In the last few months, the social media users of this great nation have seen it all. We stood up against issues that sickened the entire country, we made sure no scam went unnoticed, no movie released illegally went undownloaded, and no sentiment went home unhurt.
Some may argue that those who live on the internet have no life and/or that we form but a small fraction of this society, whose numbers seem to be growing at a rate faster than Genghis Khan's pet rabbit's family's, but matter we do. Half the news you read/watch is affected by some tweet/blog/post that started on the internet. I may be wrong, or exaggerating even. Who cares? You don't let me protest peacefully in places of my choosing, you don't solve issues that have been haunting the nation as a whole, you find new ways to burn holes in my pocket... I want to be able to express myself somewhere without being worried about consequences. The internet is the one place I can truly call mine. Do not take away my freedom here, or retaliate I shall.
Personally, I don't give a tiny rat's ass about Arindam Chaudhuri or his stupid IIPM. But half the issues that are killing this country's productivity are because of a substandard education system. A B-School that churns out people who wake us up during our weekend siestas and leave without closing the front gate, deserves to be made fun of.
Today, this happened. I may not have read even 5 of the posts in that long list, but defend them I shall. This post exists for the sole purpose of encouraging fellow bloggers to take 5 minutes to compose a post about this topic today and challenge those cowards who let a dimwit with a pony tail dictate what stays on the internet, and what does not. Spread the word. Long live the Internet ! Jai Hind.
Friday 15 February 2013
Tuesday 5 February 2013
The sine wave that is life.
Today, on my way back home, I overheard a couple of senior citizens conversing. One of the gentlemen said to the other, in Kannada, "We have to wait for him (probably son or son-in-law) to send money for the medicines. We go for a walk and try to stay healthy, but how much can we do? I don't know why god doesn't take us away before we become a burden to strangers."
Normally, I'd just tweet about it or come home and talk to whichever parent is in the mood for a deep talk. Today, I was appalled and saddened by the desperation and disgust in that gentleman's voice. Depression , like epic, word, rape, and awesome, is a word that has been used way too often, resulting in the diminishing of the gravity of the word.
However, that depression is a common occurrence, is evident from the news we read and watch everyday. The number of people choosing death over life is astounding. It baffles me to know that there are people who just give up; not just at some course, job, or relationship, but at life.
Life isn't rosy; not for you, not for your neighbor, not for any celebrity, and most certainly not for me. People say there are "ups and downs" in life. But, from personal experience I've realized that there isn't any single moment in life where it's just an "up" or just a "down."
I see an increasing number of friends turning into, or claiming to be atheists these days. The most important query one has when introduced to religion is that which everyone asks when a religion says "God loves all of us, and equally." People, yours truly included, then proceed to ask "Why then, is there suffering in this world?"
There are many who will claim to know the answer to that question. Some of those answers are satisfactory too. The unsatisfactory answers are what lead people to atheism or even nihilism.
I digress; depression comes in many forms and most of the times, it is a result of us not knowing how truly special and blessed we are. We, humans, have a nasty habit of subconsciously, or consciously, comparing ourselves to those we feel are more fortunate than us. We see the fancy cars, the trophy wife, the dream job, that evasive promotion, that coveted rank/seat and think lowly of ourselves. Some of us are prudent enough to know what's important in life and what isn't; the rest fall prey to depression.
I'm not asking you, or myself, to pretend like we're the best and that there's a unicorn shitting rainbows and following us around, but the least we can do is make sure that we see the light during dark times and remember to smile. Similarly, thank god, a higher power, nature or yourself, when the times are seemingly good and be grateful for the absence of darkness. If each of us learnt to respect ourselves and be grateful for our own lives, there wouldn't be neglected parents or spoilt children in this world, and you wouldn't have had to read my thoughts on this depressing, yet enlightening fact of life.
Normally, I'd just tweet about it or come home and talk to whichever parent is in the mood for a deep talk. Today, I was appalled and saddened by the desperation and disgust in that gentleman's voice. Depression , like epic, word, rape, and awesome, is a word that has been used way too often, resulting in the diminishing of the gravity of the word.
However, that depression is a common occurrence, is evident from the news we read and watch everyday. The number of people choosing death over life is astounding. It baffles me to know that there are people who just give up; not just at some course, job, or relationship, but at life.
Life isn't rosy; not for you, not for your neighbor, not for any celebrity, and most certainly not for me. People say there are "ups and downs" in life. But, from personal experience I've realized that there isn't any single moment in life where it's just an "up" or just a "down."
I see an increasing number of friends turning into, or claiming to be atheists these days. The most important query one has when introduced to religion is that which everyone asks when a religion says "God loves all of us, and equally." People, yours truly included, then proceed to ask "Why then, is there suffering in this world?"
There are many who will claim to know the answer to that question. Some of those answers are satisfactory too. The unsatisfactory answers are what lead people to atheism or even nihilism.
I digress; depression comes in many forms and most of the times, it is a result of us not knowing how truly special and blessed we are. We, humans, have a nasty habit of subconsciously, or consciously, comparing ourselves to those we feel are more fortunate than us. We see the fancy cars, the trophy wife, the dream job, that evasive promotion, that coveted rank/seat and think lowly of ourselves. Some of us are prudent enough to know what's important in life and what isn't; the rest fall prey to depression.
I'm not asking you, or myself, to pretend like we're the best and that there's a unicorn shitting rainbows and following us around, but the least we can do is make sure that we see the light during dark times and remember to smile. Similarly, thank god, a higher power, nature or yourself, when the times are seemingly good and be grateful for the absence of darkness. If each of us learnt to respect ourselves and be grateful for our own lives, there wouldn't be neglected parents or spoilt children in this world, and you wouldn't have had to read my thoughts on this depressing, yet enlightening fact of life.
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