The pledge: I met an American guy who has 6 kids. Managing a home of 6 kids should be very challenging. It’s interesting to note the differences in people belonging to different parts of the same world, under the same sun. It’s shockingly diverse. More than what I thought. It’s so difficult to explain things to each other if one doesn’t have a first-hand experience of other’s life. At 35-36, I find it hard to chase the goodness and badness of things… well, most of the time. It’s the curiosity that keeps me going. Knowing, understanding, explaining takes a back seat. Observe, absorb and enjoy – The Cranberries say “Don’t analyze, don’t analyze, don’t go that way, don’t live that way, that would paralyze your evolution…”. Human beings are born funny – in power, in wealth, in fame, in senility, in danger and in confusion. A person eats out with spoons/forks; comes home and hits bed with his shoes on. A normal guy next door scolds his son for lying to him and he suppresses income figures while filing tax returns. Is he a hypocrite? May not be, but he is funny without a doubt.
The turn: George Carlin was not a superman. I met him by an accident 1.5Y back. I found I could confide in him. He was already dead for ~3Y. I was not really moved by his on-stage antics. It’s just his echoing of quite a few things I always felt deep inside. Some of which I might have expressed. He helped me bring out the rest. I’m not bothered about things he said yet I couldn’t admire. He was not a genius or a regularly talented guy. Just had a higher IQ than many and could think clearly. I am sure, being the brave man he was, he wasn’t concerned of contradictions. I read that he struggled with alcohol and painkiller drug addictions, survived 3 cardiac attacks (starting at an age of 41Y) and other health issues before dying at 71. I can sense his words when I meet a moron, hear mindless jargons or watch a bizarre scene. We seem to enjoy each other’s company! He saves me from a free fall, now and then.
The prestige: Heard Nick Drake’s name from a good friend. I tried listening to his songs yesterday. An English singer/guitarist/song-writer/composer who made 5 albums in a lifetime spanning just 26Y. He suffered from severe depression through the last few years, turned a recluse and died of overdose of anti-depressant drugs. He could not accept the lack of acceptance of his creations. In 2000, a TV advertisement featuring his song triggered selling of more records in one month than the aggregate over the previous 30Y. Can you believe it? Marketing, advertising, ‘selling your stuff’ can make such a difference – it could have saved his life! Nick’s music is surreal. I forgot to sleep, almost. His writing, his voice, his sound is velvety.
What is life without magic? Or life is full of magical moments. Just can’t stop finding. I, as a father, wish my daughter to be able to find and appreciate magic on her own.
The turn: George Carlin was not a superman. I met him by an accident 1.5Y back. I found I could confide in him. He was already dead for ~3Y. I was not really moved by his on-stage antics. It’s just his echoing of quite a few things I always felt deep inside. Some of which I might have expressed. He helped me bring out the rest. I’m not bothered about things he said yet I couldn’t admire. He was not a genius or a regularly talented guy. Just had a higher IQ than many and could think clearly. I am sure, being the brave man he was, he wasn’t concerned of contradictions. I read that he struggled with alcohol and painkiller drug addictions, survived 3 cardiac attacks (starting at an age of 41Y) and other health issues before dying at 71. I can sense his words when I meet a moron, hear mindless jargons or watch a bizarre scene. We seem to enjoy each other’s company! He saves me from a free fall, now and then.
The prestige: Heard Nick Drake’s name from a good friend. I tried listening to his songs yesterday. An English singer/guitarist/song-writer/composer who made 5 albums in a lifetime spanning just 26Y. He suffered from severe depression through the last few years, turned a recluse and died of overdose of anti-depressant drugs. He could not accept the lack of acceptance of his creations. In 2000, a TV advertisement featuring his song triggered selling of more records in one month than the aggregate over the previous 30Y. Can you believe it? Marketing, advertising, ‘selling your stuff’ can make such a difference – it could have saved his life! Nick’s music is surreal. I forgot to sleep, almost. His writing, his voice, his sound is velvety.
“Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called ‘The Pledge’. The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called ‘The Turn’. The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call ‘The Prestige’.”– Opening narration from the movie The Prestige; the character played by Sir Michael Caine.
What is life without magic? Or life is full of magical moments. Just can’t stop finding. I, as a father, wish my daughter to be able to find and appreciate magic on her own.