10 Day YOU Challenge/Quest: 9 Loves

Here goes the second installment, for this week:

- My wife, and my relationship with her: Early on in life I realized man is incomplete without the influence of woman. I realized that, in how at various stages of maturity, my mother, sister, cousins and friends influenced me. Men honestly know deep within the mystery of the Shiv-Shakti duality: How man is only potential unless there is expression (woman) and how the two enrich each other. My marriage has been the most complete, fulfilling experience in my life. Living, loving and sharing with a woman can change entire perspectives, even more than any friendship can bring. True sharing includes listening, absorbing and introspecting on our biases, before you build opinions, decide, act and live the consequences together. Truly the most important relationship and experience, and Pradeep has his Jyothi to thank for it :-)
- Family and Friends: This would be obvious for anyone’s list. Our family and friends genuinely care for us, protect and nurture us. Only they can forgive us for all the pain we give them in the process. What selfless love is, one learns from our own parents. What unconditional love is, is tested by life’s vagaries to mold true friendship.
- Writing and Poetry: It is writing and poetry, loves that grew within me in the past decade (my 20s) that taught me how life is lived. That just like any physiological function, or activity in nature, we need to build a rhythm to be able to truly accomplish anything truly well. Poetry is rhythm, and it definitely only flows out in rhythm. Many times has it been that I’m driving and lines just flow out in my mind; lines (or even thoughts) that I find hard to re-create thereafter. So too when writing. Not saying entire companies are built, or mahakavyas or epics are built in a single stretch. Rest completes rhythm (think of a wave motion), and your individual rhythm decides when and how much you rest before you resume the task, and this just naturally fills you will deep satisfaction. Writing and poetry have helped me with this tuning.
- Music and Maths: To me, music and maths are the highest form of nirvana or blissful joy one can experience. There was a time in India, when both of these were considered the highest forms of learning, and hence expressions of Goddess Saraswati. It is no surprise that most modern practitioners of either practice tend to depend upon alcohol, for nothing else can provide higher intoxication. It’s because they lose balance and get addicted to the intense exhilaration these provide. I may be technically good at neither, but I derive mirth when I engage in them.
- Exercise: Since childhood every form of physically strenuous activity makes me feel good. Even to date, I enjoy running the most. Followed by pranayama, workouts and yoga.
- Movies: In “The Namesake”, Ashoke’s grandfather told him books are the window to the world. That struck, for I felt the same about movies. You may visit, but you really cannot “see” or know the whole world. But watch a movie (including, but not just documentaries), and you’ll know much more. Movies really have the potential to shape culture and bond people. The advantages being it’s visual (hence easiest to remember), its message is packaged (unlike serials which can change script and color at any time), it can convey its message in multiple modes (visual, sound, expression, action) and it can be most easily distributed in it’s complete form. I love movies in all genres and languages, as long as they have something to convey (and that’s a subjective term I know).
- Reading: It’s not that I disagree with Ashoke’s grandfather. I love reading too :-) For eras, books have been the documents of our history and sources of knowledge. Thoughts and opinions can be shared in complete only in writing.
- Meditation, Spirituality and Philosophy: If one has doubt of existence of a soul, then it’s because one doesn’t know meditation. Meditation is but to introduce you to your true identity. We are nothing but empty space in gross body and ethereal intellect. Close your eyes and envision yourself when you were younger and imagine yourself when you would be older; realize that part of yourself which doesn’t change. That is your-self. This is all genuine Hinduism is about; even the Mahabharata records it. Not the idol-worship, ritualism and casteism it turned out to be later. But the idols do have powers today; because generations of our forefathers empowered it with prayer. This inner quest gives me true bliss.
- Work and Service: Nobody can deny social service makes them happier. Because it is scientifically proven that what gives humans most joy is to be a part of something bigger than themselves. When you can relate how your work is part of a bigger purpose, now be it sweeping the floor or building a nation, you’ll find a lot of happiness in it. In the IT field, it’s to see your deliverable successfully execute.