Another year, another year in paradise

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

One of my heroes has been a hyperactive boy who was a researcher ( perhaps MIT) and someone whose interview had watched on state television when young, he had said ” Am some one who fails on a daily basis and rarely discovers some thing new …” I guess this is kernel of science and scientific research. I kind of applied it as a life philosophy and viewed life as a series of experiments. Is it a good philosophy? don’t know. The boy must be much older now and only he could possibly make an assessment. Let me do the reflection as have been doing in this space. It’s something for myself and anyone looking for a honest reflection and some learning. It’s not for clever people.

Am somebody who fails on a daily basis. My successes are few. Is life a scorecard of victory or losses? Or is it about being man in in the arena and daring greatly? I belong to the later world view. It’s about  doing and trying and developing skin in the game. Sometimes we quit too early. Sometimes our efforts are misguided and strategies are wrong. It must be course correcting then and staying on course. I got my initial efforts in wrong chronology. Its too late now. Nothing can be undone. I should have focused on computer programming course and PG. Instead of the public examination. An astrologer told me ” You will fail.” He had met me on a bus journey. An astrologer tells me now ” You did not follow the prescribed course ….” The learning has been – ” even if life is a series of experiments, there is a chronology, guess like in science….”  I know some people succeed purely by passion, some by bullshit and some by luck. None of them is for me. My learning has been ” There is a chronology that one has to go through.” I also like what former Prime minister Manmohan Singh had said  about hard work and luck. The difference is Arjuna and karna from our folklore’s. 

I love walking. All my reflection and learning comes from walking. The trees, children playing and some times a beautiful woman. While this pic is from university. My learning comes from reflection and books.

I listen to talks by scientists, tech executives and economists and try to live in intersection of science and humanities. Is it wrong path? have no idea, Only time will answer..

I think made a positive contribution to children by volunteering and that makes me happy. I did contribute. I hope to do more work in CSR.

I think children will remember , hope so….

What about all the companies and projects which led to hundreds of tech jobs for so many people?

I think consequence of work was consequential.

In life and work we meet both great people and bad people. We are mostly let down by people we trust and admire. That’s a surprisingly painful lesson learnt in journey called life. Word hard, be independent and never depend on anyone.

My brother and mother always get a cake and we have a quiet time. I love my life of reflection, walk, learning, cycling, family, temples and sometimes meeting friends. I always loved people. I only miss you and all those memories.

I do not need intelligent crooks in life.

Am disappointed by the scene and my prediction for elections is – 100 seats less for the overwhelming favorite. Am always for down trodden, am always for unsung, am for poor. I don’t care for popular opinion and dislike arrogance whether institutional, political, business or society. My hope is poor and judiciary.

Life is a wheel of dharma and it will turn….

Older. George Michael had a beautiful album “Older”..and that song..”She takes the back road and the lane/ Past the school that has not changed in all this time/ She thinks of when the boy was young
All the battles she had won just to give him life/ That man, she loved that man….”

This for today friends its another year in paradise.

Sincerely, Suresh