"Phew! nearly fell off the railing there! I've had better landings than that. Hey there Prattler. Got off work early?". Pesky was preening his feathers. He did not like them so ruffled and dirty after flying through the MG Road Traffic.
"Whats it that spews out of those coloured boxes with wheels...takes the sheen off my glossy wings...yuck! tastes like muck...What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing" I replied. It was amusing to think how a crow can be an interesting conversationalist. I wonder how someone would react if I told them this. Why bother I think. You dont either. It was a Monday evening 6:30 PM at Brigade road. The evening shoppers were just trailing in. I bought a burger and Coke from MacDonalds and was waiting for my pesky little friend Pesky.
"With you, its always 'nothing'. What is that you are having?"
"Mc Chicken"
"Yeah! and I am Mc Pesky. Since when did chicken start getting names..(peck peck)...hmm ..its yummy. So whats (chomp chomp) up with you (chomp chomp)...you have some more mayo?"
"I hate mayo"
"Why what did mayo do to you? Hey gimme some of that drink"
People look at me for an instant and go. Its not often they see a guy conversing all by himself and a crow sipping the coke, I guess. I stare back at them, they leave.
"Dont bother" Pesky said
"What?" Pesky reads my mind better than I can.
"With them...let them have a good time(chomp chomp)...spending their money. Its their way of feeling they've achieved something, that they own something they deserve"
"Why?" I ask.
"Okay. That's you alright. Answering in mono syallables. The question 'why' my friend, is one which is best left unanswered. Search for the why's never end. Just go with the flow. Live as they live. With a plastic smile, in a made up reality"
A crows perspective, I think. Their lifes so simple. Everything revolves around filling their stomach and at times, reproducing. As a part of nature, humans are also expected to do just that. Only somewhere along the evolutionary path things got a little more complicated. Blame it on the fire and the wheels
Something within me blurts out "Its useless - all these. Its surely made up. My lifes not mine anymore"
"You are not alone." Pesky takes the last gulp of the coke. "Look at them. Do you think that their life is theirs. Ha! they are honest to themselves? See that guy getting into the Levi's showroom there? You think hes buying something because he wants to look good for himself or because he wants others to perceive him to be well dressed...whats wrong with the clothes hes wearing?. Or see that girl with a skimpy skirt there? Why is she so promiscuous? Does she want eyes to ogle at her either out of admiration for her sense of courage or for her beauty? If its courage, why does she wear clothes at all? If its beauty, well, why does she wear clothes at all? You see, people's lives are not theirs anymore. We all live for others, to pacify others, to delight others, to hurt others, to love others . You think you watch a movie for your own pleasure. You come out of a movie theatre, what do you feel you accomplished by that? Whats pleasure? Except for the fact that now you can make a judgement for others whether they need to watch it or not. You see, every thing you do is with a belief that you can influence others in some way. Theres no soul who lives for himself."
"But thats not what we have been taught." I retort. "Right from childhood, we have been taught that we can control our life, be what 'we' want, to follow our dreams, our ambitions. Only thing, in the name of altrusim help others along the way, take their advice, take their opinions, ' fit in' their surroundings, empathise with them, adjust. When did the second part start becoming more important than the first?"
"Ooops. Nearly fell off again. Damn! this railing is slippery. Hey Prattler, can I get some of those creamy little things in that funny conical shape?"
"Thats a softy"
"Whatever. Sure does look yummy"
"Ok hang on" I go and buy a softy.
"Hmmm, why do they call this a softy...why not creamy? well what the hell, ways of the humans are strange. So where were we?, ah, yes...second part...doing things for others became more important ever since mankind lost its sense of purpose. Ever since they started believing that 'how you want others think of you' is more important than 'how you can let others see you'. Tell me how many times have you laughed on a joke that was not funny? Just because everyone around you laughed. And you thought it would be rude to the person if you didnt. How many times have you done things that you did not feel like doing, but you did it because you did not want others to think ill of you, just to be 'in' the group? Everyone fakes their life. And that faking is becoming a reality. So that when reality strikes, it seems like an illusion. There, you've slept again"
"No. I did not. That does explain a lot of things. A decadence of the human spirit is what you are saying. That we can do a lot better by just being what we should and not worry about how we portray ourselves to others. Its difficult here."
"Show me a perfect man or a woman...in this imperfect world. A man who can be himself. True to his ideas, his purpose, himself. The one to whom nothing matters more than his own will. The one who knows his own will. An unblemished soul that has no hatred , no pain nor strife. Only compassion. Who does not care how others see him. But cares about how he sees others. A man who does not need to justify his existence. Who does not want the riches but wants to live life - on his terms and his way. Not to achieve anything but to enjoy the journey. A man who is courageous enough to work for his passion and considers his passion an art, makes it his work. The one for whom, the process of creating something is more important than the thing that is created. The one who thinks that the greatest thing that has been done, is yet to be done and that he can do it. The one who is courageous enough to change his opinions. The one who is courageous to accept that he lives for himself and not for others and even more courageous to live in that manner. That he has a selfish motive in making his art the best that it can become. Show me such a person...and I will point at him and proclaim him God."
"Whats it that spews out of those coloured boxes with wheels...takes the sheen off my glossy wings...yuck! tastes like muck...What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing" I replied. It was amusing to think how a crow can be an interesting conversationalist. I wonder how someone would react if I told them this. Why bother I think. You dont either. It was a Monday evening 6:30 PM at Brigade road. The evening shoppers were just trailing in. I bought a burger and Coke from MacDonalds and was waiting for my pesky little friend Pesky.
"With you, its always 'nothing'. What is that you are having?"
"Mc Chicken"
"Yeah! and I am Mc Pesky. Since when did chicken start getting names..(peck peck)...hmm ..its yummy. So whats (chomp chomp) up with you (chomp chomp)...you have some more mayo?"
"I hate mayo"
"Why what did mayo do to you? Hey gimme some of that drink"
People look at me for an instant and go. Its not often they see a guy conversing all by himself and a crow sipping the coke, I guess. I stare back at them, they leave.
"Dont bother" Pesky said
"What?" Pesky reads my mind better than I can.
"With them...let them have a good time(chomp chomp)...spending their money. Its their way of feeling they've achieved something, that they own something they deserve"
"Why?" I ask.
"Okay. That's you alright. Answering in mono syallables. The question 'why' my friend, is one which is best left unanswered. Search for the why's never end. Just go with the flow. Live as they live. With a plastic smile, in a made up reality"
A crows perspective, I think. Their lifes so simple. Everything revolves around filling their stomach and at times, reproducing. As a part of nature, humans are also expected to do just that. Only somewhere along the evolutionary path things got a little more complicated. Blame it on the fire and the wheels
Something within me blurts out "Its useless - all these. Its surely made up. My lifes not mine anymore"
"You are not alone." Pesky takes the last gulp of the coke. "Look at them. Do you think that their life is theirs. Ha! they are honest to themselves? See that guy getting into the Levi's showroom there? You think hes buying something because he wants to look good for himself or because he wants others to perceive him to be well dressed...whats wrong with the clothes hes wearing?. Or see that girl with a skimpy skirt there? Why is she so promiscuous? Does she want eyes to ogle at her either out of admiration for her sense of courage or for her beauty? If its courage, why does she wear clothes at all? If its beauty, well, why does she wear clothes at all? You see, people's lives are not theirs anymore. We all live for others, to pacify others, to delight others, to hurt others, to love others . You think you watch a movie for your own pleasure. You come out of a movie theatre, what do you feel you accomplished by that? Whats pleasure? Except for the fact that now you can make a judgement for others whether they need to watch it or not. You see, every thing you do is with a belief that you can influence others in some way. Theres no soul who lives for himself."
"But thats not what we have been taught." I retort. "Right from childhood, we have been taught that we can control our life, be what 'we' want, to follow our dreams, our ambitions. Only thing, in the name of altrusim help others along the way, take their advice, take their opinions, ' fit in' their surroundings, empathise with them, adjust. When did the second part start becoming more important than the first?"
"Ooops. Nearly fell off again. Damn! this railing is slippery. Hey Prattler, can I get some of those creamy little things in that funny conical shape?"
"Thats a softy"
"Whatever. Sure does look yummy"
"Ok hang on" I go and buy a softy.
"Hmmm, why do they call this a softy...why not creamy? well what the hell, ways of the humans are strange. So where were we?, ah, yes...second part...doing things for others became more important ever since mankind lost its sense of purpose. Ever since they started believing that 'how you want others think of you' is more important than 'how you can let others see you'. Tell me how many times have you laughed on a joke that was not funny? Just because everyone around you laughed. And you thought it would be rude to the person if you didnt. How many times have you done things that you did not feel like doing, but you did it because you did not want others to think ill of you, just to be 'in' the group? Everyone fakes their life. And that faking is becoming a reality. So that when reality strikes, it seems like an illusion. There, you've slept again"
"No. I did not. That does explain a lot of things. A decadence of the human spirit is what you are saying. That we can do a lot better by just being what we should and not worry about how we portray ourselves to others. Its difficult here."
"Show me a perfect man or a woman...in this imperfect world. A man who can be himself. True to his ideas, his purpose, himself. The one to whom nothing matters more than his own will. The one who knows his own will. An unblemished soul that has no hatred , no pain nor strife. Only compassion. Who does not care how others see him. But cares about how he sees others. A man who does not need to justify his existence. Who does not want the riches but wants to live life - on his terms and his way. Not to achieve anything but to enjoy the journey. A man who is courageous enough to work for his passion and considers his passion an art, makes it his work. The one for whom, the process of creating something is more important than the thing that is created. The one who thinks that the greatest thing that has been done, is yet to be done and that he can do it. The one who is courageous enough to change his opinions. The one who is courageous to accept that he lives for himself and not for others and even more courageous to live in that manner. That he has a selfish motive in making his art the best that it can become. Show me such a person...and I will point at him and proclaim him God."
