Friction

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Written on Monday, July 30, 2007 by Rohan Koshy


Today was a frustrating day. You get these days where everything seems like a struggle. The sort of days where doing anything seems to take all your energy from you. I started to realise that this sort of friction is something that we just don't expect to have in our lives. You're basically hard wired to function so that what you really expect is that things will go to plan. This ofcourse is a fallacy, one i think most everyone including me struggles to accept in their lives. I mean this really is how we progress.

Nothing really goes to plan. You're always making adjustments to your plans. As someone once said "Planning is invaluable, but plans are useless". I agree with that statement. I don't know why but for us, the struggle with which we get things done is the norm of life, not the exception. Yet we continue all our lives to expect that things will pan out smoothly

Planning an evening with friends is an experience in frustration .So is getting all the paperwork in order for any sorta admission. It's like everything takes work. But we are forever struggling with inertia. The inertia that forms a dull thud in the back of your mind, saying that dont work so damn hard, sleep for ten minutes more, there is time before you need to leave.

I find it really funny that we seem to be continously fighting the urge to just rest, to sit and relax. Now everytime your mind says to chill, you have to fight it and say no!. This i hope doesnt continue for the rest of my life because maybe that's what self mastery is all about.

Life is an obstacle race. There are absolutely no straight, paved roads. It's filled with u-turns and potholes. Come to think of it, all human progress is like that. Two steps forward, one step back. You get a nelson mandela, and you get a world war too. Our progress is written in blood, over and over again. We cant follow the brain, we actually follow our hearts. We acknowledge this but never admit to the extent of it's truth. This is ironically part of the source of progress and the friction inhibiting it.

Life isn't perfect. NOT.EVER. This is just how it is. There's never enough time in a day, you never really feel comfortable with your body, you don't like the your level of competence. There's always a better job, always a way to earn more money, someone who looks better than you better clothes, bigger car, a better life.
STOP.

Mortality

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Written on Friday, July 27, 2007 by Rohan Koshy


It's happened again. Just like that i've lost someone. You were here and now your gone. You will be missed my friend. Rest in Peace :((

Global Culture

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Written on Friday, July 20, 2007 by Rohan Koshy


We truly are the luckiest generation of Indians so far. I mean there are no boundaries and no limits to what we can do now. The geographies have all faded. The world truly is flat ( and no I'm not saying it because it's the slogan at my workplace)

The other day i happened to eavesdrop on a very lovely conversation on the way the changes in the world have now impacted the Indian culture. The guy basically was saying that Indian culture has now been degraded because of the influence of the effects of globalization.

I don't completely disagree with that statement, but i think a bigger issue now presents itself. Global culture. This word i think captures it now. We no longer live in a time where our cultures are distinct.
That may have been ten or fifteen years ago but not anymore.
The cultures are now blurred and a little indistinct. That's not to say that they have lost their originality, because that's the selling point isn't it? That's what's attracts the people from other cultures to us and us to them

Global culture really means that we now have a culture that's cannot just be defined just as pure Indian culture. It's a bit more than that.We're listening to global music.
The same music that debuts around the world is what we listen to. The fashion industry here is in tune with the rest of the world.We're listening to our ipod's, wearing our Nike's and listening to Greenday. This by the way is not american culture.
It's global. What happens in England, brazil or russia influences us just as much now.
We're implementing various Japanese technologies, using things like KAIZEN in our companies. My sister is learning Japanese and i know many people who already know Japanese.
Culture is spread very effectively through language and so we're imbibing all this culture from all around.

The Indian influence is now being felt everywhere. Hindi is everywhere. Bollywood is in the mainstream news all the time and expanding more and more. Yoga is in every country and every organisation now. And our culture spreads through these mediums to all the globe.

The cultures are now diffused. That's sounds good to me. Things like having faith in god, understanding and respecting people are now being mixed with the west's innovation driving, risk- tasking, easy going, partying culture. Add to it the far east's continuous improvement, zen culture and the like.
I haven't even mentioned the cultures from England and from south America and the middle east.

I am who i am. Global Citizen.

Strength and Dignity

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Written on Wednesday, July 04, 2007 by Rohan Koshy


Captain (Dr.) Rajshree Gupta, Army Medical Corps (AMC), salutes the tricolour-draped coffin of her husband, Major Vivek Gupta of the 2nd Rajputana Rifles, who died fighting the enemies at kargil.

Thats how to handle what life throws at you with strength and dignity

What i've learnt in one year

2

Written on Tuesday, July 03, 2007 by Rohan Koshy

1. Figure out where your wanna go in life. Fast.Dont wait.
Frustration will grow if the actions you take are not coherent with the dreams you hold on to

2. People are different.
While that seems like a self-evident truth the impact of it is not visible until you actually live away from from home. Even though i'm not far away from home i now realise that not everyone is like me. There are fundamental differences in the way people think, act and in the things they believe. People from pune are not similar to people from other cities. Same goes for people from chennai and bangalore. This causes you to ironically be aware of what you like and what you want.I imagine this effect must be magnified for those not living in India now.

3. Life gets complicated after college.
Things arent simple any more. Why that is i'm not sure, but i'm sure it is so

4. Don't Trust people with everything you have until you've actually seen them go through a hard time or have been through one with them
I used to trust completely before, but unfortunately now i reserve my complete trust for only a select few. When the tough times come, people wilt, strong relationships shatter, and people choose to walk away rather than grit their teeth and get through it. Everyone really does seem to be in it only for themselves

5. Life isn't fair at all
What you deserve really is not too much bother to anyone else. Simply because they're busy wanting what they want. So you have to ask for what you want, and you have to grab for it.

6. The only exams you have to give are the ones you CHOOSE to give
While that should have been the norm from the start, now you only go the way you want to go. Nobody is forcing you to do anything with your life. Ironically it forces you to ask what you want and then go for it. I imagine thats how the system should have been designed in the first place.

7. Life is difficult but rewarding because your standing on the shoulders of giants.
Will explain when i write the next post.

8. Just because the coffee is free doesnt mean you have to drink tons of it. :-)

9. A vehicle is an absloute must!

10.The bed that you sleep on must be comfortable. Absolutely.

11. You CAN make extremely good friends even if you dont share common interests.

12. Many People in IT companies really have nothing to do except crib. And forward mails :P

13. When things fall apart they do so spectacularly.Life goes on. Run with it. Roll with the puches. Tomorrow is another day.