Amar - A Striving For Immortality

Life seeks to be immortal - to exist always. It seems to be its most important imperative.
We humans share with all other living creatures, the drive to continue our species/lineage - the best attempt that life can come up with as an approximation to living beyond a single lifetime. However, we seem to have an added and unique(?) motive force driving us in our lives - a striving for 'individual immortality'.
We exhibit awareness of our limitations in one single human body and yet seek to live beyond it. It is all too apparent to what extremes we will go to try and keep this body living as long as possible. Medical sciences and its practioners have always held a special and favoured place in society. Beyond this physical approach, we try other devious methods - to live in the hearts and memories of those who will outlive us in human form. We strive to be exceptional fathers, brothers, husbands, lovers and leaders. We gift love, material  wealth and power to those we favour in our wills as we face the inevitable exit. We build monuments to ourselves or statues. We fund scholarships, park benches and hospital beds in our wills. We desperately hope to live as fond memories for a period beyond our body.
Often, we try approaches other than simply pleasing others - we try to acquire name and fame or even notoriety in the hope that we will be remembered, even if not fondly. Some like the thought of annoying others even after they are no longer in this body! Some aspire to spiritual perfection and not being born again so that they will not die again - one way to be immortal!
Yet others seek to conquer countries, the highest mountains, the steepest slopes, the wildest waves, spine-chilling dangers from the depths of the oceans to outer space, frontiers of knowledge, pinnacles of art, music, skills from archery to sculpting. All, so that some moments in their life can have an added meaning, which might carry on for a little longer after their lifetime. Is this not an instinctive reach towards a small semblence of immortality?
I write. So what do you do?



Copyright  (c) Kannan Narayanamurthy 2014
All rights reserved 

Some "Perspective", My Child!

Some "Perspective", My Child!

A Monologue:

 What a parent might want to tell a child, but find it very difficult

My dear child!

You are a young teen, right?

Do you have a job? No, you don’t?  Ha! I knew that. So you don’t work help support your family, right?

Have you ever worked, earned and contributed to your family, until now? No? You have not?!! I see! I knew that already!

I see that you still have a lot of things you claim as your own – your own clothes, your own computer, your own room, shelves, jewellery, shoes, books, games, radio … Your room is chock-full of stuff. More stuff than you will ever use. You realise that all of it has been practically given to you, with some excuse of love – as a gift, as a ‘necessity’ or purchased with ‘your’ money, which itself was given to you under a pretext of pocket money, money for some simple chores or some occasion – Christmas, birthday, Easter, New Year…

You are fed, clothed and taken care of every day, right? You are given more than what you really, really need, right? You are given that with love, much love. You play tennis, learn to dance and have memberships on websites. They are all paid for, right? You are taken out for treats, eating out, movies, shopping for gifts for your friends’ birthdays, all paid for and done with love, right? Do you feel the love?

Do you think you are better off than the child of a refugee in a camp fleeing from persecution or violence in some part of the world?
Oh, You DO think you ARE better off? Good! I am happy you can see that!

Do you know that the father of that child in the refugee camp loves his child, just as much as your father loves you – not an iota less! That child’s real needs are not less than yours. Really! To survive and thrive, you both need exactly the same amount of food, clothes, shelter, care and love at a minimum.

The poor refugee father cannot provide even that minimum. Your father is able to do better. Can you see that? You do? Good!

Do you believe you should appreciate what you have and be thankful for that? And be happy? And be cheerful? And grateful that you are so much better off than hundreds of millions of children around the world?

Are you? Are you appreciative? Are you thankful, grateful, cheerful and happy? How do you show it? Do you show it to your parents?

Maybe your father is not so rich that he can provide all that you want. Maybe your friend’s parents are richer and give her more than you have. Maybe she has better clothes, fancier shoes or T-shirts, the newest electronic game and a better room, all to herself. Maybe you feel miserable when you compare yourself to her. Maybe you don’t feel like sharing something of yours with your own parents or siblings at home, because you feel it belongs to you and you should have absolute control over it.

Are you miserable? Are you sad? Do you feel like sharing or not sharing with others?

There is so much your parents want to do for you and to give you. There is really no end to what all they would give you if they could. They would grant your every wish, almost.

But do you know what they MOST wish to give you? What they would rather give you even if they had very little? Or what they would like to give you especially if you had a LOT of stuff?

My dear child, the following is what your parents would most like to give you:

-          They would like to give you a sense of appreciation and gratitude for what you have.

-          They would like to give you sense of grace to accept that they cannot give you everything you like and that you may never have all that you desire in life.

-          They would like to give you a perspective in life so that you can still share what you have with others willingly, with grace and good cheer.

-          They would like to give you the maturity of not being upset when they ask you to do with less than you would like.

-          They would like to give you their best and most unconditional love! Sometimes, that means giving you a perspective in life so that you become a better person and free yourself from a lot of avoidable misery.

Do you feel the love, my child? Do you feel it? Don’t be miserable, be happy!



Copyright  (c) Kannan Narayanamurthy 2014

All rights reserved 

Back to the good old days and good old ways

Back to the good old days and good old ways

I have been thinking deeply about how to solve the Crimean situation, the Syrian crisis, the China-Japan and all international disputes – all of which are either already violent or threaten to break into great violence. I realise we need to go back to the good old days and good old ways of sorting out such issues with minimal bloodshed. It appears we have lost our way and failed to learn from the examples of our ancestors. They would truly hang their head in shame looking at us now.

So, here’s how I suggest we go about it.

Whenever two countries express a disagreement over an issue or over a piece of land, we organise a fight - No! No! Don’t jump to conclusions and jump the gun (the starter’s gun, not the killing kind). We have a nice, well- appointed ring or stadium and schedule a well televised and supervised fight between its two leaders – No substitutes allowed! The two presidents or prime minister or whoever is the supreme leader, must wrestle, box or fight each other to the finish, or until one of them ‘cries Uncle’. The whole show should be televised the world over and people allowed to bet. This will encourage goodwill between the two peoples, even if their leaders disagree vehemently.

Once a combatant wins, all simply accept that person’s rights over the dispute and move on. This would also be a great way to have domestic elections and referendums. Anyone, who wants to, can challenge an existing official or leader to a fight, a bout or a duel – both provided with the exact same agreed weapon (unless otherwise agreed by both parties) else, it should be unarmed, one-to-one combat.

This would be truly fair, sensible and along the lines of a time honoured tradition of millions of years. Look at how the wolf pack or a pride of lions choose their leader. The animals still have the common sense not to go commit genocide and mass-murder. Our own human ancestors practised this clean, nature’s way of settling disputes. Only willing participants will need to fight, those that dare not fight for their rights have to simply accept the outcome. What could be more sensible than that? How often we tell each other - “If you are not willing to fight for it, forget it. You don’t deserve it!”

 We have strayed from the honourable path. No wonder our ancestors would be turning in their graves.

Now, I want to see Obama versus Putin on prime time TV to settle the Ukrainian crisis, since they seem to be the real players in that crisis. Anyone taking bets? Or willing to?

Keep in mind that Obama has a long list of scheduled bouts since the USA has put itself in the position of staking a claim of national interests in all corners of the world.

And the meek shall inherit the earth…


Copyright  (c) Kannan Narayanamurthy 2014

All rights reserved 

A Philosophy - Part III. Some Absolute Truths

Creation and Destruction are truths that are always together, inseparable.

The trinity of creation, lifetime and death exists for everything, including life as we know it. They are not sharp boundaries, but merge into each other to form a cycle of forms.

We know few absolute truths in our lifetimes, especially about the physical material world.

We know more truths about the non-material world. Most of them are mathematical truths. Eg. 1+1 = 2. 2x2 =4.


Copyright  (c) Kannan Narayanamurthy 2014

All rights reserved 

A Philosophy - Part II

A Philosophy - Part II

Looking around, one can see that everything has

-          a form that comes into existence – Creation

-          a form that appears to exist over a period of time (Fleeting)– Existence. One could also call this the ‘lifetime’ of a form, where even if it is constantly changing, it can still be recognised as the same entity.

-          a form that changes or disappears over a period of time – this is called Destruction, Death or Dissolution.

Creation and destruction are really transformations (change). It is our conditioned perception that makes us think one is ‘Creation’ and “Destruction’. If one thinks about it, Creation is just destruction of one form and change into another. Destruction is just creation of one form from another. Change is the common constant – it exists in Creation, lifetime and destruction. Everything physical or material is constantly changing, however slowly.

So, by the definitions given above – everything physical or material is an illusion.

Change is a truth.

Fleeting existence of a form is also a truth.


Copyright  (c) Kannan Narayanamurthy 2014

All rights reserved 

A Philosophy – Part I

A Philosophy – Part I

Truth: Something that is eternally true, ALL the Time, not for just a million years, or a billion years, or a trillion years. Only absolute truths, eternal truths are called truths. There is nothing as a ‘temporary truth’.

Illusion:  Something that appears to be true, for perhaps just a millisecond, or for a million years, or a billion years or a trillion years.

Untruth:  Something that is NEVER true, not for even the smallest fraction of a microsecond.

The existence of everything (us, everything we see, perceive and feel) is a truth. The forms of existence are illusions.


Copyright  (c) Kannan Narayanamurthy 2014

All rights reserved 

Writing Rockesh Style

iRock -II

As he sat down after dinner that night, Shekar remembered Rakesh, the little boy vending coffee. He laughed at his saying his name as ‘Rockesh’ when trying to say his name stylishly in English. He was sitting down at his laptop to write home an email to his family and boss back in California. Even while he was holidaying in India, he was doing some work for his company, scouting out some business prospects in India to outsource some work from the USA. An idea occurred to him and he wrote up the following emails for boss - a weekly update on his status.

“Dear Jeff,

How you? Fine? Our colleagues also good? hope.

I India fine. It dusty, hot, egg fry on head. I find one XYtech Company. Good engineers, technical smart. Manager not experience foreign work. Director interested our proposal. Tomorrow meet sales manager discuss terms. Need details currency exchange banks. Send email. Final sign documents send courier if agree, next month.

Sincere Shekar.”

P.S.  You no alarmed. I crazy no. Sane still. If email clear not, tell. Then I write elaborate. Later tell you good story why I write like this.


Copyright  (c) Kannan Narayanamurthy 2014

All rights reserved