What do you owe your parents?

"Parents are like God, because you wanna know they're out there, and you want them to think well of you but you really only call when you need something."

                                                                                                                                                                                    -Chuck Palahniuk

I have been pondering about writing darker pieces, for a while now and I have decided firmly that I will...because my readers ought to know what I think. There will surely be some who will loathe me and I will earn the hateful stares of the few I offend, but I feel I've got to do justice to my blog. So, brace yourself, dear readers...

I start now.

I  have encountered in the past, people who believe that they owe their parents everything, and that was exactly what I thought till about a couple of years back. I wouldn't have been writing this piece if not for my parents.....but did I ask for that?

I didn't, hypothetically speaking, run to my parents and beg them to give birth to me(I know, it's  a paradox. This statement is, obviously, just for the sake of the argument.)

The meaning of ' being in debt' or ' owing' is that A asks B for something and B gives it to A, expecting to be given something in return. Since that didn't happen in this case, I don't owe them for giving birth to me.

 Now, I will say this and I am likely to do so again: I find the idea of nonexistence attractive. It's something that I have thought about, and discussed with many acquaintances. I just won't be here to endure the nastiness of life, which is a good thing.(don't worry, I am positive that I have not lost it.)

Anyway, getting back on track,what about the care, love, and protection they gave me during my upbringing?

Whenever one creates something or someone, he is inevitably and automatically burdened with the total responsibility of the latter. I consider it to be a law of the universe. If I drew a sketch, and it got torn, it is I who is responsible for it and if I fix the tear with an inch of clear tape, the sketch does not owe me, I was responsible for it all along. For every single act performed by me, every single aspect of my being and every single thought in my brain till i fully achieved the status of being capable of thinking logically and independently, my creators ie my parents are the ones who are more or less responsible. Even after that, as I advance through the stages of life, many things about me like my attitude, are partially, if not wholly connected to the influence of my parents.

Before my teen-years, my whims and fancies were entertained unconditionally by my parents. Then, I was neither capable of clearing the 'debt' nor did I understand the mere concept of it. I'm sure my parents didn't expect a child to pay them back and I don't recall a memory of them mentioning it.

I am not sure if I can term these acts as charity.

However, after I gained maturity and came into the possession of a reasonably good amount of knowledge about this subject, the requests I put forward to my parents, could be counted as favors.

Let's take for example, when I bought my XBOX 360.

That can be thought of as, me borrowing money from my parents to indulge in a little bit of luxury. They weren't obliged to purchase a gaming console for me...but they did. It wasn't their duty to do it, but they did it anyway. Looks like I need to get some cash...lots of cash.

What did I give my parents?

Probably the best thing I ever gave them was joy, right after I was born.

Let's twist the picture a little bit. If I need to repay them for all the moments of happiness, would I then have to repay them for times when they have hurt(not just physically)me?

I am of the opinion that couples have children for their own selfish reasons.(I know what you're thinking - boo!!!)

It's rarely because they want to present to the world a responsible and efficient individual, instead it's because they don't want to miss out on anything. They want to own a human who is fully dependent on them and experiment, just to see what happens.

That, or society compels them to have kids.

Some of you might think that I am being unfair to all the fathers and mothers out there, as I don't know what molding a life, really is.

Agreed, it's tough, but that doesn't solve anything.

Okay, back to the point.

I have all kinds of questions about it.

If I owe my parents everything, and someday I have children and they owe me everything, does that balance it out ? Does it end up becoming a vicious circle of pending debts and it all nullifies and nobody owes their parents anything?

Hell, I have another kickass argument which is the one that I truly believe in.

By giving birth to me into this life, this wicked and merciless hellhole, when I could have been enjoying, being nothing, haven't my parents committed an unpardonable deed and the greatest crime of all?  Don't they owe me exponentially more than they have and are indebted to me?

At this particular moment in time, being absolutely flabbergasted by the indecipherable mess of thoughts zooming through my brain, I open my laptop and watch an episode of True Detective and shortly after that, sleep.

In conclusion, I consider the relationship of a parent and his/her child to be the purest in existence. To pollute it with the superficial and narrow concepts of 'favors' and 'debt' would be wrong. If I were a theist, I would label it as a sin.

You owe nothing to your parents, unless you choose to. I, want to see mine, happy and healthy and I will do my utmost to ensure it, out of respect. This unique relationship should be marked by, mutual respect and trust.

So that, one doesn't have to look back to know that someone is there to support him.

I hope that the love I have received from my parents was just because they cared about me. I would like to believe that, a father's or a mother's compassion evolves from the instinct, to protect and provide for an offspring.

That is all.

Truth

" If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."

                                                                                    Mark Twain

People love those 'spiritual' men, who abandon their comfortable lives and venture into the unexplored. The ones that dress in garb, and claim to have undertaken a quest for the ultimate truth. It is not rare to see them carrying a guitar, and occasionally, you will find someone who can, actually play it any good. People just love 'em. They are so cool.

I've often read essays and books that praise and recommend their lifestyle. The most recent one, said that these are the true brave men. But why do they do it?

I guess, the common belief is that if you rid yourself of materialistic pleasures and if you do it long enough, some realities become visible to you. Here's what I think...truth is something that is permanent. It remains unchanged, no matter what your perspective is. I know people think otherwise, that truth varies from person to person, but it does not. There is no ultimate truth. There is nothing that explains everything. There is truth and untruth in every situation. Questions like, ' What is life?' and ' Why are we here?' don't bother me, neither should they bother you, for the simple reason that they don't make any sense to me. If they do to you, please take two minutes of your time to comment what you think, I'll love to read it.

If there is indeed, an answer to such inane questions, I hope it is not as unsatisfying as, forty two.(If you can't understand what this means, skip it.This sentence is aimed at those guys who have read The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.) 

Don't get it? Get a copy of The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy...

To those who seek the truth, nothing is more valuable. They will sacrifice anything for the truth. My advice to you is, that don't settle for anything less than the absolute truth. As an earthling, you possess the right to know the reality. Don't let anyone take it away from you, because they can't. 

I wonder, if instead of collecting information to get to the actuality, one could eliminate irrelevant knowledge and eventually arrive at the basic facts, that were there all along(hope I'm making sense!).

So, that's it for now, I'll be busy in my studies for a while, so I'll try to write the next post as soon as possible. I'll be posting some short stories when I get the chance, for a change, a few film reviews, maybe.  

In fact, I'll wrap this one up with a short story. A really, super short story.

He woke up with a splitting headache, and hazy vision. He realized that he was lying on a beach, clothes drenched and sand stuck to his skin. The cries of the fishermen hurt his ears, they were bleeding, maybe this was the sound that woke him up.

"Hello, sir!"

Startled out of his senses, he turned his head with a jerk in the direction of the voice. It belonged to a well-dressed elderly man with thin round spectacles and a funny accent. The old man was dressed completely in black, which further confused the man lying on the sandy floor. "Hazards of alcohol, eh, sir? Figured you'd be here," the man extended his hand, " Let me help you up, sir." The dazed man was reluctant to take his hand, and didn't. He spoke slowly with careful lip-movements, "Who am I? Who are you? What is this place?"

" Great sense of humor you possess, sir! just like your father." The man on the beach lip-synced the word, 'father'.

" Who am I?" he repeated.

" You were drunk, sir," the old man was sounding a little irritated, " Your name is Varun Sharma, sir. You act for a living and I'm your butler, sir. You hosted a party yesterday night, and well...things got a little awry and you ended up here." he paused to admire the scenery, and continued speaking while looking at the rising sun. " Anything else you want to know about yourself?" 

The young man's face was devoid of expression. 

" You've dirtied your clothes, sir, they were pricey," the other looked at his clothes, mechanically," Never mind, we'll buy new ones on the way."

He wiped the moisture off his perfectly round spectacles. He began to walk in the opposite direction.

" Get yourself together, sir. You have a lot of important people to meet today. I'll be waiting in the limo."

The younger of the two, pointed a thumb at himself and said, " My limo?"

Smiling, the old man said," Yes sir, your limo. Forgot to tell you one thing, you're filthy rich."

The man lay on the beach, breathing deeply. He smiled and started grooming his sandy, wet hair. Suddenly, he froze and the smile vanished from his lips as quickly as it had appeared.

" Is it true?"

The old man stopped in his tracks. 

He looked over his shoulder, " Pardon me, sir?"

"Whatever you said to me, is it the truth?"

  

Dreams

"We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."
                                                                                       -Tyler Durden(Fight Club(1999))






Firstly, thank you all for the comments and those who followed my blog. Secondly, this post has absolutely nothing to do with the dreams you have at night. I won't deal with the dreams, in which you see the rivers of alcohol and mountains of chocolate, nor will I talk about the plot mysteries of 'Inception'. I am going to write about the dreams you have, about the future. A plan, a blueprint of what you think you're going to do.

Whenever you set a goal in your life, you should always make sure it's achievable. Of course, no one will say, " You know what, someday, I'm gonna kill an ant with the planet Venus and then excrete on it's remains," but, you know what I'm saying(I hope).
You should realize the fact that you might not be up for the task. The point here is, facing your shortcomings and the circumstances. I'll give you an example to make my point more comprehensible, I had this friend who was, you know, an awkward teenager and who used to keep telling me that he is going to be an engineer and that too after studying in the best engineering college in the country. The first time, I said, " Good. That's a lot of studying isn't it?" He agreed. His babbling went on increasing day by day, and it was the same thing every time. After a few weeks, I got irritated and said to him, " Yeah, that's nice. What was your percentage this year, again?"
I know, I know, you think I am cruel, but one thing that I can't stand are false promises, especially the ones we make to ourselves. I think you can figure out how brainy he was.
I believe that the purpose of life is the purpose you choose to give it, and if it's unattainable, then there's only disappointment and regret in store for you.
I am aware of the fact that, the first step to living your dream, is to dream of the life you want, but once you do that, you should think it out logically. If it isn't possible, accept that. It just isn't happening. Even if it is, you also have a very complex and unpredictable factor to worry about: shit luck. It is what makes the world go round, so prepare yourself.
One more quote from Fight Club: Let the chips fall where they may.
Don't let that discourage you. "If you will it, dude, it is no dream." - The Big Lebowski. 
Phew, that's a lot of movie quotes for one post.
Anyway,I am not saying, that one should not aspire to be great, I am saying that one should recognize one's strengths and weaknesses. Live your life to the full by accepting it the way it is. So, that's it for now and if you want me to share my opinion on something, comment below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.   

NOTE

I hope that many of you have followed my blog, those who haven't, please do. Be sure to follow it using BOTH the 'follow by email' gadget and the 'join this site' gadget. I noticed that after following by email, the follower's name is not displayed under 'followers'. If you knew that, and did the needful, you can go back to doing whatever you were doing. Thank you.  

Not Giving A Shit

"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn."

                                                                                                       Gore Vidal

This post will probably be one of the most important posts, showcased here, on this webpage because it continues to exist in my life as an inseparable aspect.
Surely, you may have heard of the unfortunate beings of our society, who battle stress everyday? Heads about to explode under the pressure of worries and tension? Possibly, you might even know someone suffering from it. You know what, I don't give a shit.
Obviously, I care enough, to write a blog post about it, but blogging is my top priority these days, this subject of stress and people suffering from it, will eventually lose my interest and attention.
So, why should someone inculcate this attitude? I'll tell you why.
It's the simplest way of overcoming stress. The moment you catch yourself thinking about something that does not concern you, tell yourself:  There is nothing about this thing that deserves my attention, might as well stop thinking about it!
You may form an opinion on the subject by quick thinking(if it is unavoidable), but nothing more. It is always better to think about it, when it directly concerns you. Then, it would be a priority, and you will think more effectively on it, producing greater results. Compare that to the previous case. A small part of your mind, working on it, the other, working on the other stuff in your brain.
Think about the worthless info you're storing! That space could have been used for more important things!
You have garbage inside your mind, that isn't even connected to you! You have more important stuff in your life, don't ya?

Look at it!!!

Imagine, you practiced all of what I've written above. You would look at everything, as a separate entity, giving it the attention it deserves and free from any prejudices. In short, you would become super-effective in everything.
It's just so easy. To escape the worries, anxieties and the agonizing stress and tensions....just stop giving a shit. Things that aren't even worth your time, like what your neighbor thinks or how many plants are planted annually in your city; these are interfering with things that actually matter in your life. Don't overthink about them.
So, next time, if you hear someone saying to you, " Did you hear about what happened yesterday in Timbuktu? A car............"
You stop him right then, and tell him," Please don't mistake me for someone who gives a shit!"
Instead of listening to that meaningless crap, go out for a long walk, or watch a good film.

Acceptance

"Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune."
                                                        William James

I was travelling with this friend of mine in a rickshaw, a little younger than myself.
It was close to 9 o'clock in the night and we stopped at a traffic light. I was busy writing notes on my phone, when he drew my attention by tapping gently on my shoulder. I looked in the direction in which he had his finger pointed at, I saw beggars. Lots of them. Dressed in dirty rags, they were seated on the sidewalk. One was missing an eye and another both his arms. They were deprived of all kinds of body parts, wouldn't like to list them here and I bet you won't too. The sight was horrible. They didn't even bother to get up; they just tapped their steel bowls with a pitiable expression. My friend exclaimed that they would surely have a caretaker who has a shelter for them and food for them to eat. I expressed disbelief. He went on to say that there must be some NGO center or some organization founded in their interest which provided them with eatables and clothing in plenty. I said," Look at them, just look. Do they look like they are being cared for?"
I flung a coin out of the vehicle, all the beggars reacted so suddenly and violently that although I had expected the reaction, I was taken aback. They fought like madmen over the coin. A blind man had managed to grab the coin, and the others left him after a few kicks.
My friend said to me in a shaky voice,"Bah! Your mind is so negative." The rest of the journey was as silent as a cemetery.
My companion didn't want  to believe it. He didn't desire the knowledge, of the possibility of the beggars eating half a morsel every night and sleeping unprotected on the footpath, withstanding rain, cold and hail.
He had shielded his mind. He didn't want to know it.
Another incident comes to mind. I was watching a circus along with someone. A contortionist was performing in front of me, passing his body through rings, boxes and other structures. My companion was of the opinion that this performer is rich and well-off owing to his amazing feats. Nothing about the contortionist indicated this: he had a frail body and protruding bones. Again, my friend didn't want to possess the information, that the contortionist's body might have been bent by force by an exploitative person, at a young age. I have a hazy memory of seeing the contortionist having a banana and a cup of tea outside the tent, immediately after the show.
I think we all agree, that life sucks. It thrashes you till you hit the floor, then again picks you up and again, continues the hammering.
So, why not accept these sad realities?
People call this attitude 'pessimistic'. These are the people who will give you greeting cards on your birthday, which say, "Life Is Beautiful!"
You're not giving up. You are understanding the situation fully, and are capable of getting back at it, in an informed and effective way.
Actually, this attitude is 'realistic'. Vast difference between the two, if you identify, what a thing really is, you have a better chance of overcoming the obstacles associated with it. If there is something wrong with it, that's what it is. It just is. Deal with it.
Next time you encounter a problem or anything for that matter, stop, and accept it. Accept it's existence and it's nature. Only then, you will effectively solve it.

Introduction

I always wanted to write a blog. Blogging is fun. So, after my first blog didn't work out, I was getting uneasy. I then decided to write this blog, which is way different from the previous one. The content won't be restricted to anything, no bombastic vocabulary will be used.

When I look around my world, I notice a lot of rigid minds. I see those who will refuse to lend me their ears whenever possible and who would go to any length to protect their convictions. That's why, I started this blog, to spread my unheard philosophy, to impart a different attitude towards our lives and most importantly, just for the hell of it.

Want to get something straight, just for the record, this is not a rant blog. That's probably the last thing it will ever be. I will try my level best to avoid the material being displayed here, to look like complaints. This is not a medium to vent my anger. It's a place where my thoughts will be penned down for everyone to read. You may or may not agree with what I think. Please take a moment to comment a little something. A suggestion,  a few words of agreement, opposing views: anything. I am completely open to criticism, so you can say anything you like and make sure to tell your friends about this blog. Nobody minds a little free advertising. 

A confused teen I may be, I know something that you don't. This blog will share the way I look at the world and how my brain processes that intricate and complex info. I plan to keep uploading content as often as possible. Hope you enjoy my posts.