Musings Own Thoughts

 The topic of this blog is based on the choices we make in life at different stages in terms of age, the base instincts, nurture, knowledge, power or lack of power and finally the basis of intellect. Now the reason why this idea of writing on this struck me when I heard a story of choices made by a householder in different times. Once, in ancient India a householder was told by a corrupt minister of a King to lie on oath to protect him by lying to the King about his mistake. Since those were the days when moral values took center stage in life and most of the people were God fearing the idea that such an act will not only invite retribution to the individual lying and to his family in turn. Therefore he will refuse to lie for the sake of his family. The householder will say cut to a similar situation in 2025 if a politician forces one to lie on oath and in turn threatens him today he would lie on oath and justify in going so for the same reason to protect his family.  I think ...

 I was rudely awakened a few days back to a notification of a kind where we were suddenly told to be part of a mock drill to ensure that we are war ready. I can only say one thing that my reading of our world was that in the last 40 years or so man has reached a situation where famines, wars and pandemics were becoming more and more infrequent. This is also borne out by the fact that as man has advanced technologically, his power of imagination and ability to believe in a false order makes him capable of unprecedented collaboration and therefore renders the possibility of conflict becoming more remote than ever before. The doctrine of deterrence  and the threat of mutual destruction was a boon for the arms race and the ammunition industry, but yet paradoxically it reduced the possibility of their use.  In 2019-20, the covid 19 pandemic came from nowhere and engulfed the world with a deadly virus which was so virulent and so infective that it killed the vulnerable like mot...

  The fundamental aspect of the states of consciousness are very difficult to comprehend for us ordinary souls. This is more true in a world where body consciousness is so strong that we think it is the only thing that matters. The famous story of Ashtavakra and King Janaka is a fine example of the lessons to be learnt in day to day life. I am aware of the fact that the story of Ashtavakra being born deformed in 8 areas was on account of a curse given by his father Kahoda on account of pointing out the 8 mistakes he made while reciting the Vedas and explaining them to his wife Sujata. So the story is of false pride of a father who thought because of his ego that this small child in the womb could not rival his wisdom. Is this not the lament of youth that the adults refuse to believe that the generation of today can be cleverer than them? I recollect listening to a podcast where a very well read mature author lamented that the reading habit had declined in general and more so among ...