Waves won't Die
When he was a child,
He put a tiny stone
Into a silent pond,
That made ripples,
And still come in his dreams.
In the green paddy fields,
He found waves in childhood,
But in their greediness,
They fed with pesticides,
And killed the earth.
Years later, he found
Only a green less desert,
But still waves were there,
That time, only heat waves.
He watched -later in life-
A roaring ocean kisses the shore
With its everlasting waves.
Waves made further waves
Not only of water but of sound:
Sound of the roar,
Sound of the lively speech
Of the fisher folk,
Sound of the little kingfishers.
His first love
With her jasmine fragrance
Made a wave in his heart.
The first look of a beggar,
An injustice done, the taste of God
And all made in him waves.
Months and years passed,
But still in silent nights,
He is caught, moved and shaped
By all these waves.
Waves won’t die...
05 January, 2008
A Macro View
The Macro View
Going upward when the sun is about to set, in the Kerala green hills is always an enjoyable experience. This is a great privilege for me to enjoy this exuberant experience quite often, as I am staying in Elappara, one of the beautiful high ranges of Idukki district in Kerala. Here the roads don’t have enough width and always look very dangerous having lots of curves and very deep horrendous steeps. Very often I witness minor accidents also. But it is not accidents or the curves which attract me during my bus journey but the greenish steeps and valleys, the spreading white cool mist over them, the appearance of new tall peaks in different directions, the evanescent bright painting that no human artist can do made by the sunset in the sky, the beautiful round yellowish red appearance of the sun between two tall peaks and above all the magnificent firmament where the sky and the peaks kiss each other attract me most. Since my childhood I have been always wondering at and envious of the elegantly gliding kites because of their ability to fly over the sky to have a macro view of the world while enjoying all the elements of nature and universe. One of the reasons, why I like this green hill journey is to have a macro view like those kites over the world.
People may have different attitudes towards human life. Mainly we can divide it into two: while one set of people try to view the life from a macro view point, the other set have the micro view point over life. The macro view point is seeing the universe as a whole and trying to associate oneself with that and the living force behind that. Meanwhile the macro view point is looking from oneself the immediate surroundings and trying to reach the whole. The goal of the first one is from the universe trying to know oneself, while the goal of the second one is from oneself trying to understand the universe. In my opinion both attitudes of life are successful and correct if the goal is achieved. But I am of the first one.
Whenever I am in the peaks of mountains, I am just completely preoccupied with the superiority and elegance of the never ending skies, very huge mountains, icy clouds and the magnificent universe. For a short period I just forget about all the petty problems in the world. When I am near to the pleasant light blue skies even the enormous problems of the world like Kashmiri terrorism and American war on Iraq seem negligible.
The kite only knows the oneness of human beings and the oneness of nature and universe. A person who has the macro view point of a kite cannot know and understand the boundaries between countries, the class discrimination and the colour discrimination. To him there is no Indian, no Pakistani and American but only human being. Perhaps not even there is separation between humans, animals, nature and sky but the entire universe and the force behind that is inseparable. That is each and everything is the integral part of the one which has no beginning and no end.
If we understand this truth that we are the integral parts of the universe then we will never fight with other parts. The parts of a body cannot fight each other because if one fights it will affect all the other parts. Then man will never destroy nature for greediness. Then people will never accumulate more and more money and properties for themselves. Then they will never hate others because that means they hate themselves.
The people who have this macro view point see themselves in other people whether they are poor or rich, black or white, beautiful or ugly. They don’t know the people by their entity, colour or physical stature; they know them only as human beings: the part of the universe that means the part of the creator.
No place, no plays or clays, no moreCan separate these souls who meetFor they are one, from one, none elseAnd know each others’ pulse.
Going upward when the sun is about to set, in the Kerala green hills is always an enjoyable experience. This is a great privilege for me to enjoy this exuberant experience quite often, as I am staying in Elappara, one of the beautiful high ranges of Idukki district in Kerala. Here the roads don’t have enough width and always look very dangerous having lots of curves and very deep horrendous steeps. Very often I witness minor accidents also. But it is not accidents or the curves which attract me during my bus journey but the greenish steeps and valleys, the spreading white cool mist over them, the appearance of new tall peaks in different directions, the evanescent bright painting that no human artist can do made by the sunset in the sky, the beautiful round yellowish red appearance of the sun between two tall peaks and above all the magnificent firmament where the sky and the peaks kiss each other attract me most. Since my childhood I have been always wondering at and envious of the elegantly gliding kites because of their ability to fly over the sky to have a macro view of the world while enjoying all the elements of nature and universe. One of the reasons, why I like this green hill journey is to have a macro view like those kites over the world.
People may have different attitudes towards human life. Mainly we can divide it into two: while one set of people try to view the life from a macro view point, the other set have the micro view point over life. The macro view point is seeing the universe as a whole and trying to associate oneself with that and the living force behind that. Meanwhile the macro view point is looking from oneself the immediate surroundings and trying to reach the whole. The goal of the first one is from the universe trying to know oneself, while the goal of the second one is from oneself trying to understand the universe. In my opinion both attitudes of life are successful and correct if the goal is achieved. But I am of the first one.
Whenever I am in the peaks of mountains, I am just completely preoccupied with the superiority and elegance of the never ending skies, very huge mountains, icy clouds and the magnificent universe. For a short period I just forget about all the petty problems in the world. When I am near to the pleasant light blue skies even the enormous problems of the world like Kashmiri terrorism and American war on Iraq seem negligible.
The kite only knows the oneness of human beings and the oneness of nature and universe. A person who has the macro view point of a kite cannot know and understand the boundaries between countries, the class discrimination and the colour discrimination. To him there is no Indian, no Pakistani and American but only human being. Perhaps not even there is separation between humans, animals, nature and sky but the entire universe and the force behind that is inseparable. That is each and everything is the integral part of the one which has no beginning and no end.
If we understand this truth that we are the integral parts of the universe then we will never fight with other parts. The parts of a body cannot fight each other because if one fights it will affect all the other parts. Then man will never destroy nature for greediness. Then people will never accumulate more and more money and properties for themselves. Then they will never hate others because that means they hate themselves.
The people who have this macro view point see themselves in other people whether they are poor or rich, black or white, beautiful or ugly. They don’t know the people by their entity, colour or physical stature; they know them only as human beings: the part of the universe that means the part of the creator.
No place, no plays or clays, no moreCan separate these souls who meetFor they are one, from one, none elseAnd know each others’ pulse.
Time Won't Come Again
Time won’t come again
Is there ‘time’ in this universe? If there is time, is there beginning and end to time? So far the human knowledge hasn’t found the beginning and end of the universe. We can say that the beginning of the universe is the beginning of time and end as well. Hence the age of time is equal to the age of universe. The universe is existing and all the time changing within it. But time is going forward and it does not exist.
Everything else besides time and life in this world are cyclic. Time as life once lost means lost. In our life every second we lose is a second reduced in our length of life. Time and life in this world won’t come again. Every time when I travel through the Kerala mountains I watch and feel the beautiful high peaks touching the sky, the yellowish red sun hiding back the peaks, the clouds and mists moving over the steeps and valleys filled with greenery, the soft cool touch of the wind and the enchanting scenes of nature. and always I can get the same experience, same joy and same thoughts. But it is true yesterday is not today, today cannot be tomorrow according to time. For experiences may come again but time won’t.
Time is identified only by life. Passing of ages and eras are unidentified and meaningless without life. It can be rightly called the dark ages. From the beginning itself time and life have been inseparable. Even though every living being in this world has a short life the perpetuation of life is going on long by its generation and so we can also say that worldly life is also eternal in the sense that it is passed on from one generation to another. It is not life but meaningful life and influential incidents of life and time become history. To be in history or to print a mark in time one has to have influential incidents and achievements in life.
Jesus Christ’s life had this kind of influence on the life of people and time and resulted in the dividing of time into two as A.D. and B.C. Can you imagine a 16th century England without the elegant rule of queen Elizabeth; the renaissance in the literary field; the cute children of renaissance, Edmund Spencer and William Shakespeare and the power of reformation? It is because of these influential incidents and lives 16th century England is remembered for ever.
Now-a-days people are fighting with each other over the sharing of water from the reservoirs. That means water can be stored, reserved, chanalized and used whenever it is needed. But we cannot do time like that. The time units are just to count the passage of time and not to stop the time as segments and use it as we like.
Even though we cannot reserve time as water we can use time wisely. We can manage time in an efficient way not by stopping and changing time as our wish but by properly scheduling our tasks and doings in a better way. J. Krishnamurthy always stressed the importance of living in the present time. Jesus Christ also emphasized the need of living today. That means we should not postpone today’s task for tomorrow and at the same time we should not carry tomorrows problems to today also. Successful people are those who use their time properly, effectively and timely. For instance if a person gets up one hour early every day then he will get one more waking day in a month.
Even carl Lewis cannot ask time, “Hey, wait a minute I would catch up with you”. We have to run with time that we do knowingly or unknowingly. But to make a mark in time something else is needed individually or collectively, through science, religion, literature, philosophy, politics, and sports and so on. In short, if we use time wisely, time will make our achievements history.
Is there ‘time’ in this universe? If there is time, is there beginning and end to time? So far the human knowledge hasn’t found the beginning and end of the universe. We can say that the beginning of the universe is the beginning of time and end as well. Hence the age of time is equal to the age of universe. The universe is existing and all the time changing within it. But time is going forward and it does not exist.
Everything else besides time and life in this world are cyclic. Time as life once lost means lost. In our life every second we lose is a second reduced in our length of life. Time and life in this world won’t come again. Every time when I travel through the Kerala mountains I watch and feel the beautiful high peaks touching the sky, the yellowish red sun hiding back the peaks, the clouds and mists moving over the steeps and valleys filled with greenery, the soft cool touch of the wind and the enchanting scenes of nature. and always I can get the same experience, same joy and same thoughts. But it is true yesterday is not today, today cannot be tomorrow according to time. For experiences may come again but time won’t.
Time is identified only by life. Passing of ages and eras are unidentified and meaningless without life. It can be rightly called the dark ages. From the beginning itself time and life have been inseparable. Even though every living being in this world has a short life the perpetuation of life is going on long by its generation and so we can also say that worldly life is also eternal in the sense that it is passed on from one generation to another. It is not life but meaningful life and influential incidents of life and time become history. To be in history or to print a mark in time one has to have influential incidents and achievements in life.
Jesus Christ’s life had this kind of influence on the life of people and time and resulted in the dividing of time into two as A.D. and B.C. Can you imagine a 16th century England without the elegant rule of queen Elizabeth; the renaissance in the literary field; the cute children of renaissance, Edmund Spencer and William Shakespeare and the power of reformation? It is because of these influential incidents and lives 16th century England is remembered for ever.
Now-a-days people are fighting with each other over the sharing of water from the reservoirs. That means water can be stored, reserved, chanalized and used whenever it is needed. But we cannot do time like that. The time units are just to count the passage of time and not to stop the time as segments and use it as we like.
Even though we cannot reserve time as water we can use time wisely. We can manage time in an efficient way not by stopping and changing time as our wish but by properly scheduling our tasks and doings in a better way. J. Krishnamurthy always stressed the importance of living in the present time. Jesus Christ also emphasized the need of living today. That means we should not postpone today’s task for tomorrow and at the same time we should not carry tomorrows problems to today also. Successful people are those who use their time properly, effectively and timely. For instance if a person gets up one hour early every day then he will get one more waking day in a month.
Even carl Lewis cannot ask time, “Hey, wait a minute I would catch up with you”. We have to run with time that we do knowingly or unknowingly. But to make a mark in time something else is needed individually or collectively, through science, religion, literature, philosophy, politics, and sports and so on. In short, if we use time wisely, time will make our achievements history.
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