Prime Obsession of the World?

Over a period of time , I have observed a curious phenomena, which I have also been a victim. It is search for an alternate career, most often, with things which are not connected to your professed area of competence. In the quest to make a living, we all choose something which Is feasible and the most visible things which are in vogue, around early twenties. The tyranny of beginners luck will take us towards some kind of "Joy" ride in our chosen area. Soon, some tag or moniker will be attached to you, as a Software Guy,Accountant,Artist, Carpenter, Lawyer etc.

Like any other things in life, monotony of job, creeps in to our life. Then, a quest to come out or escape from the misery of boredom triggers in, as a natural reaction. Then, series of actions which are close to rituals will be undertaken by the subject. Software Engineer will try to become a Musician, Lawyer will try to become a Singer, Carpenter will try to become a Philosopher etc. At least, everyone will indulge in things which are disconnected from their prime area of focus. Like every Indian who used to dream about Playing for India in Cricket, the day he got a cricket bat or ball, they show unusual enthusiasm towards their "alternate" career option. Here also, beginners luck will be them. Because of reality show and self "publishing" through Social media, some progress will be made. Soon the "boredom" due to the lack of immediate success, creeps in here as well.

Like the quintessential dream of "I will retire around fourty", it is seldom achieved. The Sunk cost fallacy creeps in here and soon the quest for alternate career, turns into some kind of Ritual. Of course,most often Rituals are as important as the functional side of our Acts.

Watching Dubbed Movies

One of my favorite pastimes now a days is to watch South Indian movies which are dubbed to Hindi. The other day, I happen to watch the movie "Kanchana" starring Raghav Lawrence and Sarath Kumar. I have seen the movie(in Tamil) at least five times while travelling to Bangalore,. I can understand Hindi better than Tamil and some of the dialogues made more sense, when I heard it in Hindi.

The movies which star Balakrishna (aka Balayya) is a fascinating treat to watch. My elder son too likes Balayya movies where train will stop or chair will move, if he points finger at it. Even though superficial, it is fun to watch. My son even  says that, among his class mates. Balayya is the most rated!

I did see Mommootty's Pramani and Mohan lal's Chitram, as well. Translation quality is excellent. In the year 2012, a colleague of mine told that, when people in his town are bored, they say, "Chalo, Jakke South ke ek movie dekhenge" (चलो  जाक्के एक साउथ के मूवी देखेंगे ). These Movies has got power to unite India.

Why meditation works?

I am a skeptic when it comes to mediation. There is no causal relationship between mediation and it's supposedly good side effects. But, it works for most people. I have always been perplexed about this.

Taking time off to meditate means you have got time to spare. When u meditate, you are focused on doing it. In the process, we take some time off from the triviality of everyday-ness. It slows down the pace of our life. It has got a serendipitous effect of taking a step back to view options.

In effect, mediation can be considered as a form of self deception. Self deception is a tool which helps us to be sane, in times of adversity. Take a look at our life. All the synchronicity we see are some kind of delusion. It is just series of random events happening asynchronously.

In Life, at a human scale, everything we do, even sitting idle, has got a positive consequence to narrate, at some point in life. If you feel or think that something is the cause of your well being, you can deceive yourself by thinking that it is useful. It is all about internal consistency.

Even terrorists think that, they are doing good to the world, by killing all evil atheists, dis-believers, corrupt people etc. It is also another way to look at the world. Meditation has got a soothing effect and it seems to be an effective way to ward off pressure for some. I am sure that, it is some kind of self deception. Does it work for you? Perhaps yes!