Restlessness

"Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress". These are the words of Thomas Elva Edison who has around 1093 patents registered in his name. How rightly he said that restlessness is the discontent which keeps telling the heart that something is missing, something needs to be added to keep on this drive to progress. And progress for what? Just to make the mind and heart happy, isn’t it? This necessity of progress which restlessness brings in is a mere means of satisfying the needs. And even if all these needs are satisfied, we may still, expect that new discontent and restlessness creep in. This is because we are never satisfied with what we have got unless we are doing what we are fitted for. Restlessness as I think, encourage us to strive hard to embrace anything and everything that will lead to a happy peaceful life. A Painter must paint; a musician must play music to be happy. It is as simple as that.

The million dollar question is… how will one know if he/she destined to be a painter, how will one come to know if he/she is a musician or anything else? The answer lies within oneself. One has to be open to all the options that life put forward to have this restlessness developed. How do you think that Thomas Edison was able to invent the electric light bulb, the phonograph etc? Did he just got up from bed one fine morning and invented the bulb in one go? NO! That isn’t the way life works. When Edison was working at the Associated Press he seized the time to read and experiment. This gave him chance to explore all the options around him. And when he was able to pick that one golden option which made him happy, he grew restless to achieve the excellence in his work.

Why I’m emphasizing on Thomas Edison’s life is that, I want to put forward a point here. If you are not sure of what your heart wants just give it chance to explore the never-ending options in life. If you think you are musician or not, how would you come to know unless you play any one instrument? Just go there, pick up a musical instrument, play it, learn it and see if your heart likes it. And if you like it, restlessness will follow. And this restlessness will encourage you achieving excellence. This is true for any profession any field in life. And somebody has said it right that "Always pursue excellence, success will definitely follow". So the mantra is, in order to pursue excellence make your mind restless; to have a restless mind open your arms for the world of options. Because restlessness is the key towards opportunities and opportunities are meant to be created.

I drink occasionally, but this Occasion comes often!!!

A for… Antiquity, B for… Bacardi, C for… Carlsberg, D for… Director’s special, this is the new ABCD I have been learning since the testosterone in me started charging up. And believe me these alphabets I’m learning is way too difficult to implement in real life, as there are many social and personal issues involved in that. ‘Why so?’ You ask. Well, I have an answer for that. See, when we were at kindergarten dint our teacher helped us to learn ABCD by actually seeing and feeling A for… Apple, B for… Ball etc. That was simple wasn’t it? No worries about social concern and no personal problems. Learn for sake of learning. Just a simple innocent childhood. But here, my dear friends, after you leave the teenage behind and try to learn and Feel ( most important) the ABCD that I’m learning requires courage, passion, pure love and most importantly strong bonding between the alphabets and you and a level of maturity. Because, mind you, those are not just alphabets those are the elixir of life. And the teacher here is none other than friends. Only those friends who have taken this elixir inside and experienced the feeling and also to those friends who always try to keep us away from it. Either way they are teachers. I will refer them as Teacher 1 and Teacher 2 in my narration ahead.

I drink occasionally, but this occasion comes often; is topic I want to discuss here. And having the base of this topic explained in above words it would be easy for me to continue. It is happening recently that the pace of experiencing these alphabets has been doubled and I’m having no control over that. One occasion comes where I celebrate a friend’s birthday party with lots of Carlsberg. The other comes the very second day to listen the story of a heart broken friend with a hard drink in one hand and other on my friend’s shoulders to give my condolences. The third day comes with another occasion where I party hard with my MBA friends just to celebrate their success which, I don’t know what it is, but I get a hell lot of RS whisky enough for a deadly hang over. Then the fourth day comes… then the fifth… and so does the occasions. Yet another week ends with a bang.

The Teacher 1 is happy as according to him I’m enjoying to the fullest and leaving no strings of life unplucked and getting the rhythm divine. On the other hand Teacher 2 curses me for the extent of stupidity I’m doing with my life and making my life miserable. My dilemma is Teacher 1 or Teacher 2? Whom should I listen to? Because both of them as I have said are you friend and teacher as well. It’s difficult task for me to choose any one of them. I tried to figure out something and here is an interesting funda where heart and mind play hide and seek depending on you are drunk or not.

When I’m cautious, awake and able to have sense of what is going around, then I think that what the friend Teacher 2 said is correct. I’m blaming the irrelevant occasions for making me drink. He says it requires self control and knowledge about hazards of drinking, to curb this thirst. Just partying mindlessly, wasting the Gandhi (money u know), making my liver suffer etc.. etc. won’t take my life anywhere. At that time I feel like Teacher 2 is my only savior. I’m under this impression for almost half of the week. Then comes Friday, the day when your heart says "Oye! It’s Friday". It is a very special day as it is the last working day of the week. As usual I’m in my office in that 10x10 cubicle on a hectic working Friday under the influence of the good non drinkers and not thinking of any damn occasion to drink. And as all this straight forward thinking is running through my nerves I get a call from a very dear friend and guess what he tells me? "Hey I got a job in an esteemed organization man!!!" he says " C’mon, lets party". The "Lets Party" words struck me like a thunderbolt. Another party? What about the teachings of Teacher 2. Again mind and heart start playing games. But as always heart wins over mind in such situations. "Give a damn to the good boy philosophy" my heart says "And get going and have fun". I pack my bag. Make my mind and charge towards another occasion. I’m an occasional drinker, no doubt J . And at this occasion its time for K.. for Kingfisher.