Remembrance and Deliverance.

The latest from my Thought Factory, lemme know what you guys think :)

Remembrance and Deliverance

I remember I remember,
Those cold harsh winters
of December.
With people and the world,
Running amok in happiness
and holiday cheer.
Putting aside differences,
Overlooking their fears.
Revisiting un-kept promises,
Reflecting upon unforeseen
consequences.
Vowing to be better,
Vowing to make changes.
Promising yet gentle,
Every demeanor, every
action;
Like the soft and gentle
snow flakes,
Falling to the ground,
Framing my window.
A reminder of all that
was built,
Of all that we had,
And of all that,
Which once is gone,
Can never come back.
While embracing the spirit
Of happiness, peace and unity,
Which brings us together.
We rush to forget however,
Scars, memories and wounds,
Stained, tattooed and branded
By the piercing, barbed,
Razor sharp blades of
difference.
Of hatred and discord.
We choose to forget,
Our past wrongs;
While searching for peace,
While looking for redemption.
Barely registering, nor
regarding,
The consequences of
our actions.
Forgetting the ease
With which it is,
That we sow the seeds
of disagreement,
Of unrest, of discord.
Forgetting the many
sacrifices,
Of life, love and home,
By those long forgotten
heroes
Who walked the treacherous
path
Towards, unity, togetherness
and hope.
The only memories of them,
Coming from faded
pictures,
And treasured photo frames.
Puffy, swollen and distant,
Red eyes…
Eyes filled with a hope,
An anticipation,
A simple expectation of
a miracle,
Only to be shattered by,
Crushing realization and
stark truths.
A realization...A hollowness
Magnified by those tear
tracks,
Appearing on many a weary
face.
With the realization of never
ever being whole.
Forgotten are they,
Like inconvenient truths;
In this jungle of facades,
Bonhomie and fake camaraderie.
In the midst of our yet to be made
Promises and vows,
And prayers for better days
and better lives,
Lets not forget those sacrifices,
Those struggles, those fights,
For peace, for unity,
And happiness unsurpassed.
Lest we take for granted,
Those precious lives whose time had
come to pass.
For they are beacons,
They are our strength,
And they are ultimately,
The very reasons,
If not the core motivation,
To do what’s right.

SJ
(Nov 12, 2010)

The Thought Mart - This week's special...The Written Word !!

Hey guys n gals...hope all is well with ya'll. Yeah I know I got a bit of a drawl goin' back there, fun things that happen while you're trying to keep your brain in check. Anyway, I had a few thoughts zipping through my head, yes I know go on roll your eyes , about a few elements of that quirky thing called life. I know you've all heard that a person is defined by the sum of their actions or at least I hope some of you have heard of it, and for those of you who haven't well I guess you learned something new today and are waltzin' outta that cocoon of ignorance society revels in today. I mean hey if you don't know 'bout it then why bother right? Besides we have enough junk we gotta know so why should we bother about knowing and learning more right? None the less, I think that we are not just the sum total of our actions, but also the sum total of our sacrifices. Now that doesn't mean we should start keeping track of all that we sacrifice, I mean for some of us that's equivalent to giving up carbs for 2 months and for others it's giving up on all those wondrous dreams to live in this moment of reality. Now I ain't no accountant with the Bank of D&K but every sacrifice besides being another step in the refinement/extraction process of who we are, it has tremendous meaning and significance in the grander scheme of things.

Besides all this fun and fascinating talk 'bout sacrifices and actions, I was recently reminded of my other job as a mere mortal, that I actually forgot about and was pretty glad forgetting about....that of being a friend. Well its not a job to me per se but in a few cases it really does seem like it, that's how much the bond is respected if not cherished. But then again, I shouldn't have expectations, like my madre says my belief in people will be the death of me. But here's where my bone of contention lies, if you don't have faith or belief or rather hope in people, then what's the point in existing? We all live by the balance of hope and faith, whether we believe it or not, its one of those involuntary things. I mean before when I'd realize that nothing changed w.r.t some people I'd be pretty bummed out, I guess I've moved on along in life as well just as they have and I think I'm glad I feel indifferent 'bout it. Now I dunno if that means the next time there's a check in at heartbreak hotel if I'm gonna be available, but I do know this for a fact...they really aren't worth my salt and if experience has taught me nething it's this that they'd be the first deserters at the scene. So, ultimate moral of the story, make sure you turn to yourself first and then to your support system. Sound crappy? Well, too bad, it's useful 'cuz of the nature of the world we live in, it's so fast past paced and perhaps ultra demanding, not to forget competitive as well in that mix that sometimes heck most times our support systems will be involved in their own battles and their problems. I guess some people just don't deserve those many chances huh? And some people just won't change from their own self-absorbing ways, so much so that if they don't receive that 'normal' bite of attention then you know then the person not giving them that attention has turned into a egotistical, narcissistic, self absorbed twat. I mean forgive me if others have a life with real problems that don't go hoverin' around your life nor your wants and needs. So instead of sitting there and claiming and declaring them to be a reflection of yourself, get our arse off that high throne and try and be useful. Try and be that 'friend' that they seek comfort in rather than being the pop up ad that people get annoyed with. Try and be a part of people's lives rather than pushing them away when your quota of 'I have everything I need and then some' is fulfilled, and only going back to them when that dream pops like a soap bubble and you need to find your bearings. I mean honestly have we fallen so much that we don't value everything we have? And only choose to value a few things when the time is right? Next thing you know it'll be valued when the price is right *rolls eyes*, I mean hey it is a scary thought isn't it? To be evaluated by how much you are worth monetarily rather than what you're worth as a person. Perhaps it is my naivety that's bellowing itself out here, but hey that thought does make me sick.

Okay now I feel like that Ask Aunt Alice column from Young Times, for those of you who aren't familiar with Young Times, it used to be and I think still is, this magazine for kids that came once a week, I think Tuesdays, with the paper.

I had the randomest memory w.r.t Young Times the other day, while watching Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. On one of the episodes they mentioned "Pen Pals" while that had a completely different connotation on the show, well it referred to cell mates and other convicts in prison, it reminded me of this section that the magazine used to have. It brought a smile to my face, 'cuz to me now the concept I guess seems so far fetched to think back to, especially in this day and age where everything is a clikkity clak away. That also reminded me of my English and Hindi classes where we learned how to write formal letters and how to start the letters and the differences between formal and informal letters and how to end those letters. It makes me wonder if this fast paced progress of ours has made us forget the art of writing. Writing goes far beyond being a skill or talent someone has or a gift someone has. It's the thing that brings all of us together, it binds us, our thoughts, dreams and visions. And the beauty of it all is that each and every one of us are blessed with it, we just don't exercise it enough I guess. Doesn't mean that everyone has to go write poetry or the next big novel/series of a lifetime, it just means don't ever consider yourself to be any lesser than anybody else, because everybody is different and brilliantly unique in their own way. It's just sad how we tend to lose focus on the brilliant and unique aspect and choose to instead focus on the different aspect of things. More than that we tend to use this 'difference' as a weapon and as a way to further segregate ourselves rather than as something to bring us together.

I remember last year in one of my classes, while the poor proff was droning on about amino acids I think, I wrote a poem in there and one of my colleagues/friends who read the poem said dude what the hell are you doing here? You should be doing something else, you'd be much better off spending your future writing than being here and enduring this painful nonsense. So when I responded by saying well yeah I will do it after this first journey is over, to which my colleague said 'You can't do both, you can only do one and I think you should be a writer and that this painful road is not worth it.' Maybe she had a point, maybe she didn't but see, I have a small glitch in my system, I'm the kinda person who doesn't like being relegated to one thing...my interests vary far and wide, and I personally believe that people should do whatever and everything it is that they wish to do. I'm not just saying this peepz, I don't say things I don't mean or don't do myself, in fact I'm sure my friends can attest to this attitude of mine. C'mon guys when was the last time I walked down the same old beaten path? and decided hey lets just do it this way :P. I mean heck if the G-man ain't stoppin' ya who are a few people to stop ya right?

Anyway guys, I gotta get back to more pressing issues happening back here on this fun filled journey of my future. To be honest while I do know what path I've set out on, I'm not quite sure what the end of this journey holds and whether this journey will take me to one of my biggest dreams, but hey what's life without wishing and hoping that it works out right? Thanks for riding the tour bus on this journey you guys, and I hope all is going well with all of ya!!! Good luck with everything you got coming your way this week and I hope you guys have a great week ahead!!!

Song(s) of the Day

Song: Afterglow
Singer/Band: INXS ft Sona
Album: Switch
Release Date: Circa, 2005

Song: The Animal Song
OST: The Other Sister
Album: Affirmation
Artist/Band: Savage Garden
Release Date: Circa, 1999