next to her room, the actress is murdered by a sharp object and the police suspect and arrest the co-actor.  The murder is so bizarre and the witnesses all give contradicting accounts.  Then comes Father Brown to the witness stand, explains the case and solves the murder, on stand.  Most stories in the book are similar. But makes a tough read - partly due to French-ish names. The stories are set some time in previous century. But hey, these are detective stories, sho

 I saw a meme which said Do not sit on the floor until you have a plan on how to get up . I found it hilarious and immediately put it as my status. Yes, that is my status.  And today the meme I am of Take the photo of the label in your mobile and zoom it and read age . Again so accurate. I do it on a daily basis. So all these old - sorry oldish age jokes and memes, are so funny. To us - old-ish people. And we make such jokes thinking that see, I am laughing at myself. So, please laugh at my joke and wit, but not me . We know this effort is almost futile, like all self deprecatory statements. But still worth trying nonetheless.  I also read or watched some comedian saying we need to shoot all the people over 60.  Wow, such efficiency. But really, we don't mind. We would be glad. To stop counting days to end. Suddenly feeling old? Not sure. I should not feel old for another month or so. I have dyed my hair, you see.  We talked about using your mobile for reading labels. Is there anyt

 Eleanor is unlucky. Well, that is a very mild term. She had a very bad childhood and very large scar on her face and is socially awkward. She has none to call her own. Other than her minimal chat with her colleagues, only other person she talks to is her mother. Once a week, via telephone.  But she is very stoic about it. When people stare at her face, she just doesn't care. Nor does she worry, when her colleagues make fun of her to her face. She is in her own world, of books, crossword puzzles and occasionally vodka. Vodka helps her fall asleep. One fine day, she comes across a musician and decides she will court him and marry him. As he looks like a perfect gentleman, good looking and the man her mother would have preferred. She hasn't figured out how she will meet him, what she will talk etc. But fate meets her with some one else. Raymond and Sammy. Raymond is an IT technician in her office, equally awkward, equally bad dressed. When they are walking on the road, they witne

 I loved the book Bel Canto by Ann Pratchett. So when I wanted to pick the next book for reading, after unsuccessful effort of the gentleman in Moscow , I decided to start The Dutch house by this author. And I am happy for this selection. The book is very good. It is the story of two children Danny and Mauve, who were raised in this magnificent house and were thrown out of the house. Danny does not miss his mother much. As Mauve takes care of him like a mother and there are of course Jocelyn and Sandy who run the house like a well oiled engine. He knows his father is not the one not display affections. He also knows that his mother has left for India many years ago.  The life as they know it changes one day when their father brings home a lady - Andrea. Andrea is much younger than their father and is in love with their house. They do not know whether she is his girlfriend.  Andrea keeps visiting the house. And one day her daughters come along. Though the sister-brother duo dislike And

 The book of the month in Indian readers' group was The gentleman in Mosow . I tried to read the book and finished may be 2/3rd of the book and then gave up. It is a funny. Because it is about post-bolshevik revolution time in Russia, about the life of an aristocrat, who was under house arrest, in one of the luxurious hotels in Moscow. And to top it all the writer himself is an American. Yes, talk about contradictions. But the book and narration style is good. Full of wit and and Tharoor-ish words (God, how many words I had to google).  The Count - Alexandar Rustov was kept under house arrest in the attic of hotel Metropolitan. He knows his situation and accepts it with stoicity - or as a gentleman. His problem of abundant time with no work in hand is solved when he strikes an unlikely friendship with eight year old Nina.  They have plenty of adventures. And time flies and Nina goes back home. Until one day she comes with two of her comrades. They are traveling to rural area to tea