awakened – An Aura of Fleeting Thoughts

Even as the world responds and grapples to deal with an onslaught by a visibly invisible enemy- no matter how odd it may look- this episode again gets us back to the same fundamental question (like with any disaster)- “The WHY of it?”

To begin with, this is not the first time that humanity has been hit by nature through a viral route- things have happened in the past too and organisations/ agencies worldwide have provided swift response and made it possible to wage a war to ensure that the crisis ends with minimal fatalities. Each of these battles against the onward march of these seemingly super-bugs has provided ample amounts of learning and takeaways-but for some strange reason- as humans we simply don’t seem to believe what science tells us and we end up at points in history like the one where we are now!

This is not an article that gives us a solution to tackle the Corona Virus (boy- I would be rich real rich!) but this attempts to see what we possibly miss through the rush of our busy lives and why instances like these may continue to strike with predictable timelines and severity as we keep advancing and moving ahead!

What we certainly know is that this tiny virus too jumped from animals onto humans– so the holy question- “What the f**k was anyone doing – in an unhygienic setting around a dead animal?”. What is even more dumb is the fact that – what are the kind of animals do we want to consider having on our plates- and whatever happened to basic personal hygiene- Isn’t that something that we all learnt at playgroup or kindergarten?” Why does the UN (through WHO) need to tell the world “To wash their hands and maintain Hygiene! What does all this speak about ourselves – as individuals and societies – the way we have evolved as Humans- are we becoming more smart by the day or are we setting up ourselves for even more dangers by playing plain stupid and dumb! What’s actually happening here?

Being who we are; arrogant, ignorant, stupid, overconfident- all or any of these- humans tend to put them in harm’s way every now and then- whether it is that casual jay walking across a busy street, riding a bike without a helmet, exceeding speed limits on your sports car, or simple dumb things like- speaking while your mouth is full of food, refusing to brush your teeth at night, binge eating, drinking for no reason- you name it and you will find an instance around you and at times each one of us have been more or less guilty of this! Indulgence- is to blame- that insatiable appetite to wanting more and more and more of everything and anything around you, just because you have the resources to acquire and enjoy- this senseless indulgence is the underlying reason for the mess that we have landed humanity from time to time! You may ask me around this time- well what has this to do with the corona virus- well it has everything to do with it! If reports are to be believed this virus broke through some wet food market and one of the reasons that appeared were possibly an aspect of inadequate handling of meat/food products that were possibly infected and add to that the senseless rush that food markets nominally see ( because we get everything at a lesser price and this small incremental greed of saving that one dollar more by going to a larger market and being ready to buy/sell food products in not so hygienic conditions- what eventually has unfolded is for the whole world to see and understand! It is a classic case of a gross disregard of few people who have put at risk global communities and contributed to early exit of a few lives!- in some cases possibly these poor souls would not have even heard of such a place and any of these unfolding events at a place thousands of miles away from their residence!

In the times of fast city lives, social compulsions and wanting to be conforming with everything what others do- It is but certain that when the wrong role models and wrong practices are picked up and followed- when shit hits those and what you follow; it will hit you too! This again is not limited to only a virus outbreak- this is applicable to almost everything and anything that we do! What this episode us teaches is that – Our Individual value system and common-sense; that internal gyroscope of our mind; (which keeps on telling us always and all the time, “Hey, don’t do this, let’s move out of this place, let’s not buy this, let’s do this over that) whenever it is disregarded; chaos unleashes– it is similar to trying to shut off an ILS landing in heavy rain and trying to land the plane through a visual approach in the blinding rain- the chances are you will land with a bang- and will be lucky to survive! So what’s the answer to all this chaos and is this the last time we are witnessing something like this?

The first part of the answer, a generous helping of common-sense(having nothing to do whether you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate) value systems and inner belief will keep you alive and away from harms way for good- without you having to do anything more then using your brain and applying it for yourself in the right way! The second part, sadly the world will not learn- not that there aren’t any wise people around- in this context the problem is of too many wise people speaking to each other with no one wanting to listen to anyone! As long as this circus continues- you may have billions of dollars and thousands of people as a resource to serve and overcome problems- the fact will remain – that humanity will keep walking away from problem into another! (which would be largely created because of the mishandling of the previous one)- well incompetency – will keep on popping up here and there- as it always happens across large organisations and this in turn ensures that humanity always pays a heavy price – a heavy price for incompetent leadership and lack of common-sense of few people!

I will leave you with these thoughts for now, for you to reflect and really think for yourself- What is that you think you will do from this moment on- not to save the world- but to save yourself and your family to ensure that you do not come in harms way because of the incompetency and stupidity of someone you may have never known!

Keep thinking, stay wise and stay safe! Of course, remember, Personal hygiene is not doing a favor on the world- it is a simple act of ensuring that you don’t end up buying an early ticket for your exit from the theater of the world! If someone said, common-sense is like salt to food, then well makes sense to ensure you use it sparingly and always when you decide to cook up a new dish within your brain! Ciao for now will be back with another piece soon!

Keep writing to us with your inputs on what next you would like to read and to learn more about our structured interventions and consulting solutions for organisations and individuals through our consulting and coaching services! You can reach me at parimal.aluri@simplifylives.com!

Not that I am turning out to be an old monument or a war memorial in the making- but the other day when the idea of this topic was shared by a friend, couldn’t resist writing a few lines! This topic has been playing on my mind for a while now- this piece is about really understanding how we get drawn and pulled into the senseless and at times the idiotic world of being Online for kind of forever and ever- and the greatest irony- well to know How being online (in a trance mode) is harming you, you need to come online to learn how to stay away from it!

Before the young audiences start assuming and logging off- well there was a time not so long ago- when letters were written ( not only as part of school letter writing assignments), fixed line phone calls were made only when the message was of grave importance (more often then not it would communicate about somebody’s death or someone getting married or someone coming anew into the human race!). This was a time (which I also referred to in an earlier article) where a two hour train journey could help you find friends for life- who in turn would mean more then your family- there was a time when you had groups and groups of acquaintances and friends (real people- not those spooky virtual ones!) who were available on a call and yet there was space- so much space for yourself to know really Who U are and what is that U have set to achieve! So what changed- How did we come to this point – A point where, we believe everything that is said online over the digital world and we doubt real people and then regret for it!

Well, the answer simply lies within us, because we are humans and this is the way we are wired! Get back to the good old times of Kingdoms, clans, tribes and simple one level societal structures- what do you see happening here- well the only way to get popular support was either through brute strength – physical or demonstration of brilliant thinking by being a thought leader among the people who could impact a positive and visible change on the lives of people (read- building of civilizations and large empires). All this was possible because of the intrinsic people connect– even in those times undertaking journeys of thousand miles or more just to propagate an idea (in-person) and garner acceptance and approval!

With the advent of modern times, still all was not lost- greatest of inventions, scientific discoveries, breakthroughs in modern human lives all of them have occurred only by collaboration and people-to-people connect. Whether it is the first manned mission to the moon, fighting wars, creating path breaking medicines, setting up great marvels of engineering through factories and machines- you think of it and you will see that at the foundation of all great things that humanity has ever achieved – it always has the underlying essence of Human-to-human personal connect- in flesh and blood!

In the last 20 odd years or so, with the menace of the digital age (thanks to the collaborative research done by people talking and working with each other!) as a society, we have developed a false sense of acceptance, social presence- through real life isolation and created space for being in pseudo-control- of everything around us by being online! All these are ramifications of the online-digital menace that coerces you too like that post, share content (which rarely makes sense) and post those tons and tons of personal snaps and videos which do nothing but add up to the pile of E-Garbage and different laws make it mandatory to have more and more servers added up just to store this pile of electronic data and garbage – so that it stays available!– I mean who really cares when you have loaded that snap- people who know you “know you” and those who don’t, really don’t care what happiness or grief you ate going through at the time when you do what you do! Even as your neighbor does not know who you really are! and at times even shocking your own family members on the go! things have just seemed to go from one stage of unmanageable mess to another!

As opportunities to lead real humans- through participating in society groups diminishes for one or the other reasons, people tend to explore the more convenient space of this digital arena to create pseudo follower-ship which gives a real life high by tracking virtual developments!– No wonder this has also lead to manifestation of new age – digital linked medical and mental health conditions! Can you even remotely recall any King who went into a depression because the audience did not clap hard enough after his speech? but I am sure you would have heard about that person who went into a depression because the posts did not gather enough likes! This is what running after hallucinations and mirage does to your mind and health- so what if the mirage is created in an online space!

More importantly, this is something not only makes us poor at real social connections, but also sabotages the quality of relationships that we have within our own house, family and friends; often you will see four friends on a table each one into their own screens, families at a dinner table- each one updating their own online status! Well, when you should be really looking into the eyes and mind of the person next to you and contributing to their life’s betterment and sharing stories that make sense- all that we end up doing is taking some stupid snaps and uploading them where it really matters to none!

So what’s next from here now- Well not that I am advocating for you to do something- you are wise enough to decode what has been shared here! The secret lies in striking a balance– the answer lies in the fact that we use every speck of technology in the way it is meant to be used (not abused) and meant to make it more empowering so that it creates impacts at all levels which are benefiting and uplifting human mind to pursue and create something collectively more wonderful and meaningful! Any piece of technology that isolates or alienates humans is nothing but a piece of epic shit which should be junked away immediately! Next time you want to dance- hit the dance floor, not an app, next time you want to say something to an audience- walk onto a stage- not a vlog, next time you want to share a great picture- be sure it uplifts, motivates or inspires someone- if it does- then upload it! These are the simple nuances that will go a long way in building your well being mentally and as a society will see more of amicable discussions and real life connections!

It’s not that, being online or the digital arena is the demon; the demon lies in the way we abuse it rather then use it to our advantage and make technology our slave rather then allowing it to be the other way around!

I leave you here with these thoughts for now, have a great day ahead and yes, Disconnect and stay Connected- with fellow humans and wise people around you- it’s time for you to start discussing the next big idea that will make human societies a shade brighter and better!

Ciao for now! Will be back soon with another piece!