The Science of Signs

I have always been a believer in the adage "There's more to it than meets the eye". At the same time, I have been a proponent of simplicity, be it in the way I think, the way I dress or anything. There are some things to which I attach more importance than most others, and these are the things, which make me complicate situations more than necessary! This might sound contradictory, but hell, the human mind is complicated.

One such thing about which I think a lot, is signs. What do I mean by signs? Everything that happens in our life, happens for a reason. Actually, there is not one reason. There are so many reasons as to why things happen. Why is it that someone said what he/she said the way he/she said, when he could have said it in a different way?? Does he/she mean more than what we would have understood if it was literally translated? Does tone make so much of a difference? Is he/she looking at my eyes while he/she is saying it? If not my eyes, where is he/she looking? One small sentence makes me ask so many questions. Generalise this to every situation in life, and then all we'll have is a huge set of questions. The whole irony about the situation is that, while it sounds so complicated, it is actually very simple. This is because, these questions are not actually asked, everything is subconscious. And the best part is, even the answers are really simple, because there is only one thing that I rely on to answer these questions - my Instinct. And do I trust it?? Of course, because anyone who is not sure of his instincts, is never sure about himself.

And I know for sure that this is not a trait that is unique to me. Most people form opinions on people based on their looks, the way they talk, the way they eat, the way they drive or anything else possible. I wouldn't call them as judgemental either. According to me, that is how it is supposed to be. I am a person who is not only very proud of my friends but also my choice of friends. And I know for a fact that they wouldn't be where they are in my life, if it wasn't for my instinct, my first impression.

Another important thing is, these signs are not only applicable to others, I use them to ascertain my mood, my happiness level, what I should do next, and everything possible. I have come to realise, that the happier I am, the faster I drive and vice versa. And this is applicable only to two wheelers, cant say the same about the car. And a million other things, which I dont even remember. Also if I sing while I drive, it means that its going to be a good day. And the best part is, I never sing during the evenings. I wonder why?? All this is so complicated, yet so beautifully intertwined with my life.

One more pertinent question regarding this is that, "Is there actually any Science behind all these signs??". As far as I know, I dont think so. Even though I do have a suspicion that there are groups of scientists who have been doing research in this field for like the last twenty years and have remotely linked this to the excessive flow of a newly discovered neural fluid which makes people come up with such thoughts!! Pun intended. On a more serious note, I really don't want answers to these questions. It would ruin all the fun, if you know that its something that happens for a reason. Especially when there is logic attached to the reason. Such thoughts make me appreciate the complexity of the human brain & the mind, and I dont think we can do the same if we attach a reason to it.

Aren't there situations when you do something, but when some people ask you why you did it, you are unable to come up with a logical answer. You are fully aware that you have done the right thing or you are right, but when you are asked to justify the same, you'll be short of words. Some things in life happen for a reason, and it is not important that we attach logic to it, because its unnecessary and impertinent. I am not against logic or rational thinking, but there are always invisible boundaries to everything which we come to know of as we become more and more experienced. The sooner we come to realise this, the better!!!

Twisted Freedom

I was just sitting in my room, worrying about the various things that were happening in my life. Then one thing dawned upon me. Life is all about decisions. Decisions about every action that we take, everything that we do which eventually determine who we are, and what we'll become. Be it the microscopic view or the weltanschauung, or what topping you want on your pizza, everything rests on our decisions.

One thought led to another and very soon, I was reminded of the Civics class in school when we were taught "The Fundamental Rights". I remembered that there are 6 Fundamental Rights, one of which is the "Right to Freedom". This lead me to ask myself a very important question

"Are all of us as free as we seem?? "

Every decision that we take seems to be governed by many factors around us. Few of them are peer pressure, parental pressure and most importantly, social dictum. Most of us do things in order to portray ourselves in a better way in front of our peers(society as well). Life is nothing but an exercise in Positioning. Most of us are known by who we seem to be, rather than who we are. Somehow, all of this is because of our restrained decision making abilities, which translates into lack of freedom.

There is an identity that is associated with the people of every institution. And the irony is that, it is an accepted identity, accepted by society. Individuality has become a secondary criteria in any field. People are judged more according to institution rather than who they are. This has become a norm in society.

Whom do we blame for all this?? No one. This is because right from the olden days, people who have come up with ideas not conforming to social decrees have suffered. Socrates, Darwin, Aristotle to name a few. The whole world claims to have become more rational/open minded but that is a fallacy. We claim to be a secular, non racist etc etc.. But one look at the Marriage Classifieds will show us how racist we are. And is there any one complaining?? I guess not. Why? Society is ok with it!

One thing we need to realise is that not all ideas that are against the beliefs of society are malevolent. The search for freedom is still on. Independence is just a small step. Give us one right, give us a hundred, people will remain what they want to be portrayed as. We seek to visit new lands, meet new people but one person that all of us are ignoring is "Our true self".