Art of lying

Lying as a virtue, an invention to steer out of unpleasant circumstances... well now is the time to be judicious about its use.
Now I think that Mark Twain didn't go too far in stating that lying should have been taught in public schools, and also through newspapers.
Twain pronounced it as man's best friend, and for me it can turn out to be the immortal saviour. I am just being truthful about my once-in-a-while habit of lying. It does come naturaly to me in some of the most difficult terrains but now my heart beats violently. Is it right to lie about a situation in which I can find myself in a few years down the line, God forbidding? A concoction of today may be a reality of tomorrow. That's where lying cannot legitimise itself so naturally. But here if people don't take recourse to lies, they will deceive themselves. Twain's fourth Grace and the tenth Muse may smile upon me but with a grin... after all i m just trying to be truthful to myself, my passion in life...

THE GULF VISION

The gulf has been widening ever since I came to the Gulf. The deep fissures, the great divide and the expanding gorges… I have started seeing life from a new perspective – what historians or social scientists would call ‘a view from the below’. The messiahs of egalitarian society will definitely welcome the shift in my point of view, as it glorifies the notions of a just and equitable society, a critique against the localised system of oppression. But, in the Middle East, my individual perspective cries for space, the vision passes through an endless darkened and hollow tunnel. The vision is entrapped in this hollow tunnel. From the deep gulf of professional disgust, everything lends itself to a narrow vision, of a piped and thus warped view. In short, professionally it’s been a very disappointing place. A learning experience I would ‘prefer’ to say though the heart rebels against associating the very idea of ‘learning’ with the region. There was a growing cynicism against the profession back in India. But here I could feel the disenchantment. The only saving grace is that the Indian reality has again become appealing, the willingness to be out there and grab the opportunities is fascinating and the will to struggle against heavy odds has become irresistible. That’s where I have ‘learnt’ the Indian reality. Thanks to the ‘gulfed’ vision.

A new chapter...

In this world of 'interconnected differeces', I am unable to find my own space, a space created out of free will. Everything looks so real and yet devoid of the 'real' essence. Decentre your thoughts to think free and at will. The micro is overshadowing the larger picture, the one I painted out of passion. Factual stands staunchly against the counter-factual. But the argument goes that one has to wade his/her way through the micro to reach the macro from where you can 'pontificate' (if I am allowed to use the term for disdainful and highbrow journos). Where do I stand as I yearn for answers? The experienced and the not-so-experienced amatuers would say: Well, you have to chart it this way dude. There can be no short cuts, they would tell me. But do I really want to tread the road less travelled? Yes and no. 'Uncertainty' like always before stands in my way. Not knowing the priorities of life and confidently dealing a blow to the aura of self-confidence, I am struggling with my self created naivete. The passion which was mainifested in ambition is somehow still there in the deep recesses. That's where the hope lies of a brighter morning, of a willingness to perform and rise from the ashes. The journey begins afresh, once more...