Engrossed in Rumi forever, it often takes tremors of sorts to bring me back to reality. It was my forever loyal pressure cooker whistling at me that day. Someone who never fails whistling at me, no matter how I look, has to be my ‘beloved pressure cooker. Accompanied by the whistles was a burnt odor, which along with my olfactory senses got all my senses back to the world, and how. As I rescued the burnt veggies back to life, my wanderer mind wandered back to the immensely valuable lessons which life had imparted to me right here at my kitchen sink.
Whenever I try contributing some ‘Muft ka Gyan to the universe I get to hear that ‘isn’t the kitchen too shallow a place for such serious philosophy?’. Well, all I would like to say to all of you who have similar thoughts is, ‘When life-sustaining food can be cooked in the kitchen then why not life-altering philosophy?’ This world philosophy day Trying to enlighten this universe with a few ingredients which helped me hold up even if not make me an Author!
All the spices and condiments upon the kitchen rack come to our use intermittently, relatable to that there are certain ingredients which make a permanent place in our lives by choice or by chance. All the rantings, be it in my mind or heart, sometimes soul, have taken place right here in my kitchen and I had the honor of sharing it with you. When I was contemplating a conclusion to this I ended up listing the ingredients (lessons) which helped me maneuver life in the best way possible. No, I haven’t got any promotion to being a philosopher but yes got a few greys right on my head, vanity still tops the list of my favorite sins and 40 is an age I guess where you finally understand the meaning of ‘getting comfortable in your own skin’. Listing a few of those realizations and teachings of life here, if they can help you as well in some way if not the other!
● We all have an alter ego!
Yes, we all have one and for most of us, it needs to be a superhero. Well, for a few it can be a supernatural character as well; if not all times, then sometimes at least. I’ve felt closest to ‘Natasha Romanoff’, but then there are times Champ says, you’re more of ‘Annabelle’. Anyway, the point here is about the pressure this alter ego has on us.
Somewhere down the line, we completely ignore what we really are and strive to be the superheroes we think we are. At the end of the day, it’s the human in us who survives these real-life, and superheroes survive only the reel. So, next time when you are all armored and ready with your ‘capes on’ to fight life, don’t forget it’s the ‘human you’ who survived!
So, next time when you are all armored and ready with your ‘capes on’ to fight life, don’t forget it’s the ‘human you’ who survived!
● ‘Trekker, let the alarm snooze’
We have that trekker soul inside us, who at every break of dawn sets a goal for him or herself. The goal is nothing less than Mt Everest. No matter what, our aim would be to conquer that highest peak. If not for that we wouldn’t get a good night’s sleep. And the next day, the process repeats.
Under this constant pressure of conquering these overrated heights, we often fail to realize that sleep is still evading us. There is no harm in giving that trekker soul some rest. It’s good most days, but when your soul is craving for that break, climb a little hill instead. Climb up, and sit there for a while. Inhale all that fresh air, exhale all the impurities and negativity, and give yourself a little time to realign. Mt Everest being Mt Everest is going to stay right there, rock solid. Keep it for the next day maybe!
● You are winning as long as you’re not quitting.
Optimism works, well mostly. When the train of life enters a dark tunnel, all we keep looking for is the light to enter and the tunnel to end. Darkness is not a good comrade unless you’re penning the script for conjuring 3. But then, the darkness becomes inevitable in certain situations.
Life has that innate talent of doing that. Well, keep moving and moving, as Dory says. It might get a little too dark at times, but then just feel the walls and keep moving nevertheless. It’s all about not quitting and you’re a winner in this game of life, as long as you survive!
● Shush demons stay right there!
Well, do they? It’s a criterion every night of shooing the demons away and all they do is go and hide under our beds just to bounce right back the moment we open our eyes. This happens mostly at eerie hours. And then no matter how much you try wavering them off, they aren’t going to leave your side. They are loyal that way.
We often do this, and ignorance can’t always be bliss. Especially when the matter concerns the happenings inside you. This formula is a tried and failed one. Ever tried being friends with them? Anxiety, paranoia, fears, and the past. They have many names. I have tried playing hide and seek games with them and the kind of seeker they are, you lose every single time. So quit playing these games, and turn the tables. Try being the seeker yourself. Find the demons who have been feeding upon you, and well, haven’t you heard? Dissect them, and voila!
Rants never end, nor should they ever! And I love playing with ingredients, but boredom is one ingredient that should be avoided. Too much of anything is fatal, especially ‘free ka Gyan (advice). Leaving you all with these few, for now, to read, introspect and reflect. And yes, do share your perspectives too.
