The Coffee Cup

Pristine froth at my lips
Scorching through my fingertips
I grab the scene with both hands
Of happy lovers in distant lands.

The brown depths have brought to life
Days when dull grey clouds were rife
When every moment had turned sour
It ushered in the happiest hours.

The winter mornings of deep thought
When its steam penetrated the frost
Or mellow evenings of unspoken words
Seen over the rims, but never heard

The warm debates it chaperoned
The enduring bonds that it honed
The strangers it turned into friends
The friends it brought together again

Even now when the insanity strikes
And life is a streaming blur of fights
My brain kicks in, my mind soars up
As my hands close around my coffee cup.

The Ant and Me

A tickle on my arm
Sends a shiver through my veins
The tiny black creature
Crawls up with wriggling legs

Undaunted in its journey
It plods in patience
Until a finger's flick
Attacks it like a storm unforeseen

Thrown off dizzying heights
It gravitates to its origin
I observe in silence as it hangs
Poised between life and death

Murder was not my intent
Neither the tortuous struggle to live
Releasing it gently to the soil I think
Coexistence is just a myth.

Why democracy failed.........

Democracy is an ancient concept--we are time and again reminded of its roots in the Greek civilization throughout our history classes at school, through art and literature from that era and through documentaries uncovering archaeological evidence from those times. Yet I believe we are currently at a stage where we need to refresh our concepts on democracy and reevaluate our systems to see where we erred. What we have now in the name of democracy is what is left after the corruption and corrosion of a concept that 'was logically intended to work'. In today's complex world the parameters that have to be regulated have increased so rapidly that it is difficult to arrive at any 'quick fix' for restoring our democratic systems.

All novel concepts, all revolutionary concepts are discovered with an amazing zest and an extraordinarily positive vision. The preceptor of any concept does not necessarily incorporate complete foresight during formulation because he does not require to--his idea may not be utilized at the time he thinks of it. Likewise, the person or the people who incorporate the novel concepts generally do not have the luxury of time and peace to evaluate the ramifications of the concepts in the future. The present itself is nebulous enough for them, the future is similar to a blackhole. Then why do all great ideas,all path-breaking concepts end up as convoluted knots around us that we seem incapable of untangling ourselves from? I feel the answer lies in the way we implement them and how it filters through society. Marxism, democracy, world peace, revolution--they have all failed the test of time and in some cases, failed irreparably. Marxism became an excuse for deterring the economy of countries, democracy a ridicule of public rights, world peace a means for competing for resources and revolution a loose term for uncontrolled anarchy. Why have we reached a stage where the meaning and significance of democracy have been lost? This is not a rhetorical question and yet there is no single answer to this. The most important factor to consider in this regard is that there are two types of failed democracies--ones that have succumbed to their own internal pressures and the ones that are democracies by all external appearances while the system is subject to infestion by its own internal parasites.

Religion is one of the most significant factors that play a role in the maintenance of democracy in recent times. The goal of all religions is one, what we should be imbibing from each of them also pertain to the same principles--of goodness, humanity and faith. Yet when we look at intra-national disturbances in countries like Israel, Bosnia, Sudan and inumerable others we are forced to ask ourselves the question--where did we lose all those principles? We let them dwindle away in our quest to interpret the tenets of our religion and in our zeal, we left the actual purpose of interpretation far behind. Instead of allowing our faith to be our anchor through the crests and troughs of life and letting it make us conscious and responsible human beings, we have made it an excuse for bigotry, intolerance and a reason to ignore the global issues in the light of religion.

A few days ago I was watching a documentary on Egypt that provoked several issues and left a trail of unanswered questions. In the University of Cairo, professors are dismissed and imprisoned for free speech and the advocation of fundamental human rights. Watching people from different sects in Cairo interview with the documentary reporters, it occurred to me that the religion itself (in this case, Islam) is not at the root of the inability to establish a functional democracy in Egypt. The failure is in other factors--in the adaptation of people to a non-democratic system. They have convinced themselves to believe that Islam operates more smoothly under a monarchical or dictatorial regime. This is the point where religion is dictating the mentality rather than enlightening it. A student in the university inferred that the Egyptian people are not yet 'ready' for democracy and therefore, it would a mistake to assume that it could work in the country. This statement from a youth was not encouraging--the youth of any country are the planters of the seeds of revolution, of progressive thought. In several Islamic countries leaning towards progression like Egypt, the youth are like those of any other nation--eager to learn, impatient to make their mark with lofty ambitions on improving the system for the society. However, when they stumble against the roadblocks of deeply-rooted thoughts and habits, ingrained since centuries and a lack of population to discuss and attack the issue of political change, they find themselves unable to continue on the lines of their dreams for social evolution. The state of Egypt is the state of all those nations where citizens have been convinced that Islam is incompatible with democracy--a conviction that cannot break barriers until people realize that social systems are not necessarily a function of interpretations or opinions of religion--they are a function of the religion itself and what is faith if not a
medium to progress towards an improved and uplifting life?

A significant factor that has also been instrumental in deferring the establishment of democracy is the global competition for control of natural resources. Ever since the agreement of free trade between nations and continents, the western world has been involved in a continuous quest to control the flow of resources and finances. A nation is considered to be rich when it has an abundance in resources but what is the current state of all these rich nations? Fuel, precious stones, water to name just a few have become liabilities for the nations that possess them. African countries like Sudan, Rwanda and Sierra Leone have been embroiled in artificially created domestic feuds to allow external parties to regulate the flow of resources in and out of the countries. When trade and economy are involved in politics the common citizen's voice cannot be heard in the overall sound of the nation. The tight control of resources leads to an even tighter control of currency and dialogue--international dialogues take place between the individuals holding the reins of regulation. The Shahdom in Iran was a direct consequence of international involvement in trading resources. The dictatorships in countries like Sierra Leone,
Somalia and Sudan began as nations vied for possession of their natural resources--by-products of these conditions are a flourishing arms and weapons industry that not only fosters civil violence in such countries but also maintains it.

These are disturbing situations and the conclusions that we can draw from them compel us to reflect upon our own role in the gradual erosion of democracy. A global change has to be the effort of the citizens of this world--have we ever denounced anything or sacrificed on any of our own luxuries so that maybe some other individual in a different part of of the world can have a better quality of life? We may not have tried to reduce our fuel consumption, give up wearing diamonds or stop wasting water but it is time for us to at least initiate the process. Demands are created by consumers and when economy and money are the two strongholds in a nation's survival and well-being, it is our duty as human beings to be more aware and conscious as consumers. Religion is not an excuse for muffling public opinion and resources are not weapons to cut a nation's throat with. Nature is continuous but we are not--we are already heading towards an age of depleting resources so why deplete ourselves too in the quest for more? We ourselves are one of the most promising resource that we have so why not channel our energy
into creating for mankind rather than destroying mankind itself in the name of what was meant to nurture?

Untitled

A slow heat
Shivers
The core of the being
Mute, I watch
Time collapsing
Into blank despair
Nightmares
Snatching my vision
My ears are sharper
They hear
The mocking laugh
Of bystanders
On a green lawn
Then why am I
Standing on quicksand?

THE SUN IS NOT FAR

The dawn breaks the sky
The hungry eyes crave
The rays they cannot see
The rays can turn them blind

They want to penetrate
Yet they hesistate
Agitated in their chains

The sun is not far
No the sun is not far
Whispers the voice in the wind

Cranking their bodily machines
With some glassy stares in between
They bow their way along
The streets they do not see

But now the whisper strokes
Their hitherto unknown desire
Dreams of carefree meadows
An urge to touch the fire

The crawl becomes a run
Cutting the horizon of ceilings
With aching, blistered feet
And heads that are reeling

They have shed their despair
Now there is no bar
Ahead lies the single promise
That the sun is not far.

Happiness--a state of mind or a way of life?

'state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy'
Thus goes the dictionary definition of happiness. My question stems from this very definition--is it really a 'state' or is it a way of life, a style that you have to adopt to reach the state? My quest to find meaningful insights on this question takes me to the very inception of our emotions which begins in childhood. As children, the definitions of happiness are simple, attainable and somewhat isolated in approach. By isolated I do not mean that they have no connection to our environment; they are in fact, deeply influenced by it. The isolation that is prevalent in a child's happiness is isolation from the concept of how his/her happiness affects the people surrounding him. I recall that when I was a child and desired anything my only worry was whether my parents would allow me to have it--issues such as money, ability to afford and the appropriateness of whatever I had asked for were very minor or in most cases, almost nonexistent issues. I probably never even had to voice my desires as I was the only child of highly sensitive parents whose major preoccupation seemed to be , at that time, reading my mind and fulfilling my wishes. I do not know whether that implies that children have selfish attitudes where their own wants are concerned but it certainly shows that they have less concern for the perils of others, especially their parents.
Enter adulthood or to be more accurate, enter the gray areas of life. Observe carefully and you find that most adults are like pilgrims traveling to a far location and undertaking all the perils and ardors of the journey. Why? Do we all search for that illusory happiness which we believe is to be found only at the end of the journey? When we think of the people who are unhappy in their professional lives and are hankering after 'a better job' or individuals who exhaust several partners in their search for the 'perfect mate' who will make them happy, we see a thin web of deceit underlying this entire process and sadly enough, most of the deceit is self-directed. In our continuous search for 'what lies ahead' we omit for a large part of the time, 'what is'. Psychologists have offered various explanations for this at various points of time but no one sums it up better than Freud, in whose words, happiness is:
'Happiness is the deferred fulfillment of a prehistoric wish. That is why wealth brings so little happiness: money is not an infantile wish. ...'
That is the most abiding truth of our lives--we spend most of it chasing something that is actually within us and has to be produced on will, not waiting outside for us to collide with it. Happiness is not a phenomenon, it is a way of life, a way that we are capable of producing and conforming to. Childhood desires are etched into our minds--we cannot get rid of them but we can certainly ensure that they do not rule our adulthood with an iron fist. I remember at this time, the story of the man who grew up thinking that he wanted to be famous. In his quest for fame, he chased goal after goal and each time he achieved one, the thrill in the chase would fade. As he lay old and dying, one day he realized that all his life he had been so involved in reaching the finish line that he had never looked at the people or scenery that he had passed; he had won every race but had it been worth it after all? To be honest, this is not truly 'a' famous story but it is definitely 'the' universal story. I do not want to be the protagonist of this story and neither do I want my fellow human-beings to be in that role. So awake, arise and look inside you--happiness is waiting but only we can make it a part of our life.

Faith in Uncertainty

I have been in the battlefield for the past year and I realized that there is no dearth of the lessons that you learn while fighting. How sheltered are our childhood lives--how unaware are we of what it really means to grow up, to leave the shade of the trees and venture out into scorching heat! The definitive is what we are always used to, what we know and understand, what exists is what we believe and what is known is what we have faith in--the tenets of that happy world of primary colors. It is only when the colors on the palette of life begin to mix that we comprehend the significance of nebulousness.
Ambiguity and nebulousness had always been uncomfortable concepts for me--everything had to be clearly defined and structured. How could you believe something or even rely on it if it were not defined in black and white? Faith was directly proportional to the degree of certainty. The beauty of uncertainty was unknown till I stepped into this phase of life where love, friendship, events and circumstances--everything can be unexpected and uncertain. Then what carries us through, what propels us to the next step, makes us look forward to moving forward in the maze? Faith. Surprised? I was! But it is true--what has instilled the deepest and most faith in my mind is uncertainty. The faith stems from the knowledge that every cave has an end and when you reach that end the brilliance of sunshine and the air of freedom are yours to claim. It stems from the certainty that underlies every uncertain period--the certainty of closure, the certainty of inner peace when you do not know fear. The last is the word which defines our reactions, shapes our thoughts and controls our ability to be peaceful and happy. We dread consequences as long as we fear them, we will situations, we expect from the future as long as long as fear gnaws at our minds and churns our thoughts. When we let fear fly away, we let peace enter and then the future is no longer a cause for concern, for even in the midst of the labyrinth of uncertainty, we have found our faith, we have found our essence. In the words of the poet, Humbert Wolfe:

If it must be so, let's not weep or complain
If I have failed, or you, or life turned sullen.
We have had these things, they do not come again.
But the flag still flies, and the city has not fallen.