Looking inwards

They say you are most observant when you are in a contemplative mood, looking inwards. I have found truth in this saying every now and then.

Today while driving to work after dropping V at his pre-school, I came across an endearing sight. A young girl, must be 15-16 at most. She was riding a bicycle with a little child sitting behind her in school uniform, clutching her fiercely trying to stay warm. Most likely she was dropping her younger sister at school. By appearance, it was evident they came from a modest household. The weather is cold now, and mornings are chilly. Riding a bicycle in such conditions is not what most of us would be willing to do. But the joy on their faces, and the determination just warmed my heart. The feeling of warmth lasted for a minute before I got scared, really scared. This girls were happy, hopeful to do better (the little one was going to school). The fragility of such beautiful sights is terrifying. I really really pray to God, please look after them. Please.

Of this and that

The art of being creative relies on the science of finding enough time to make the mind feel (relatively) idle. 

The kind of creativity that comes from "last minute panic" (i am thinking of that calvin and hobbes strip right now) is way feeble than the ideas that just crop up when you are not really thinking of anything. Now this state (of idleness) was pretty frequent till some years ago. Not so anymore. We are never ever idle. Even in situations where one used to forced to enjoy the company of one's own thoughts (elevators, metro trains, boring work meetings) , mobiles have become the ubiquitous intruders. If you are not actively working, more often than not you will find yourself staring at a screen. We are not thinking anymore.

I was reading an article the other day which lamented about the slowdown in major scientific breakthroughs in recent years. You know what? I blame the presence of easy passive entertainment for this. 

I wonder what the coming generations will turn out to be. I understand that today's youth are much more likely to explicitly express their views and they are not shy of resorting to (peaceful) much publicized protests. But how many of their ideas are original? Most youngsters I interact with are either vehemently opposing ALL views & opinions of people in authority or are blindly supporting their most popular peers. Being anti-authority is so much in fashion. Mind you, the percentage of people actually doing something is miniscule, most of them are satisfied with protesting whatever cause is in vogue these days. Not just this, the media is actually adulating prominent protestors. I feel sad and angry just thinking about this. 

OK lets calm down. 

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I have started a new resolution to eat healthier. I am talking boiled oats for breakfast healthy :| 

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Most often the euphoria that I get out of new shopping lasts for a week, 2 weeks tops. But this time I am still happy about the purchases I did last month. I guess I was really going for that "joy" factor that Ms. Kondo talks about. 

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Insta type update: Successfully fed family with homegrown veggies.

Reality: We had palak pakoras from palak that I grew in my humble little terrace garden. 

Impressive nonetheless. :D