I think sometimes a lonely road can bring you more peace than a room full of friends.
Over the past few days I have felt down in the dumps.. there have been days when nothing has worked.. and there will be days in the near future when again nothing will work. But I realised that this time I could handle it. I had resolved the panic. It was there at the bottom of my stomach... and it still is. But it is in control. No longer in control of me.
This has again led me to believe that however bleak your situation might seem... there are always things you can do to improve it. So even if you are surrounded by Antlions (Half Life 2) and just have couple of shotgun rounds left... or if you are running from a Cyberdeamon (Doom 2) with your health down to 10%, with no where to hide... or if in the plain old real world ur screwed with your back against the wall... dont panic.. think things through and you shall prevail. And if the panic is so bad that your brain shuts down.. then stop thinking and go with your instincts till your brain kicks back in.
Another anecdote from INDO-US 'friendship' story.. (from www.businessworldindia.com):
Americans have always put a high premium on style in their dealings with foreign leaders. Rukmini Menon, who was joint secretary in charge of Americas in the Ministry of External Affairs during Kissinger's visit to India in 1971, in a failed attempt to douse the flames of Bangladesh liberation, recalls how the German-American diplomat famous for his intellect tried to downplay substance when he met defence minister Jagjivan Ram, who was preparing for war in East Pakistan. Kissinger had extended an invitation to Ram to visit Washington in the hope that the gesture would win him over. It did not impress Ram, and Kissinger was speechless when the defence minister responded: "Why should I come to Washington?"
"Robert Blackwill once said economic relations between India and the US were as 'flat as a chappati'- a comparison that did not go down well with many Indians. Do you see that changing? What would it take to put a 'puri' on the table instead?"
This is taken from an interview I read on www.businessworldindia.com
One of the most fascinating things about this whole INDO-US friendship is that the Americans somehow still dont trust us and at the same times we Indians are a proud lot.
India is a classic example of earth and sky meeting as one. On on side you have the latest gadgets being sold in the bold new malls of New Delhi, a city which has neither the electricity to power them nor water to quench the thirst of people using them.
Every year the news items are the same. In April/May it is about how the mercury is climbing (read SOARING!) and how there is neither enough water nor electricity to take us through the summer. What I find most amazing is that after a long winter and a gentle spring we forget the pains of summer and are seemingly surprised when the outside temperature reaches the mid 40s (celsius).
Similarly the US is a classic example of such a contradiction. Although there the problems are not as basic as availability of clean water and power. There the problems are more complex. A rot seems to have set into the core of society itself. As people go about their daily lives with a single minded dedication to make it over the next Quality of Life barrier (on their way to the top) they forget the basics of life itself.
Maybe you need hardships in life to keep you grounded.
:)
A.
