Saturday, July 08, 2006

Switch


In his book “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” Tom Robbins wrote something to the effect that (I’m paraphrasing here) - success closes as many doors as failure does. At first it struck me as completely profound and truthful as did some line in a song by Travis – the circle only has one side. Upon further rumination, I figured both are wrong. The circle has two sides as all other objects, opinions, arguments, viewpoints and counter arguments. And while failure closes that ‘one’ option, success closes the window on all other opportunities. A person gets stuck with success, while failure helps him strive again. Ask Edison, who famously said, “I didn’t fail, I figured out 1999 ways of how not to make a light bulb!”

In 2004, a friend told me, “It would be wonderful if you study hard but fail in this exam”. At that point of time I thought it was a needlessly vicious thing to say. I did fail at that exam; I was crushed. It was the last time I cried. I still remember. 3rd of August 2004. (Well, it took me until February, the next year, to recover resolve, build determination and study again, and this time successfully. Now I find my options quite limited.) The lesson however that I learnt was not to be affected by either success or failure.

About the circle and it’s two sides: inside and outside…it smacks of the Hindu concepts of Karma and Maya. A business tycoon and a typical yogi are the same. One is running towards money, the other away from money. Money thus is the focus. To reduce the sense of dimensions even if one used a point in space, imaginary for both geometry and meditation, it doesn’t amount to much… (Rather it does because a point has some existence.) I guess that is why Sankhya, Nirvana and Kaivalya culminate in absolute nothingness.

26 comments:

White Square said...

Hi Sanxukta,
great thoughts
I am in Delhi till this Sunday night, just left ur no in Moscow...
i am sending u a mail..

rachana said...

hi sanxukta,
first time here... liked ur thoughts v much..

itinerant said...

I see development all around me. Got a little stuck on the picture though, hot....

... said...

hello... rachna..
abe satya, so the picture's hot... well, a light bulb on a backdrop of lightning has to be. imagine the kind of electricity... people killing... by the way, love the fact that you're doing reviews...

Anonymous said...

I don't agree that the centre is money.Yogi doesn't runs away from money. Infact that is not the characterisaton Yogi. Infact money is not centr for most of people. Sounds stupid ? Just think over it.

... said...

Dear Anonymous,
what is the center for most people?? enlighten me!

Agyan said...

Hey the though of successing close doors and failure opening them is mind-blowing. Thank God I keep failing, at least it gives some meaning to 'search', so what if it mind-fucks you.

Ankit said...

i m still trying to figure out how studying hard n failing in an exam can b useful....in my opinion it will crush u

Anonymous said...

HI,
congratulations on your clearing civilservices.so,did you get what you choose or took what ever you got (talking abt services).
what were your preferences.
i think i should also try. what do you say ha ha ha ha

itinerant said...

B.C.So much happening here. Wtf?

But Yeah, I agree with what Abhigyan pointed out of how failure closes doors, mind blowing.

In fact on my last post, I do a kind of back handed slapping when I state that, "we have all been disappointed, most in failure and some even in success."

Anonymous said...

@Satya... what a back hand, even Sampras can't get a return volley out of that...

@Rehan.... well...that's all i can say to you.

@Ankit...hmmm..it crushes you completely, but finding strength to get up is the key..funny thing though, after you finally suceed, all other doors are slammed shut... Irony or ironies!

@Abhigyan...i'm quite mind f@#ked.. join the club..just that i have no talent in writing movie or cricket reviews...

... said...

Hey...that anonymous, right above this comment is me... some problem with the server...

Anonymous said...

dear anonymous,
who asked you ? my question was to sanjukta and not you.

... said...

Dear rehan,
That anonymous was me... there was something wrong when i tried to post the comment... sorry for the misconception... i tried to clear that up with the next comment, but i guess, you didn't read it... anyway that was me!!!!
hope you get it this time...

itinerant said...

hohoho....

the truth is out hahaha. that was so funny, I was wondering who the hell is this anon......

so anon's still get the focus these days......

hello, when I refered to the picture, I swear, it wasnt the light bulb and the lightening....darn, whats the hot picture on this whole blog...need I be so obvious.....as stating that I was refering to your profile picture........

on a more philosophical and temptingly lighter note too (dialectically of course), the CENTER (the one the real anon comment challenges), is what a lot of white girls come to find in this 'god forsaken but ever increasing number of Gurus land'.

Do you ever wonder where our Gods emigrated? Or are being itinerant backpackers or package tourists?

U.S.
Caneda.
Kiwiland.
Austraria.

... said...

Satya, if relegion be the opium of the masses, are godmen of india god's little chillums?

itinerant said...

hohoho.

chillar sounds more like it.....

and what is chillar.....its a Bihar-Hindi word for the germs that one gets when one doesnt bathe for a long time......

used as "nahi nahaoge to chillar par gayga" (if you dont bathe you will get germs)

... said...

Satya babu, sahi hai... jo bhi hai, kacchra hai...

Anonymous said...

satya ...she said chillums not chillars

itinerant said...

whose anon, i meant chillars not chillums...

... said...

Anon....i meant chillums in my humble query to Satya saab...who replied with chillars... it's all good... what do you think...i mean besides pointing out 'mishtakes'???

Anonymous said...

satya......sorry if you felt bad but i had no bad intentions .this anon is sanyukta.

sanjukta.....what made you react...ok,fine you are a good friend but what made you to arrive on a rude conclusion that iam pointing out "mishtake"
comeon babes ...it was so amusing to read the comments of satya and sanjukta....and ijust wanted to tell satya that he has misread "chillums" .....

... said...

Sanyukta...??? Friend??? do i know you in the real world??? BtW, thanks for finding Satya and my comments 'amusing'... But once again, if you point out that Satya 'misread' chillums as chillars, then that is pointing out a mistake / 'mishtake'... And my pointing that out to you, dear Sanyukta is not 'rude'... it is merely another pointing out..

Point taken?? Once again, have fun...

itinerant said...

sanyukta,

i felt so awful when you did that.

but its okay now, i fell much better.

Anonymous said...

point is not at all rightly taken....what i pointed out was out of appreciation and what you pointed out was out of offended ego(you took my reminding him that he has misread as impolite pointing out.....but what i didn't write was how his mistake has led to hilarious and amusing conversation between you two ....much like you find in shakesperean comedies ......same act of pointing out but with diff intentions.....remember gita gyan...and also difference in prior experience.....satya are you listening........make sure that satya reads it

thanks, sanyukta

itinerant said...

sanyukta babes,

I have a blog too. I want your attention there too. I am basking in this, or better still email me, wink wink nod nod.

On a serious note, why would I get offended, just playing around...no hassles.