Suresh Chandrasekaran's Blog, page 25

Golden Silence

 "Silence is golden", they used to tell me in my youth. I used to be duly impressed and think very highly of silence even at that age when I had no clue why gold was supposed to be so valuable. Though, yes, belonging in the 'Have mouth, will speak...incessantly' category of human beings, it generally made me feel inadequate for not being able to belong in the 'gold' category of people.Of course,

What people say

"But what will people say," used to be one of the bugbears of my youth. And, of course, I used to be pretty much contemptuous of the 'oldies' for bothering about these mythical 'people' who had nothing better to do than say things about how other people lead their lives.Of course, when I wore those so-called 'bell-bottom' trousers or had my hair 'step-cut' (anachronisms, I know, but not all of us

Keep it simple

 You know the sort of advice that has everyone nodding in acceptance when it is handed out? That, generally, is precisely the sort of advice that people find nearly impossible to follow. Or so it has seemed to me always. The more people agree with the advice, the less they actually live by it.A recent incident brought home to me the fact that nobody really 'keeps it simple' though everyone is all

Maturity

 I never really managed to understand what the heck this 'maturity' really means. I go around checking out what various people think about it and, from the sheer variety of answers, I could come to only one conclusion. One thing that is common to ALL of them. One thing that EVERYONE thinks is mature. One thing that everyone would say, if they were being totally honest."IF a person behaves as I

Of discontent and progress

Say anything and there is always someone who will find something wrong in it. Even if he has to analyse it nano-meter by nano-meter. And, so, when I say something about happiness, how can it be that it does not face censure?"I know you are the laziest bum around. Does that mean that you have to make a virtue of not having any aspirations?"THIS with an audience, too. Another friend was also

Change All, Change Nought

"I did not quite get what you meant by working within the other person's bview of the world. You know, when you were talking about convincing people," I said."That was the only thing you did not get? You surprise me," he said.I should have known. Open my mouth and they find a way to shove something up the other end."Well," he continued condescendingly. "Take this issue of Caste-ism, for example.

Arguing and Convincing

 "You wrote a series on logical fallacies some time back, didn't you?""Hmmm...", I said, apprehensively. This sort of start to a conversation almost always boded ill for me. Now, what fault was this guy going to find with that series?"You do know that most logical fallacies are used, mostly knowingly, in arguments between people, don't you?""Of course I do. So?""Tell me, what is the difference

Conditional Happiness

You know, this happiness thing is really strange. Most things in life that you truly want, you are willing to bend over backwards to get them. Comes to happiness, though, it is funny how we seem to be so reluctant to invite the dratted thing in.Like, yes, when you are a child, you are happy unless something actively makes you unhappy. Like a pain in the tummy, be it because of hunger or

Multi-purpose tasking?

"I read your blog about what this chap was saying," said a friend, gesturing to the other chap in the room, "about purposes and all."I actually did not hear much after 'read your blog'. Someone actually READ my blog. Yippee Yay!!"Provided, of course, what you wrote is actually what he told."Yeah! Right! I should have expected that to come. My balloon of happiness hardly starts inflating before

Milestones

 "So, what did you understand from what I said the other day about ambition and purpose?"Huh! So, now I have to pass an exam on what I thought was an idle conversation? With an external examiner, no less, what with another friend looking on with that usual sneer on his face, expecting me to make a fool of myself like always."Um...that I should not be aiming to write if I want to eat.""What did I