So I come to you,
With a voice not so frail,
Hoping that the message comes through
Lifting up the veil,
Of myths and illusions we live in today
Because tonight and the next and the next
Night is not safe.
In and out of classes, I need to call
My mom, tell her I’m okay,
And that I am on my way.
Back home with two other friends, who call
Their parents, yes we will be fine.
There are fewer crimes, at this time of the day.
You know, the books don’t weigh
As much as the road I take back home,
Where I am the prey of their gaze, that
Scans me like an x-ray.
A lot more to say, lesser to convey,
It’s soon going to be doomsday.
So here is my foot forward, this issue is
Not of disdain, please don’t let the voices be
In vain, please do something to save this
Generation and those to come, because
Something definitely needs to be done
To save your daughter, to save your friend
Who’s got a life ahead.
Make this TEENAGE, a better stage, not a CAGE.
Author: shish_admin
Arete: The Meaning of Life
You must be cogitating what I mean by the word ‘arete’ when you read the title. How can you relate it with life? The answers to this question do not converge on a single point. Quite literally, it means a sharp mountain ridge. Well, taking it the other way, it means excellence or moral virtue. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not a mere act, but a habit. Let’s make it easy, pick a side – happiness or service?
‘At first, I thought that life was joy. Then I learned that life was duty. Finally, I acted and behold, duty was joy!’ says the bard of Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore. Arete covers an idea that there is excellence in every step. Pursuing that transcendence, whether it creates ecstasy for yourself or service for others, should be your ultimate goal. I see both as being subsets of the larger domain of arete. The viewpoint here is that the ultimate meaning of life is the long-term pursuit of your dreams – bliss.
How can you coalesce the philosophy of arete with your daily life? Deep conversations, loyalty to friends, leaping forward in human thought, constituting hard-core relationships! Arete is a paradisaical algorithm for life and yet not perfect. After all, who would want a life where you are handed all the correct answers in advance? Wherevore, relish challenges!
Quality vs Quantity of Life – 2
Recent advances in science and medicine have resulted in humans living longer than at any other time in history. According to the latest government data, India has reduced its infant mortality by 42% over the last eleven years. But those extra years do not necessarily add up to quality ones. So, the key desideratum in today’s society is to cognize that quality of life is to be prioritized over quantity of life because in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years that matters.
Living longer does not mean living jocular. The occurence of disease is on the rise. Living a life that consists of visiting doctors frequently certainly doesn’t sound an exciting idea, does it? Living with a dozen diseases robs us of our creativity and ability to contribute to work, society and the world. It transforms how people experience us, relate to us and most importantly, remember us. You will apprehend the eminence of quality of life when you marshal a blitheness instead of whimpering about impediments in the way of viability.
So, how can you ameliorate the quality of your life? Did you know that even austere habits can help in changing your life? Developing optimistic and positive thinking is the first habit you need to inculcate as negative thoughts only end your plans in a debacle. The habit of performing simple exercise along with some meditation can help taper stress. Distinguishing your priorities is another bonzer habit that can help you set aside non-essential things and pay more attention to the things that matter to you. Try to read motivational quotes as they help in uplifting one’s mind. Remember, the quality of your life is determined through your habits and thoughts and is measured by your breaths – so make each breath count!
Quality vs Quantity of Life – 1
We humans have arrived on this planet with a a sole purpose – it is our duty to serve mankind relentlessly and perform social and selfless action. We all are gifted beings and we can surely utilise our brain to make the right decision for ourselves. As members of the human race, our existence is vital for the smooth working of the globe. Besides working for the planet, it is also indispensable for us to look after our own entity.
We often get attracted to the materialistic aspect of the world. We humans tend to be jealous. We always wish for more and we are not grateful to have what already has been provided to us by the Almighty. In this materialistic world, we have forgotten our true selves and we are completely lost in the worldly items that his world offers. We compare our status in the society with others. we are constantly diverted by the consumeristic world and tend to forget the purpose of our arrival on this planet.
We need to revive our memory and think about the pleasant and tension-free moments that we spent in our childhood as an innocent child. But, as we grew, we lost our innocence and gained arrogance. A true human in one who can maintain modesty and purity in life. There is an immense need for every human to look forward to living a life of decency and morality. We need to perform good deeds for others and make their life blissful. We need to be sensitive to others’ feelings and must respect their thoughts.
It is obligatory to maintain a balance between materialism and our real aim of existence. We must not mix the two ideologies and should keep a gap between them. The human who applies this in life has lived a divine life in true terms. We must always keep the following motto in mind:
Be Remembered For Good!
Autobiography of a Balloon
Yes, I know you’re saying, “Autobiography of a Balloon? Yeah, that’s all I’ve got time for these days?’’ But check it out.
I hope this reaches you some time in the future. Don’t even ask where I am because I’ll already be out of your reach by then.
So let’s start from the ‘start’. When I was born I was nothing to take pictures of and make albums and look at me and go ‘awww . . .’, to be truthful I looked like a squished up wad of clay on whom everyone in the city had stepped on. I was bunched up with some other guys (can you call a balloon a guy?) who were twice as grumpy as I was. Have you ever been in an elevator for ten and been pushed in with twenty people? Yeah that’s how it felt.
My packet was transparent and I was stuck on the side of the packet and looked at these things that walked on two stick-thingies and made sounds with their mouths, which I now know as humans.
I kept observing them for a few months. Or years. Who knows.
After these months (or years) I was taken out of my packet. I was so excited that my whole body buzzed with excitement. I, along with my twenty packet – mates ( balloon ‘guys’) was inflated with a funny gas that tickled me all over made me rise into the sky.
I was tied to a cart. I was free! Not one-hundred percent free but at least I was not a squished up wad of rubber. Oops! Let me tell you about how I looked. I was brilliant blue and shaped like an upside-down water droplet (but of course, I was way more handsome).
I was now aware that we balloons were sold to you humans for rectangular slips of paper. I was sold to a nice little girl of four, I think. She was O.K. But it was her brother who creeped me out. He smiled in a way a wolf smiles at a helpless goat. Anyway, she was wearing a shiny blue dress that complimented my colour (or maybe my colour complimented her dress. Aaargh I’m getting confused.)
I spent five days with her. She would talk to me about the world and how huge it was and that I was just a little balloon (who was very handsome, of course). I was bouncing around in the house with the little girl chasing me when her creepy brother caught me and pulled my string. He threw me out of the window and smiled (also in the way a wolf smiles at a helpless goat).
Well, I guess that was the end of Chapter One.
The Betrayal of a Hacker
Andrew knew that the tables had turned and that he had to do something to save his company. He took out his folders and tried to find the numbers of the gentlemen who had offered help once. But all those gentlemen very politely declined seeing the company in deep crisis.
With dawn peeking through the clouds, Andrew sat in his office perplexed. The problem arose when they transferred all their data online. He lost all his customers and his sales kept going down. Moreover, his connections were cut. He had his suspicions that the rival company might be the culprit which caused this mess but he couldn’t make any allegations just yet.
After hours of investigation he came to the conclusion that he had been hacked by someone in his company – someone very high up since the information accessed was highly classified. He checked the users who could access the data and found one of his office computers online. He crept into the hall and saw a man fumbling with the computer keys. It was his brother Tim who was destroying the company files.
Once Andrew had caught him red-handed, Tim confessed that he had always been envious of Andrew’s position and how the family had handed the company to him without even considering Tim. He thought if he could make Andrew look bad, they would reconsider.
Andrew knew that Tim was very capable and it was just jealousy that had corrupted him. Andrew decided to condone Tim’s deception and offered him an equal partnership in the company. Tim realized his mistake and also how Andrew was truly the better of them. The two brothers from then on successfully managed the company.
A Glimpse of Libya
The Johnsons were busy with their so called happy yet tiring life. But now they decided to spend a night at a restaurant and take a break. It was Jason who suggested visiting Byrow’s which was the most popular restaurant these days among the crazy people of Monister City. It was famous for its weird experimentations.
When they grabbed their seats, Emilda read the menu. It read ‘Poodle Hot’, ‘German Shepherd Stew’, ‘Pomeranian Eyeball Crunchies’, etc. The choice became a matter of debate among Rita, Avaro and Jason. Mr Johnson and Mrs Johnson (Emilda) were dumbstruck!
Soon the poor waiter became the target of their very pointed questions, but he defended himself well. He said that since it was the International Dogs’ Day, in memory of their owner’s dog Lucy, they just renamed the actual dishes in the menu on the names of dogs with the Lucy Veg Platter becoming the USP of their menu.
Once all the volcanoes of confusion erupting in the minds of the Johnsons subsided, they placed their respective orders but Emilda was still confused. One of the dishes read ‘Libya Sausage’ with red chilli chutney’ Emily stopped. Her mind went into flashback.
In the mind’s world, one can reach any spot in the entire universe without much stress and so did Mrs Johnson. She went to her childhood and felt her little white furry Labradore – Libya! Her eyes were blue with a pinch of naughtiness in them and a shine never seen in anyone’s eyes. And no doubt, her favourite food too was indeed – sausages!
Libya always used to stay with Emilda. She used to poke her nose into Emilda’s ear and bark whenever she wished to play with Emilda. A unique habit never observed in other pet dogs. When Emilda was eight and had to face two bomb blasts during World War II, it was Libya who had warned her and her family members by pointing and barking again and again towards the ceiling of their house. When her family was poverty stricken, Libya learnt how to stand on her hind legs and even used to dance, earning quite a lot of shillings from the rich class.
Unfortunately, Libya left the world by the time Emilda’s parents earned quite a fortune and Emilda also forgot her as she got busy with her University life. After being married and spending sixteen long years with her husband and her family, Libya was nearly out of her mind.
But today, this very moment, she was full of regret and despair at having forgotten Libya. When they departed from Byrow’s she donated five hundred dollars for the dog’s caring Association which was supported by the Byrow’s.
वतनपरस्त हूँ मैं !
हाँ वतनपरस्त हूँ मैं, क्योंकि मैंने धर्म की लकीर से देश को नहीं बाँटा,
राम अल्लाह की दुहाई देकर जिस्म को नहीं काटा,
देश मेरा कभी न थमने वाला है दरिया,
यह तो मुहब्बत और प्यार का है ज़रिया |
हाँ वतनपरस्त हूँ मैं, क्योंकि वतनपरस्ती को धर्म माना,
अपने हमवतन को अपना कुनबा माना,
न मेरे मज़हब का कोई रंग,
रहे तिरंगा ही मेरे दिल के संग |
हाँ वतनपरस्त हूँ मैं, क्योंकि बाँटी मैंने लोगों में मुहब्बत,
नहीं की धर्म के नाम पर बग़ावत,
नहीं कोई मुक़द्दस क़िताब ,
संविधान की ही करूँ पूजा-आदाब |
हाँ वतनपरस्त हूँ मैं, क्योंकि मुल्क के लिए एक ही चाहत,
मिले मुल्क को मज़हबी जातिवाद से राहत,
फहराऊँ दुनिया पर हिन्दुस्तान का परचम,
याद रखे दुनिया हिन्दुस्तानियों को हरदम !
क्योंकि हाँ वतनपरस्त हूँ मैं
हाँ वतनपरस्त हूँ मैं !
Why?
Why are sad quotes the best?
Why never ends the happiness’ quest?
Why is good all alone?
Why always the evil gets the throne?
Why people have stopped trusting?
Why now relations are tied with the lightest string?
Why outer beauty matters more?
Why there is no value of feelings in the hearts’s core?
Why people want to die even before they have started living?
Why taking is more common than happily giving?
Why jealousy has taken the place of pleasure?
Why comfort is less needed than leisure?
Why happiness in lives is lost?
Why honesty isn’t adopted at any cost?
Why is there a scarcity of true friends?
Why cannot even real life have happy ends?
Why we’ve lost our originality?
Why do looks decide our personality?
Why truth is not chosen over a lie?
Why is there a reason to ask all these “why”?
Jack and Jill
Here’s a story of Jack and Jill,
And not the cliched, run-of-the-mill.
For in this modern eye-opener,
There is only a metaphorical hill.
Jack was fed up of the job
That was earning him money.
He had ideas in his head which
The whole world found funny.
Under the pressure of his peers,
He slogged all day at work.
Jill, his best friend thought that
Jack’s ideas were superb.
Upon seeing Jill’s interest in the project,
Jack told her to proceed.
He secretly laughed at her innocence,
Didn’t think she would succeed.
Jill’s business like a wild fire,
Spread from New York to Tashkent.
While all that was left for Jack,
Was to sit and repent.
Jack continued his daytime job,
Just enough to pay his bills.
While Jill dared to take the first step,
And climb the metaphorical hills.
