Thursday, June 28, 2012
Showdown!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Of pain and pleasure.
The elusiveness that is inherent in any given pleasurable experience is what makes us crave for it in the first place.
Think about the first ever thrill you had, either your first amusement park ride, or your first big success, the first time someone patted you on the back for a job well done (that you actually did yourself). All of these experiences carried with them a thrill, a sense of euphoria that can be explained by the release of endorphins within our system in response to what we perceive to be pleasurable.
Once that time has passed and we're back to our more mundane reality, we crave for the euphoria that completed us in every way imaginable.
It's what is termed in behavior therapy as conditioning. We become accustomed to reacting to things in a particular way, and we tend to get caught in a loop for the rest of our lives. I suppose that's why religious texts, the Bhagvad Gita for example, speak of the ideal soul who is neither burdened with pain or pleasure.
It's a hard state of being to reach for. But all said and done, who would we be if not for our passions and our prejudices?! Souls dedicated to being in the here and now do not have time for ipods and iphones and the galaxy tabs and what have yous. They're perfecting the art of living in the moment, not craving for the memories that give them pleasure, and not worried about a hypothetical situation in the future that might cause them pain.
Given the way we are living now, I don't think any of us can attain that utter sense of completeness that comes with being. We exist to a large extent, and live to a smaller one. Being is elusive, and hard. It's doubly harder to maintain that sense of being in the here and now.
One thing that I am fascinated by is the sheer extreme lengths we go to in order to avoid pain. I do too, regularly. But is there something beyond it? And for how much we talk about it, is there something that is all to transient and shallow in the pleasure that we constantly crave for?
The same problems apply to conditions such as Alcohol Dependence; the craving that is inherent in the condition is first in order to get pleasure or euphoria from the substance. Later on it is largely to avoid the pain of withdrawal from the substance, the pleasure consequently becomes more transient and the pain becomes more protracted. Which is why the initial stages of withdrawal are painful; they're terrifying if not handled and managed properly. But after that harrowing experience, a new dawn arises that is rewarding and uplifting to the person; (s)he sees things in a new light. If they're lucky, they may realize that they were caught up in a raging war (entirely within their minds) that dealt with avoiding pain. Once they see through that, things are easier to deal with; life shines like never before, and the promise of tomorrow has never been more pure.
Maybe what I'm trying to say is that we've grown too accustomed to instant gratification. We can learn to stretch ourselves a little bit and try to hold on for a minute longer, and find growth within ourselves we never thought possible!
Think about the first ever thrill you had, either your first amusement park ride, or your first big success, the first time someone patted you on the back for a job well done (that you actually did yourself). All of these experiences carried with them a thrill, a sense of euphoria that can be explained by the release of endorphins within our system in response to what we perceive to be pleasurable.
Once that time has passed and we're back to our more mundane reality, we crave for the euphoria that completed us in every way imaginable.
It's what is termed in behavior therapy as conditioning. We become accustomed to reacting to things in a particular way, and we tend to get caught in a loop for the rest of our lives. I suppose that's why religious texts, the Bhagvad Gita for example, speak of the ideal soul who is neither burdened with pain or pleasure.
It's a hard state of being to reach for. But all said and done, who would we be if not for our passions and our prejudices?! Souls dedicated to being in the here and now do not have time for ipods and iphones and the galaxy tabs and what have yous. They're perfecting the art of living in the moment, not craving for the memories that give them pleasure, and not worried about a hypothetical situation in the future that might cause them pain.
Given the way we are living now, I don't think any of us can attain that utter sense of completeness that comes with being. We exist to a large extent, and live to a smaller one. Being is elusive, and hard. It's doubly harder to maintain that sense of being in the here and now.
One thing that I am fascinated by is the sheer extreme lengths we go to in order to avoid pain. I do too, regularly. But is there something beyond it? And for how much we talk about it, is there something that is all to transient and shallow in the pleasure that we constantly crave for?
The same problems apply to conditions such as Alcohol Dependence; the craving that is inherent in the condition is first in order to get pleasure or euphoria from the substance. Later on it is largely to avoid the pain of withdrawal from the substance, the pleasure consequently becomes more transient and the pain becomes more protracted. Which is why the initial stages of withdrawal are painful; they're terrifying if not handled and managed properly. But after that harrowing experience, a new dawn arises that is rewarding and uplifting to the person; (s)he sees things in a new light. If they're lucky, they may realize that they were caught up in a raging war (entirely within their minds) that dealt with avoiding pain. Once they see through that, things are easier to deal with; life shines like never before, and the promise of tomorrow has never been more pure.
Maybe what I'm trying to say is that we've grown too accustomed to instant gratification. We can learn to stretch ourselves a little bit and try to hold on for a minute longer, and find growth within ourselves we never thought possible!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Back from hibernation
Something about visiting the places where you grew up that compels you to come out of a long slumber.
I'm talking about Gandhi Bazaar and Chennai, respectively. I guess what has happened is that the old shops have been replaced by new ones. Traffic has increased a fucking million times over. It is heartening to see a lot of the old shops, the old vegetable vendors sitting in their old spots selling vegetables that are not packed in plastic bags, don't have stickers on them and don't have a dude swiping your credit card. They still take cash here, keep it in a small pouch and sometimes act rude towards you.
The number of people riding cycles has reduced dramatically. Replaced by cars of all makes and sizes. Bikes are much more too.
I think the only thing that has reduced is human interaction and human experience, and this has reduced to an extent one would never have thought possible.
We tend to get wrapped up in our own little microcosms and tend to exclude all that is human in our day to day lives and see it replaced by electronic media, be it for communicating, transacting or for entertainment. Whatever happened to a face to face chat on a park bench with the one you love? Instead of sitting in front of the television and allow the images to eat away at what is left of your energy and initiative?
I never thought I would be the old fashioned type, but I'd still like to think that a cell phone is only for keeping in touch with people and should be treated like a phone and not your entire life synthesized into a single tablet of circuits. Which is the trend these days. I also feel that a chat over the phone does not substitute for a google talk chat. I suppose we need to hold on preciously to these moments because the day is fast coming when we won't have any of them to rely upon. We'll have .avi files and the like to keep us company.
As for me, a lot has happened in my life since the last post. I completed by MD and am engaged to be married to a wonderful person by name Megha. I suppose I am not celebrating my own personal highs because the larger scheme of things has me worried. I guess we can do our own bit to reduce the burden of the electronic device in our life. That is, if we want to.
What are your views, dudes and dudettes?
I'm talking about Gandhi Bazaar and Chennai, respectively. I guess what has happened is that the old shops have been replaced by new ones. Traffic has increased a fucking million times over. It is heartening to see a lot of the old shops, the old vegetable vendors sitting in their old spots selling vegetables that are not packed in plastic bags, don't have stickers on them and don't have a dude swiping your credit card. They still take cash here, keep it in a small pouch and sometimes act rude towards you.
The number of people riding cycles has reduced dramatically. Replaced by cars of all makes and sizes. Bikes are much more too.
I think the only thing that has reduced is human interaction and human experience, and this has reduced to an extent one would never have thought possible.
We tend to get wrapped up in our own little microcosms and tend to exclude all that is human in our day to day lives and see it replaced by electronic media, be it for communicating, transacting or for entertainment. Whatever happened to a face to face chat on a park bench with the one you love? Instead of sitting in front of the television and allow the images to eat away at what is left of your energy and initiative?
I never thought I would be the old fashioned type, but I'd still like to think that a cell phone is only for keeping in touch with people and should be treated like a phone and not your entire life synthesized into a single tablet of circuits. Which is the trend these days. I also feel that a chat over the phone does not substitute for a google talk chat. I suppose we need to hold on preciously to these moments because the day is fast coming when we won't have any of them to rely upon. We'll have .avi files and the like to keep us company.
As for me, a lot has happened in my life since the last post. I completed by MD and am engaged to be married to a wonderful person by name Megha. I suppose I am not celebrating my own personal highs because the larger scheme of things has me worried. I guess we can do our own bit to reduce the burden of the electronic device in our life. That is, if we want to.
What are your views, dudes and dudettes?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
I'm a Star Trek geek!
Today I'm going to talk about Star Trek. Ok, Ok, have your laughs and get it out of your system already!
I know that killing your enemies with a single photon torpedo while they have all guns firing at you is a tad unrealistic, but think about the larger implications of this franchise; there is life outside this planet, outside the galaxy we inhabit, outside galaxies that surround ours as well. Other beings, other life forms, other forms of energy, dimensions of time that exist in parallel with our own, the possibility of multiple dimensions, it's so rich!
I find it a fascinating concept and its never failed to draw my attention to the exciting possibilities that it has to offer.
Imagine meeting another form of life that may or may not be vertebrate. Imagine they were a peace loving species, one that does not feel the need to conquer or mutilate owing to their own internal insecurities. How would we be able to handle them? Rape and kill them due to our collective fear of losing control over what we perceive to be our personal space?
Or would we be so bold so as to actually learn something from them? Can we foresee ourselves as being so open so as to be open to another fresh, interesting idea, instead of rehashing old ones time and time again?
Mind you, in that day and age the human race has eliminated hunger and poverty!So an idea like that may well be improbable.
But we tend to make the same assumptions that issues that exist in this day and age will continue till the 23rd or 24th century or whatever: Imperialism, Fascism, Deceit, War, and anything else gory. Which is why I find the franchise a tad too presumptuous in thinking that these issues wont be solved given the extent to which humanity as a species has evolved in the past 300 years!
I know that killing your enemies with a single photon torpedo while they have all guns firing at you is a tad unrealistic, but think about the larger implications of this franchise; there is life outside this planet, outside the galaxy we inhabit, outside galaxies that surround ours as well. Other beings, other life forms, other forms of energy, dimensions of time that exist in parallel with our own, the possibility of multiple dimensions, it's so rich!
I find it a fascinating concept and its never failed to draw my attention to the exciting possibilities that it has to offer.
Imagine meeting another form of life that may or may not be vertebrate. Imagine they were a peace loving species, one that does not feel the need to conquer or mutilate owing to their own internal insecurities. How would we be able to handle them? Rape and kill them due to our collective fear of losing control over what we perceive to be our personal space?
Or would we be so bold so as to actually learn something from them? Can we foresee ourselves as being so open so as to be open to another fresh, interesting idea, instead of rehashing old ones time and time again?
Mind you, in that day and age the human race has eliminated hunger and poverty!So an idea like that may well be improbable.
But we tend to make the same assumptions that issues that exist in this day and age will continue till the 23rd or 24th century or whatever: Imperialism, Fascism, Deceit, War, and anything else gory. Which is why I find the franchise a tad too presumptuous in thinking that these issues wont be solved given the extent to which humanity as a species has evolved in the past 300 years!
Monday, August 2, 2010
If any of you have browsed through my blog it would please me a great deal if you took home the message of personal growth, personal choice and the importance of a live-and-let-live attitude from it. These are the things that interest me a great deal; but I have to admit that there are times when I find these practices far more easy to preach than implement.
Recent events have in so small part been responsible for my frustration but I would still like to believe very much that it is possible to overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable, change oneself when it seems least likely and to dream the impossible dream. But what I have come to realize is the sheer amount of singular intensity it takes to see these dreams translate into an equally satisfying reality. I have also realized it is far more easy to preach and that the enacting and application of these principles are a bitch to deal with in real life.
I would love to see my own dreams come to fruition;whether or not I have the strength of purpose to actually make it happen is a different question altogether. I suppose people who have succeeded in making their dreams a reality will be far too busy to actually advise others as to how to go about doing it!! But it will be interesting nonetheless.
Recent events have in so small part been responsible for my frustration but I would still like to believe very much that it is possible to overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable, change oneself when it seems least likely and to dream the impossible dream. But what I have come to realize is the sheer amount of singular intensity it takes to see these dreams translate into an equally satisfying reality. I have also realized it is far more easy to preach and that the enacting and application of these principles are a bitch to deal with in real life.
I would love to see my own dreams come to fruition;whether or not I have the strength of purpose to actually make it happen is a different question altogether. I suppose people who have succeeded in making their dreams a reality will be far too busy to actually advise others as to how to go about doing it!! But it will be interesting nonetheless.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Think like a superhero!!
Food for thought: If you had the power to control the minds of other people, would you manipulate the mind of the one that got away to fall in love with you for eternity? In a single, precise moment of a much needed intervention? Think about it!
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