Good idea

This one's from a good friend:

Amitabh Bachchan, in one of his movies, is drunk when points to a bottle of whiskey and says, "If this thing had spirit in it, it would behave drunk." (that's the best translation i could manage).

What it means is that the alchohol itself does not make us behave strangely, but it only releases something that is already there within us. Think about it.....

The meaning of "art"

Another nice theory developed while having a nice time.....

I would often think that any field of performance started as nothing in particular, on development became a science because of its technical aspects, and in its stage of highest development became "art". Why art? Because art is art! I couldn't really explain that one. Then, a brainwave....

Why do we call something art? It is because we can feel the sheer excellence of it, but we cannot comprehend it. That is why we call it an art. We call something a science when we feel it's sophistication/ excellence, but can also realize that there is a way to it.

However, the person actually doing something excellently, comprehends it quite well. So, it is never art for him. It remains purely technical work. It is only the others who find it art.

When things become too abstract to comprehend for an observer, they become art for him. When he finds the abstractions difficult or challenging but comprehensible, it is a science. However, for the doer, what he is doing never becomes too abstract to comprehend, or else he wouldn't be doing it!

This is exactly why music and many such things: plays, dancing, etc become art for most of us fairly easily... The incomprehensibility of abstraction begins pretty early. Whereas in many sports such as football, we find only certain things artistic: for example, the beautiful style of the brazilians. This is because the incomprehensibility of abstraction begins fairly late in these fields.

But another question arises: if, for example, a musician is not getting joy out of his music the way we are getting, what is his "spiritual" motivation?

The answer is simple: he is working on improving his technique/skill. Every time this reaches an unprecedentedly high level, the musician enters virgin territory. It is the joy of discovering these virgin territories that is pushing him.

Team Games and Some Ideas

I developed this theory on team sports rather as a matter of fun and as a good point to have a good argument upon, but it has matured into a better theory which makes sense.

My initial statement was that team games/sports are only played by people who's abilities are average or below average, because only they can benefit from other team members. Any player who is above average will soon get frustrated with the others and will have to walk out.

However, this has a lot to do with motivation, not only ability. So the above statement was retained, but 'ability' was replaced by 'motivation'. So now it read like this: Team games can only be played by people who's motivation is below or equal to the average, because any player who's motivation is above the average will get frustrated by the others' lack of motivation and walk out.

However, two truths remained to be added:

Firstly, it can be said that a team can be broken down into indivisual players, all of whom have very specific tasks to accomplish. The overall matching and fitting can be left to a coach or manager, who's dedicated job is only that.

Secondly, both the theories above assume that the sense of joy felt in a team sport is owing to the success of the team as a unit. That is, for example, in football, the joy that each member achieves out of playing in the team is dependent on how many matches the team wins, and how many tournaments or championships the team wins. This assumption is incorrect, because when specific tasks can be set to every team member, it is possible to derive pleasure not from such "material" victories, but personal victories achieved in the specific task. In this case, a player plays not for cups and glory, but for the pure joy of achievements on a personal level, which do not require anyone else's acceptance. Thus, this sort of player plays for a different cause, i.e. , the cause of self-discipline, commitment, dedication, etc.

With the acceptance of these two truths, our theory fails completely! But I hope that we have got a better understanding of team games, and people on the top of such games. So we can assume that Sachin Tendulkar, when he is playing cricket, just comes, bats, fields, does some bowling, all to the best of his capacity and does not bother much about anything else. I don't know if this is true, but it seems like a likely method of achieving excellence in team games.

Everybody's Free

As many of yo might be able to imagine, I am running out of good observations to make, and I am relying on qoutes to get things through. Today, I bring to your attention the lyrics of a song called "Everybody's Free" , by Baz Luhrmann. They are very insightful indeed, please read them and get the song if possible.

Everybody's Free

-Baz Luhrmann

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99 If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Sing
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own..
Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen…

Good qoutes

I have found two good qoutes, on which I don't intend to give any major explaination.

"Even to win the lottery, you first need to buy a ticket" - Anonymous.

"You can't sell ice to the eskimos." - A musician from Singapore, when asked for his opinion on the eastern musicians who imitate the west.

Another nice pic

This is the first of two photos that I took near Vani, Nashik.
The tree is the same in both photos.

 

Nice pic

This is the second of two photos that I took a year back near Vani, Nashik

 

A "Perfect" System.

I have realised that a system for producing near perfect results will always have to be a very fluid system, which will allow huge flaws just as it allows high excellence. This system cannot be consistent, and its results will vary very greatly. That is the price of perfection.

I visualise it something like the difference between solids and liquids. A solid has a fixed shape.. that is a metaphor for a consistent result. A liquid doesn't have a fixed shape.. it can be streamlined into any formation.. but then it can scatter all over the place.

I will take the example of football... consider a club like Real Madrid... they have had glory as high as noone else. But when the times are bad, they can be pathetic. If you can win 4-0 against good clubs, then that same system allows you to lose 4-0 against poor opposition.

Killing the "Philosopher's Pain"

Even when you understand the value of discipline, it is still very difficult to implement all you know very well. This is the source of what I would like to call the "Philosopher's Pain", in that he knows what must be done but still cannot do it because he is weak. I can suggest two methods for this. One way is to throw yourself into the line of fire, where you have no option but to change. For example, joining the army. Now, there's no way out, and you have to discipline yourself. Another very good option never occurred to me until now...

Whenever you make a choice, ask yourself, "Did I choose this option so that it is easier and I don't have to move out of my zone of comfort?" If the answer is yes, and if you still have a choice, choose the harder option, where you will have to punish yourself. "Punish" is a term that I am using in a very different sense, of course. Even if you fail in the harder option, you have gained from within. You have become stronger, and that is all that matters.

Dealing with depression

There are times in our life when we really feel sick. There's nothing worth living for, and everything seems utterly boring and pointless. This is the best time for some introspection. It is also time to sit down and motivate yourself. As this is a low point, the only way you can go now is up! You are bound to rise to new heights, provided you don't lose hope. This is the start of the next big leap.

The bottom line is, believe in yourself. Believe in destiny. As I have earlier said, you cannot predict your own destiny, and so the only option is to live life as it comes. Take atleast some time alone. Sit on a deserted beach. The pieces will come together again, and you will be prepared to work once more.

Poetry at War

Hello everybody, I know that I am posting after a long time, and I shouldn't do that, it doesn't make sense, I don't know, I don't have an excuse this time, I'm sorry, whatever.

I really don't know what to write, but as I have said before, if I don't write regularly, I'll never know what to write about.

Poetry at War

The writing must be done,
Once the battle's begun,
Because it has to be won,
Else what's the fun?

Many have fallen, many have died,
They've had to go to the other side.
Was it their destiny, was it their sins,
Or was it the prophecy of the evil Kings?

Nobody knows, few bodies care,
Most of them cowards, they do not dare.
Caring to them is the biggest sin.
But without the caring, nobody wins!

Let go of your anger, let go of your swords,
Only loving will ever, bring rewards,
The war must be won, but not like this,
But with the compassion of a young child's kiss.

So let us begin, and once more rise,
But this time we use the beautiful device.


- Talented Idiot.