The word comes from the Latin mirare, meaning 'to appear, to seem'. This is the same root as for mirror. Like a mirror, a mirage shows images of things which are elsewhere. A mirage is not an optical illusion. It is a real phenomenon.The interpretation of the image, however, is up to the fantasy of the human mind.
Hope all you would have heard the phrase 'Life is a journey' well if not, at least the samsonite (suitcase) caption says that :-) This journey is quite an arduous one, and since it spans over at least 50 years and at most 92 years (well, that's how long my grandfather lived), one would have to go through all the terrains.
First 25 years of ones life, the terrain is an icy mountain terrain. Then for the next 25 years, its the deadly desert, then for the next 25 years for the few blessed/cursed (half glass full/empty funda) souls its the green meadows and finally for those above 75 its like Alice's Wonderland, no sense or sensibility/reality as they would already have entered the senility.
I am 27 and writing this!! Why would I choose the desert terrain to describe the journey through 25-50 years of a person's life??? Well, its the desert where the mirages are... and yes this part of a person's life is all about chasing mirages.
There are various types mirages one chases at different points of time. Like for example, 'Love', 'good' wife, job 'satisfaction', a 'fantastic' salary, a 'beautiful' home, 'top' car and some really weird ones like 'adventurous' life! Just think for a while, do you ever believe we could accomplish or get any of the above? You would invariably find that some one we know has a better version of any of the above.
The dangerous part of the plot is, we define these mirages for ourselves and alas there is no standard definition anywhere else. Furthermore, we cannot really tell what would be the satisficing point and convince others that it is reasonable to chase the same.
Usually, at the end of chasing these mirages, a person is drained out mentally and physically. That's why the retirement is planned at the completion of the chase. After the chase one becomes a 'senior citizen'. All the mirages would clear away and lead to Nirvana.
I have been chasing some of these for a while now. Recent mirage has been ' happy' married life. As discussed earlier, I have a definition. I have arrived at a satisficing point let me see where this chase leads me to.....
Hope all you would have heard the phrase 'Life is a journey' well if not, at least the samsonite (suitcase) caption says that :-) This journey is quite an arduous one, and since it spans over at least 50 years and at most 92 years (well, that's how long my grandfather lived), one would have to go through all the terrains.
First 25 years of ones life, the terrain is an icy mountain terrain. Then for the next 25 years, its the deadly desert, then for the next 25 years for the few blessed/cursed (half glass full/empty funda) souls its the green meadows and finally for those above 75 its like Alice's Wonderland, no sense or sensibility/reality as they would already have entered the senility.
I am 27 and writing this!! Why would I choose the desert terrain to describe the journey through 25-50 years of a person's life??? Well, its the desert where the mirages are... and yes this part of a person's life is all about chasing mirages.
There are various types mirages one chases at different points of time. Like for example, 'Love', 'good' wife, job 'satisfaction', a 'fantastic' salary, a 'beautiful' home, 'top' car and some really weird ones like 'adventurous' life! Just think for a while, do you ever believe we could accomplish or get any of the above? You would invariably find that some one we know has a better version of any of the above.
The dangerous part of the plot is, we define these mirages for ourselves and alas there is no standard definition anywhere else. Furthermore, we cannot really tell what would be the satisficing point and convince others that it is reasonable to chase the same.
Usually, at the end of chasing these mirages, a person is drained out mentally and physically. That's why the retirement is planned at the completion of the chase. After the chase one becomes a 'senior citizen'. All the mirages would clear away and lead to Nirvana.
I have been chasing some of these for a while now. Recent mirage has been ' happy' married life. As discussed earlier, I have a definition. I have arrived at a satisficing point let me see where this chase leads me to.....
Posts
Sundar,
ReplyDeleteLike your blogs esp the critique on Girish Karnads overtly 'physical' play .Some ppl at ISB liked the play though.
Thin you should write more often .Keep it up!
Vivek
hi - wow a wonderful post - a view of man like most men who speaks with a philosphy of not finding things as he expected or dreamt of the mirage.
ReplyDeleteI would say your narration is amazing and splendid with a messmerism to let you be miraged as a man of high philosphical thinking looking the life beyond its boundaries yet - a bit of sarcasim or a skeptism in the writing. I mean the subject of writing.
Even i have written somehting like this - but on keen observing the words you have coined in the subject - makes me feel - you are a bit in depression and trying to find out a solace or a methodolgoy to get things or find the mirage which you think mirage
In decert some time what happens is - we often see the mirage of water logging and deciedes the desert is only mirage.
the smart traveller who loves experiences of not just meadows, autum and spring of plains or snow of Alpes - loves to travel into desert too ( the marriage life or a family life 25-50 years as you mention). what is the point only living on the sea side with out experimenting or gaining the experience of other side of the world. But a smart voyager , a traveller , a nomad ( okie this nomad word is my favorite) plans , keep directions, carrys a compass ( desert is another ocean kind where you have all possiblity of loosing the direction of travell when you head to north you would end up to east when you start the walk from west.- A compass is must ) a word of fellow companion ( a "good" wife) who can be a guide as well as the traveller also turns to be a guide with his experiences of living in the ice mountain and if prepared to cross the desert - with few mirages in account - he knows where and how to find the green in desert where those delicious dates grow with the great civilisation like the persia thrived .
It is the traveller who finds the mirage if he is not ready for the travell. ofcourse there are some time the traveller get lost - yet if he had plans, goals, direction - there is always like the if else statment of algoritm of entity diagram in software you can get back to the correct path where ship of the desert had made the path since the time of immemorial human inhabitation.
Dont feel so bad - may be a the way you look things can find you the kingdom of heaven in the desert - as Jersulam surrounded by desert like ocean where peace is ofcourse never resided - yet it is kingdom of heaven .
with the bloody thirst war - yet it is kingdom of heaven for millions of people around the globe which is just surrounded by desert.
I do know - i am a single guy may be i have no qualification to speak on this subject - yet - when no qualified person can turn to be the greatest inventor of modern equipments , i think a person with right attitude can find the gardens of babylon in the desert crossing adventure.
The treasure is not beneath the pyramids for which the chase is on... but beneath in our hearts and mind.
If you had mentioned your personal view ( i believe it is , from the way you have spoken with the words that are coined- have i done too much analysis ? ) i wish you chase is not as much disgusting - but with a right attitude you find the wonderful land of fantasy like the thrived garden of babyloon .
Your present chase of
" happy married life" this happy as you term - is again have no definition. A relative term.
We humans as a highly developed emotional animals some time complicate a simple thing. we may not go for the chase in right direction, right approach with a right attitude for the word to Happiness, yet will do the chase because in society every one does it and we self impose we should also do what the fellow sheeps does in herd. we dont clearly make a definition to ourself _ this definition is again variable to person to person only thing is - we dont many a time define to ourself and when we start the chase - on the process on chasing - we try to define it and we lose the track of what is happiness and nothing makes us happy at the end as the defintion itself was not defines by ourself for ourself.
at the end - how ever the chase is we all reach the end point. It is not the matter of destination - the path, the approach, the attitude we choose to carry out the chase matters .
More than the destination, the attitude of what path we trying to walk to reach destination accomplish the chase of what ever we define as " good wife" , job satisfaction" top car" a flat, a family at the end the word happiness.
I do know - i many a time not many a time most of the time speak senseless...
Senseless talk of a fool who trying to find wisdom from others foolishness
a known stranger -
I wish the chase gets you the peace more than the happiness which manyof us are confused between . I am no exception.
I am not near to find what is wisdom and far away to loose my foolishness - another person who is chasign the rainbow to find golden treasure at its end... yet i am i have not stepped myself into the desert part as you define .. ehiehei - i prefer to be on the sea side ... before entering the desert side will choose the right camel and not just a camel since i have to cross the desert.
hey - waiting to read your next feast of thoughts,narration and wisdom - strike back please - altrustic reverts back next title ?? even i have to come back. too much into cave
ReplyDelete