The Selfish Wasteland

It amazes me how certain humans can be so selfish,
So indulged in their own small shallow world,
That they don’t care to see where the world is going,
So self-centered that it is always about them and their stupid needs,
So blinded to others emotions and ever ready to bitch about others,
I wonder what they are made of, or which human species they belong to,
Because my definition of human species is one who not only takes care of her family,
But also the society and leaves behind something that would help a section of society,

I never dislike anyone, but what should I do when faced by selfish species,
All that I can ask for is a separate planet called “The Selfish Wasteland”
Everyone would be so self-involved that they will focus only on their own problems and needs,
Let the others die, how does it matter as long as I am happy,
The motto would be “it’s a selfish planet, I don’t care who you are, all I care is what you do for me”.

I can only hope not to cry with a hope they will realize,
And to stay away from the species which belongs to The Selfish Wasteland.

In Love with Everything

I don’t know whether its fact or fiction,
Don’t know if the feeling is sweet or sour,
Don’t know if it’s a beautiful dream or a strange reality,
Don’t even know if it’s me or someone else,
Don’t know if it’s the world in love with me,
Or am I in love with the world.

I am trying to understand the feelings,
Feels like butterflies in stomach,
Everything sounds good, everything looks beautiful,
Seems like the world is rejoicing,
Feels like the trees are smiling at me,
And the breeze trying to tickle,
Suddenly the world seems so lovely,
With nothing to complain or worry about.

I'll Be There For You

There are times like this,
When I really want to show I care,
When I want to express how his trouble troubles me,
When I want to ask him not to say a single word,
Because I can feel his feelings,
When I want to hold, to assure and give a big hug,
And say, it’s just a phase, and am there for you,

When I want him to know,
That I respect, I admire, I understand him,
And want him to believe,
That I will stand with him and for him,
No matter rain or shine, I wish to be his umbrella,
Promising never to question, or doubt his belief,
But only to look at him with an assuring smile,
Believing his beliefs, and building his confidence,
And making him feel that I will be there - ALWAYS.

Indian Traditions Only for Women

I think Indian traditions were created only to punish women.

Starting from the Dowry system: Parents of female child pay huge sum of money to get their daughters married to some jack ass.

Even modern, well-educated families start saving up money for their daughter's dowry as soon as she is born, so what can one expect from the uneducated masses, whose only form of education is tradition.

Ill Treatment of Widows: Many families blame the untimely death of a husband to the misfortune of the woman. In extreme cases, the widow is made to wear only unattractive clothing and shave her head, although this practice is on the decline - Abandoning everything and mourning for a lifetime – Bull shit

Unequal Share of Inheritance: In most Hindu families, only sons inherit the wealth of the parents and married girls are considered no longer part of the family. – It is said that girls are Paraya Dhan, and that’s why I guess they have no rights to inherit their family wealth.

Women changing her identity (Sir name) after marriage

Children to be named after Father’s name – I fail to understand this concept totally. It is the mother who bears child for nine months, gives blood, life, muscles, body to the child, then why should the child bear the father’s name? It is completely insane.

What is the status of women in Indian Society?
The answer is a complex one -- women are both abused as well as revered in the Indian society; sometimes within the same household.

The Hindu religion calls for worship of the womanhood, and several rituals are conducted in honor of women. At the same time, it denied such privileges as performing the last rites and equal share of inheritance.
The conditions of divorced women, widows, and unmarried working women need substantial improvement.

No matter how much we say that The Indian Woman is no longer captive of traditions, the fact remains that there will be elders who will always want their bahu to be the perfect submissive Indian woman. It is only because of this that Indian women will never be uncaptive of traditions.

Moreover, India is a large country with many regions not very public, there are still villages that are practising Sati and unfortunately, we can do nothing about it.

Deciding Between Practicality and Humanity

What is it that helps one make decisions?
Do we do what our heart says?
Or what our mind calculates?

It seems difficult to see which decisions are rightly made,
Some say think from heart and u will stay happy,
Others say be practical, analyze and then decide.

I know that mind and heart never want the same,
What mind develops, is not accepted by heart,
And what heart cherishes, is worthless for the mind,

Is there any way to bring the two to a consensus?
Can we make our mind like what the heart wants?
Or make our heart understand why its right to do what the mind says?

Sad that practicality and humanity doesn’t go hand in hand these days
We get to pick only one of them,
And got to kill the other,
Which many a time leads to not so happy ending,

I wish I never get to decide between my heart and mind,
I would hate to betray any of it,
And only request my heart and mind to be in sync,
And help me decide the best, accepted by both.

The Empty Nest

Thinking about the past, it feels like it happened yesterday,
We lived in our cocoon, unaware of the world spread in front of us,
Eagerly waiting to spread our wings and fly,
Not fly away, but just fly around.

Impatient to see the beauty outside the cocoon,
Wanting to see the world through our own eyes,
Making a promise to fly around,
And come back to the same nest,
Promising to come back for each other

But when would the butterflies get back to the nest,
Each one following the desired route and path,
Each one with different view flying individually,
Each one having an ambition to achieve
Each with a strong will power and desire to conquer,

Stopping at some point, looking back at the past
Thinking about the other, and wishing the best
Wondering if their paths would ever cross again,
Will they ever want to leave what they built?
And fly back to the old nest of joy and happiness.

Somethings to Remember

Work Ethics:

• Integrity means doing what is right, even if it is unpopular, unfashionable, and unprofitable. Actually, especially when it is unpopular, unfashionable, and unprofitable.
  Develop a reputation for honesty and integrity. If you have failed in these areas in the past, your new job is an opportunity to start fresh. It is a reputation you must earn over time. And live up to that reputation at all times, at work and everywhere else.
• Don’t use profanity, even when others do.
• Never tell dirty jokes, racist jokes, or sexist jokes. And simply walk away from those who attempt to share them with you. True ethics are not situational.
• Make good on your promises.
• If you are not sure you can deliver, don’t promise.
• If you are not sure, don’t do it. That’s your conscience talking. Listen closely.
• Always seek the good in others, and they will be more likely to find it in you.

Interpersonal skills:

• Talk 20 percent and listen 80 percent. And avoid those who talk 100 percent.
• Always take the opportunity to praise others who are worthy of praise. If someone has done well, take the time to compliment them. Praise publicly. In front of others whenever possible. And copy their boss if your praise is via e-mail.
• When someone is telling you a story, don’t interrupt. And don’t try to upstage them with a better story of your own.
• Smile. A lot. Even when you feel like frowning.
• If someone is confrontational with you, avoid the confrontation. Take time to cool off before you respond.
• Be the person in your office who makes everyone else smile. Everyone loves a cheerful person.
• Look for solutions, not problems. Anyone can identify problems.
• When someone compliments you for your work, don’t say “It was nothing” or try to talk them out of it. Just say “Thank you” with a smile and move on. Nothing more, nothing less.
• Life isn’t fair. And sometimes work isn’t either. There will be some days when just getting through the day is the best you can do. Wait until tomorrow to see if things clear up. They usually do.
• Don’t be a complainer. Every work environment has a person who somehow feels responsible to fill the role of office complainer. Let someone else fill that role. And ignore them when they attempt to practice their art upon you.
• When you are unhappy on the inside, do your best to stay happy on the outside. You will eventually turn inside out.

Office politics:

• Show respect for your boss in everything you do. Don’t join in when others are boss bashing. It can be contagious.
• As a subordinate, you must be willing to submit to the plans of others. Submission is not found in obeying the requests of those with whom you are in agreement. True submission is found in obeying another when you are not in agreement.
• The work washroom is located at work. Don’t let your conversation change to match the surroundings.
• When you are personally complimented for something that was a team effort, always give proper credit to the team.
• When others begin to criticize, fight the urge to join in the slaughter.
• Be a builder, not a destroyer.

Education and training:

• Know and understand the company training and development program. And take advantage of it.
• Seek to match your training with immediate application of what you have learned. Apply it and it’s yours forever. Don’t apply it and it’s lost.
• Continue your education. Even if you do not pursue a formal degree, make learning a lifelong vocation. What you learn will affect what you earn.
• If you are a “hunt and peck” typist, learn to type properly. It will save you immeasurable time over the course of your career. And keep you from looking silly.
• Become fully computer literate. You don’t have to be a computer wizard, but you do need to become proficient in the use of technology in your work. Stay ahead of the technology curve.
• Learn to become a team player. College rewards individual performance. Employers reward team performance.
• You probably don’t know nearly as much as you think you know. It often takes the maturity of a lifetime to come to this realization, but if you are willing to acknowledge this fact early in life, you will capture a lifetime of learning and growth.

Financial:

• There is more to life than the endless accumulation of wealth. There will never be enough money. You must find your wealth elsewhere in your life.
• Money does not buy happiness. Happiness is found in being content with who you are and what you have.
• Sign up for your 401(k) plan as soon as possible and have 10–15 percent automatically deducted from your paycheck. You will never have it, so you will never miss it. And you will be well taken care of later in life while others continue to struggle just to survive.
• Always pay your bills on time. Especially credit cards. And student loans. An unblemished credit record is an asset that should be cherished and protected.
• Don’t run a monthly balance on your credit card. If you can’t pay it off, don’t buy it.
• When someone offers you “the opportunity of a lifetime” in the form of multi-level marketing (a/k/a MLM, a/k/a network marketing), save your time and professional reputation with a polite yet firm “No thanks.”
• Regarding any financial venture or investment, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Extracurricular:

• Limit yourself to one glass of beer or wine when dining out with coworkers or clients. And wait for someone else to order liquor first—don’t be the only one.
• Don’t drink at all at the holiday party or other company social activities—besides, it’s much more fun to watch others who are drinking.
• Beware of office romances. Keep personal matters outside the work environment.
• Join a health club. Go before work, during lunch, or after work two or three times a week. It will increase your level of energy in your life. You will look better and feel better.
  Skills for a lifetime:
• Life is never exactly what we want it to be. Life just is. It is what we make of life that will bring it nearer to what we want it to be.
• You are the best investment you will ever have. The dividends received on this investment will pay you back for the rest of your life.
• Be proactive in planning for the future. To gain things in the future, you need to pursue them today.
• Expect great things from yourself and hope for great things in others.
• Set goals in your life. Break down your long-term goals into near-term goals. Then break down your near-term goals into annual goals. Then break down your annual goals into monthly goals. Then break down your monthly goals into weekly goals. Then break down your weekly goals into daily goals. Then break down your daily goals into specific tasks which will lead to results. And make sure it is all down on paper. Then do it. You are on your way to accomplishing all the goals in your life.
• Be observant—learn from the mistakes of others so that they are not repeated in your life.
  When you do make mistakes, take responsibility for them immediately. Denial will only prolong and intensify the error. Acknowledge you were wrong and move on. And do your best not to make the same mistake again.
• Every journey begins with a single step. And with each new step, the objective comes into clearer view.
• Don’t put your ballet shoes in the attic. Do your best to keep your life multifaceted.
• Always give back to those who are less fortunate than you. No matter how hard you have worked to get where you are now, there is always someone who has not had the same opportunities that you have had in life. Do your best to give to help meet the needs of others.
• Stop to smell the roses. And drink in of their fragrance until it emanates from within you.
• t’s not where you start out in life—it’s where you end up.

• And finally, always remember that work should never be your sole purpose in life. No one ever said on their death bed, “I wish I would have spent more time at the office.”