What is real

"What is 'real'? How do you define 'real'? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then "real" is nothing more than electrical signals interpreted by your brain."
Morpheus, 'The Matrix'

Burn your bridges or play it safe ?

What is the benefit of burning your bridges?
Which decisions call for taking a "burn your bridges" call to be taken ?
Should I burn my bridges or create multiple bridges.

Benefit - The decision gets firmed up, you have no way of backtracking - only way to go is forward.

Which decisions call for Burning your bridges?
I guess situation where
1. The stakes are very high. It is very very important for you - though it may not be so for all stakeholders. You got nothing to loose - atleast compared to what you stand to gain, but other stakeholders may have a lot to loose (or they don't value the rewards as much).
2. The chances of you being successful are low. You are attempting something which is very diffcult, a few setbacks will make you/other stakeholders want to abondon the decision.

Once you have identified that the decison will impact your life/ purpose and by delaying it you are loosing the opportunity, You should you burn your bridges, ie close all your options for return to base. However if you have a lot to loose vi a viz what you stand to gain - you will not be able to burn your bridges.

Very important : Know your purpose. Know the Value of you stand to loose, and what you stand to gain.

If you have a lot to loose - as compared to what you stand to gain (value terms, not monetory terms only), you are better off to take the decision of creating multiple bridges.

जाग तुझको दूर जाना

Yet another one noted in my diary about a decade back.. dont know the name of the Poet.

चिर सजग आँखे उनींदी, आज कैसा व्यस्त बाना ।
जाग तुझको दूर जाना ॥

अचल हिमगिरी के ह्रदय में, आज चाहे कम्प हो ले,
या प्रलय के आंसुओ में, मौन अलसित व्योम रो ले ।
आज पी आलोक को डोले तिमिर की घोर छाया,
जाग कर विद्युत शिखाओं में निठुर तूफान बोले ।
पर तुझे है नाश पथ पर चिन्ह अपने छोड़ जाना
जाग तुझ को दूर जाना ॥

बाँध लेंगे क्या तुझे ये मोम के बँधन सजीले ?
पथ की बाधा बनेंगे तितलियों के पर रंगीले ?
विश्व का क्रंदन भुला देगी मधुप की मधुर गुनगुन ?
क्या डुबो देंगे तुझे ये फूल के दल ओस गीले ?
तू न अपनी छाँह को अपने लिये कारा बनाना ।
जाग तुझ को दूर जाना ॥

वज्र का उर एक छोटे अश्रु कण में धो गलाया,
दे किसे अमृत सुधा दो घूँट मदिरा माँग लाया ।
सो गयी आँधी मलय की बात का उपधान ले क्या ?
विश्व का अभिशाप क्या चिर नीँद बन कर पास आया ?
अमरता के सुत क्यों चाहता मृत्यु को उर में बसाना ?
जाग तुझ को दूर जाना ॥

कह न ठंडी साँस में अब भूल वह जलती कहानी,
आग हो उर में तभी द्रग में सजेगा आज पानी
हार भी तेरी बनेगी मानिनी जय की पताका
राख क्षणिक पतंग की है अमर दीपक की कहानी
है तझे अगाँर शैय्या पर मृदुल कलियां बिछाना ।
जाग तुझ को दूर जाना ॥

Existence

Here is one more piece of poetry which was noted down in my diary some 10years back..

Little fly
thy summer’s play
my thoughtless hand
has brushed away

Am not I
a fly like thee?
Or art not thou
a man like me?

For I dance
and drink and sing
till some blind hand
shall brush my wing.

William Blake
Songs of Experience, ‘The Fly’ (1795)

This makes you realize the small pleasures and pains that you come across in daily life do not matter.
And makes one think
Is my life as inconsequential as that of a fly –
well ….
ummmm….
Yes.
At least when you take a macro view.
It’s difficult to accept.

But look at it this way, if you were to find out some information about someone of your stature in society, who would have existed 100 years back, what would you find out? I am not talking about any poet like William Blake, or any big historical figure, but about a common man.
Did that guy matter.. except for his progeny , he is non entity. Inconsequential.

So is the stature in society really what matters. Or is it same as being the biggest or fastest fly?

Or more fundamentally, being known and remembered when you are gone and dead, this parameter in itself is a wrong parameter.
So, for that matter when you are alive, being rich and famous matters?

Probably collecting experiences is what matters..

A part of me feels yes. why?
Well, let me take an analogy, assume you were on a trip to a foreign country - for the first AND the last time (for some reason you know you may never get to come back). It's a beautiful country, but still you end up spending all your time in one room. You get to see nothing but the walls, smell nothing but the same room, and get to speak to no one. How would you feel?
Do you want the same thing when you leave this world?
A part of me feels , may be its not wrong to experience, but it still is of no consequence.
Why ?
Well how different is it from being a fly which has tasted all fruits (or a few for which all flies were fighting) in the in the small market - which the fly thinks is the complete world.
... is it of any consequence?

So, where does this lead us to??
You are inconsequential.
No matter what.
There is nothing to be ashamed of, there is nothing that you can do about it.
And it is fine that way, accept it.
You do not know where you are going. You do not have any control on what will happen to you. (watch documentary on earthquakes, tsunami on national geographic if you have any doubts) And you DO NOT matter.

Realise that you are inconsequential, and so is most of humdrum of your life.

So.
Be aware.
Be aware that not only you but everything adn everyone else as well, is inconsequential.
Do things that you think are right. Follow your heart.
And have fun.
Don’t forget - any day might be the last day for the fly.
Do not worry about what others think about you. You are inconsequential, and so are they as well as their thoughts about you.

आज न कोई दूर, न कोई पास है, फिर भी जाने क्यों मन उदास है

while going thru my almirah full of old books , came across an old diary of mine, in which I had noted down this beautiful piece of poetry.

I don't remember who is the author of these lines, if you do, please let me know.

आज न कोई दूर, न कोई पास है,
फिर भी जाने क्यों मन उदास है ।
आज न सूनापन भी मुझसे बोलता,
पात न पीपल पर भी कोई डोलता ।
ठिठकी सी है वायु, थका सा नीर है,
सहमी सहमी रात, चाँद गभींर है,
गुपचुप धरती, गुमसुम सब आकाश है,
फिर भी जाने क्यों, मन उदास है ।

आज शाम को झरी नही कोई कली,
आज अंधेरी रही नही कोई गली,
आज न कोई पंथी भटका राह में,
जला पपीहा न आज प्रिय की चाह में,
आज नही पतझर, नही मधुमास है
फिर भी जाने क्यों मन उदास है ।

आज अधूरा न कोई गीत रह गया,
चुभने वाली बात न कोई कह गया,
मिल कर कोई मीत आज छूटा नही,
जुड़ कर आज स्वप्न कोई टूटा नहीं,
आज न कोई दर्द, न कोई प्यास है,
फिर भी जाने क्यों मन उदास है ।