Amazing Technology - for the inscrutable Idiots

Try to remember long ago 15 to 18 years back, how you had to do a pulse dial on a neighbors rotary phone and had to talk loudly to let the other one hear your voice, how you went to those STD booths to make calls to your relative in the neighboring district?

Do you remember how you waited at the bank for your token number to be announced after you filled in the check at the counter?

How hard it was to dial through the free dial up internet modem connection from BSNL, how important it was to know the nearest telegram office, post offices etc., ?

How that one movie played on Doordarshan made your day, how pleasant it was to watch that one cartoon program which came once a week. How those comic books of Tinkle, panchatantra, Asterix and Obelix, Hardy boys, Nancy Drew, Wisdom, Superman, Mandrek and other Marvel comics etc., many more were fun, how we used to play the snake and ladder/chess/business game as if it were the best in the world,
The first time TV video game, Contra and Mario nailed our days of summer vacation.

How social networking meant that we all friends met at the nearest ground/park and played our favorite game, or how our relatives met at a aunt's wedding?

How you went to a restaurant and you immediately got a seat to sit and addressed by a caring waiter, who quickly delivered your order? - do you reckon that? how small things of happiness meant so much more. But now, now although we get a lot more, are we really all happy? the ones who know the value are, the ones who dont are not.

I was just trying to relate all of this to today's scenario and how Technology has changed the lives of many. What came to us as a change, we welcomed it with a lot of eagerness. But for the ones who did not know technology roadmap, or how it advanced, new innovations became a very common thing, there was no "big-deal" about it, they never really got to know the Value or the purpose of what they get for what they pay. They got used to the every week new mobile handset release, new android apps, versions, games, new car release, new invention being made., etc., and they care less about the amazing technology, they just want to own, flaunt, curse, crib and enjoy.

With this came a breed of impatient mutant teenage technoignorants. Even if it takes 2 seconds extra to give us the ringing sound when we dial out from our cell phone our young generation get so grumpy, as if their money has more value than anything in the world, or how angry they get on the cell phone if it gets a little bit slow in processing the last 5 buttons we have pressed. The poor phone had to dial out through the PSTN out of the many PBX that it had to pass through to get them their friends' cell phone, give it a minute goddamit.  Today's newest generation especially, are born as though the world owes them all the greatest things they deserve.

A 10 minute flight delay is unbearable, if youtube does not play the file even if it gets stuck only once, our young idiots cant resist. The ATM card makes the counting noise for a few nano seconds longer, they get so impatient "WTF" is their favorite word. Yet, they love to wait in the queue for 2 hours to get to eat at a food joint, they love to stand like beggars at the mall in a long queue even after paying 5 times more for a dish which hardly tastes any good and search for a place to sit because every seat is occupied. I mean how can they pay 100 rupees for a coffee or watch a movie for 350 rupees, buy a samosa for 80 rupees when they know they are paying 10 times high?

Just dress up, go to a stupid place, get your snaps taken, posted on facebook! They dont just go to the stupid place but they give stupid expressions to the camera, they look stupid, with the duck face look. I am not annoyed or jealous, I go enough places too, I have a lot of photos, but the difference is I have not posted as a show off or to brag. I posted to keep a memoir, even with me and Veena were listed on Page 3 of TOI, we did not feel we should use the FB app on our mobile and put our location stamp there.  So what they share where they went to party, whats the point in announcing it to the world that you drank and lived a sick life one night? When did eating non-veg became a strength statement while it only brings diseases in old age? when did smoking a cigarette became style!

I read on a site and I was shocked to learn that our teen and the current early twenties generation, by the time they turn 40 will be suffering from Hearing issues (due to extended earphone-headphone usage), partial blindness (for wearing adultrated suglasses, TV and movies), Cancer, Cholestrol, Ulcer, Baldness, migraine, arthritis, spondilitis, epilepsy, and the ones that are currently going regularly to the gym and munching on that extra protein supplement are definitely going to end up with Obesity when they turn 40, etc., and many such ailments.

Whats the fun in buying the costliest smart phone, when they know nothing about maintaining it, or the value of it? how easily they curse the phone for not meeting their expectation the very second day they buy it? Do they know how many inventions has taken place ever since the first phone was launched? They lack patience, they drive like maniacs on the road call themselves cool. This is so sad.

I do agree we should break the rules, but we should never break the Law. I am saddened to see how our next gen has given their lives to commercialization, how they have lost their basic moral ethics and become so materialistic and mean.

I hope we get enough strength to coach them and show them the real values of life,

please G+1 if you liked. I did not read after I typed, it was spontaneous. So please expect mistakes, this was a last min blog I posted because I couldnt resist not posting it.

thanks
Maddy

Machines I wish were possible

I am still  fond of so many cartoon and animated movies. Many I still relate to everyday life. I love some of these Karate Kid, Starsky and Hutch, Time machine type of movies. I wish some of the below machines existed,

For example the Time Machine that can go to future, it can travel to the past and come back to present.. wow it would have been amazing to have had one


Then the hoverboard it can go on water, on almost any surface without even touching it.. who needed bikes or petrol... just this board would be awesome to commute


How about having that flash that can still everyone like the one in men in black?


Or the Cloning Machine from Dexters Laboratory


Star wars Teleportation device - I want to go to Mars, to the Moon and a couple of other universes and be back in a couple of hours time ... It would've been awesome.


Or I would have loved to have one of these


Or this family space ship for a short trip


But the best machine of all which I personally would have wanted from the future is

Giving is Happiness

During my childhood times, whether was it in Bangalore or Chitradurga or Dandeli, childhood was fun. Village days are the best in contrast to my experience in the beautiful city life of Bangalore. I still treasure my days at the Fort city Chitradurga, the mountains and waterfalls of Dandeli. These places are very close to me, all those people I have come across are bonded with my heart and become my character. Those experiences are the ones I treasure as my most priced moments I stop by and smile at them unknowingly. Thanks to my Dad and his bank, as he kept transferring from once city to another, me and my brother got to enjoy some wonderful, amazing, character building experiences and learn important lessons of life.

   Those eloquent mountains, the vast wide open spaces, the fog, those farmers, the market place, private busses, humble, hopeful and naïve people sporting their simple attire, hard working communities and a place with no tension, no hustle bustle but pure serenity and bliss. I can never stop admiring how beautiful life can be in such places compared to the commercial urban places or even the beautiful landscapes and glaring city skylines of glittery cities in some of the richest nations could be. I still find our villages to be the best among all. They just stand out and they ooze humanity.

Those days, as I freshly recall, we used to have some priests visiting every house in the street, call out standing near the gate for money/food etc.,. Some saying “Govinda govinda” , with a bell or some with a Bull/Ox, what we call in kannada “hoogooli”, or those guys who play trumpet, shankha or  at times chanting a particular line of mantra, or those “budbudke” fortune tellers etc.,. And I remember my granny (this was at our house in bangalore though) used to give them a fist full of rice, or wheat sometimes, or some short form of money etc.,., I recall, one day I had asked for a balloon or a toy that time, I think I was in 3rd or 4th grade, the toy I think cost only 50 paise then, which she refused to buy it for me; saying, she doesn’t have enough money. But then, the  very same day, when  someone came begging saying “govinda govinda” she gave him the very same 25 paisa.  I always wondered why she gave them when she herself had so less to share. Since she ran the house in her pension, she hardly had any money, I knew it, but I could not understand the reason behind all the sacrifice. I used to think - was that beggar so important to her than me? Or what was it, why did she consider giving so important. I kept thinking about it a lot then - But only now I have discovered the meaning behind her generosity.

Perhaps the answer is that she was Philanthropic. She never throughout her life said "I am bored of life or tired of it" Even when my grandfather passed away leaving 3 unmarried daughters (who are my most amazing aunts) and hardly any money, she never ever complained, not even once. Nobody in the family, including myself saw or heard her sad or complaining. She seemed to love every challenge with a smile and a undaunted faith in God. Her benevolent and generous behavior is spread all of her daughters, sisters, almost everyone throughout the family. Even today if anyone asks my mom any help, even with her ailments, she just doesn’t know how to say NO! Many times she has run into a plight of issues because of that, and with no regret she still does give and goes all out to help the needy to whatever little or best she can. Nor my mom or my granny never ever boasted about giving, even when we joked or taunted them. Thanks to their virtuousness and gullibility. They weren't even proud that because of their help someone got better or something hard was finally accomplished. They never took credit for it, even when they got into trouble because of that, they never stood up for themselves. But WHY? I used to find this a unsolved puzzle. Whats the point in giving someone and not be proud of telling it or announcing the help you offered? Soon I realised, the power of this universe backs you up when you help others, while it leaves you when you boast about it.

You just help anyone, everyone, and never boast about it. Feel the satisfaction within, feel the bliss of bettering someone's day. This is what we learnt and its truly amazing!

The philosophy was simple, "GIVE". Give whatever little you can give. Give aimlessly, with an open heart. Give with a blessing and a smile. If you have nothing to give, give yourself to help someone in trouble. It is innate to our very human nature to help anyone in trouble. But alas, many now have forgotten that term and they even consider helping out people is wrong or lower to their dignity. But giving is actually getting back two folds in return!

When I started researching why one needs to give (or why my grandma, my aunts all love to give back so much that they consider the person in need above all of us kids? or what happens if you dont give or how giving is everyone's duty,  I came across this line from our Upanishad that in Sanskrit says “danam priyavastaitam shradhaya danam ashradhaya na daanam” . This simply means Giving is joy, giving is happiness. Generosity brings prosperity. And prosperity need not be just wealth. Wealth is no proportion to prosperity. And what you give matters, not who gave or how much one gave. One should never broadcast a charity, because if you do, the joy is lost. Charity is extremely important to every human being. Charity should be as simple as breathing, as we breathe without any effort and not be proud of it, charity is everything and a basic human duty.

My granny always believed that every such "needy" saint/priest who visited her house, was a form of God himself visiting. Giving them, was an offering to God that she would get a chance to make. In a very silent and an indirect way, she taught me helping people is the only way you can help yourself. That way you never can run into a helpless situation. What goes around comes around. But you should always charity with a pure heart, with no expectations or pride. One should never look down upon someone who doesn’t have just because you have what he doesn’t. Give but never announce you gave, Give but never be proud of it. Give but never out of pity, give with profound joy and purity. PLEASE! Give out of humanity.

Next time you see a begging cripple, a dirty old man struggling to survive yet stretching at you is a empty hand but hopeful eyes, a blind woman out of her modesty seeking your help – PLEASE GIVE! Fill their palm with what you can, glitter their eyes with hope, shower your blessing, instill a sense of divinity in your soul. Give what you can afford to give. You never know what he or she has gone through, you have no right to pity. Please ask your own heart, think from the bottom of it, feel for that person, value their life and I beseech everyone to please GIVE. If you want to see miracles in your life, want to grow bigger and better, and lead a happy life – spread happiness, start now by Giving.

As I wrote this article, as if it was a miracle - some how this amazing book lands up in my hands its called "Go Giver".
If you still want to get better at life, you have to read this short book and know from Pindar how beautiful life can become, how successful one can be,  when you start giving back!