Uneasy Silence?

I was just type-racing, and was given an interesting quote to type- I don't remember exactly what it was, but I followed the basic gist of it. It said that it takes a lifetime for us to learn to be quiet. Only the old seem to be satisfied sitting in each others company without the need to talk. The young- impatient as we are, always feel the need to 'break the silence'. We're never content to just watch the world go by- we need to be a part of it. Only people who are truly comfortable in each other's presence can sit on calmly with each other, without the need to say anything.

I'd never really thought about that- interesting point of view...

PS. I think the quote was from the novel The Notebook.

6 Types of Love

Just a few days back I posted Love vs Infatuation... Those of you who know me might have been surprised that I'd cover the topic- but fact of the matter is that throughout my teenage years, I wondered what love meant, what all the hype was... I tried to define it but never succeeded. In the end I accepted that it was just chemicals messing with my brain.

However, I just came accross a rather interesting article- about 6 different types of love. I guess this means I was going about it all wrong- there isn't one universal definition of love, there's six! You can read the article here.

Love Vs Infatuation

I've long stopped thinking about the difference between love and infatuation, and yet there was a time when I thought about nothing else. I liked someone, was really attracted to her, and asked myself if I loved her. I still don't know if I did. However, I just stumbled upon an interesting comparison between love and infatuation and it got me thinking again. The original can be found at: http://loveinfac.rediffblogs.com/

Love Vs Infatuation

Infatuation is instant desire,
One set of glands calling to another.

Love is friendship that has caught fire.
It takes root and grows,
One day at a time.

Infatuation is marked by a feeling of insecurity.
You are excited and eager,but not genuinely happy.
There are nagging doubts, unanswered questions,
Little bits, pieces about your beloved
That you would just as soon examine too closely.
That might just spoil the dream.

Love is the quiet understanding and mature acceptance of imperfection.
It is real. It gives you strength and grows beyond you, to bolster your beloved.
You are warmed by his presence, even when he is away.
Miles do not separate you. You want him near. But near or far,
You know he is yours and you can wait.

Infatuation says,"We must get married right away.
I can't risk losing him."

Love says, "Be patient. He is yours. Plan your future with confidence."

Infatuation has an element of sexual excitement. Whenever you are in one another's ompany you are hoping it will end in intimacy.

Love is the maturation of friendship. You must be friends before you can be lovers.

Infatuation lacks confidence. When he's away, you wonder if he's cheating.
Sometimes you check.

Love means trust. You are calm, secure, and unthreatened. He feels your trust and it makes him even more trustworthy.

Infatuation might lead you to do things you'll regret later, but love never will.

Love lifts you up. It makes you look up. It makes you think up. It makes you a better person than you were before.

Alright, I'll admit the end got a little too intense, but on the whole this does make some sense- I couldn't agree more with the beginning. I guess it wasn't love after all!

On second thought, according to what the author has written, love at first sight is just infatuation- love takes time to grow. That'd make Shakespeare's belief in 'love at first sight' wrong. What do you think?

Be Lazy

Being lazy is the key to happiness. You read that right- all through you childhood grandma taught you the virtues of hard work and honesty - the magic combination that can get you anywhere... But in today's world, these antiquated ideals no longer apply. We all know honesty is a virtue which isn't really appreciated any more- an honest person is considered a fool- everyone has to be dishonest once in a while to survive society today. As for hard work, you might feel that's still needed. Well, I'm going to show you how hard work leads to dissatisfaction- or in other words, laziness leads to happiness.

We feel happy when our expectations are met. And, we feel disappointed when they aren't. By working hard for something, we shift our expectations up- by working hard at a job, we expect better results, or whatever. The crux of my argument is that the harder we work for something, the more we expect. and therefore, the more disappointed we are when we don't get it. Also, the harder we work for something, the less excited we are when we do get it, simply because our expectations are a lot higher. If one doesn't work hard, one doesn't expect very much- and is, therefore, more likely to be pleased.

I'm in college right now- I know students who study for days before tests, and then there's a few like me who just sort of show up, and do reasonably well anyway. Those who study a lot do feel happy when they get good marks, but they feel absolutely devastated when they don't perform as well as they hoped they would. As for the lazy lot, we don't really care if we get worse marks because we know we don't deserve them anyway. And, if we do perform well, we're absolutely delighted- "you know, i got 80% without studying at all".

So, if one works hard, then one can either feel devastated, or be mildly satisfied... and if one doesn't work too much, then one either doesn't care, or feels awesome. If your aim in life is marks(/success/money), by all means go ahead and study(/work) but if your aim is to be happy and satisfied with yourself, laziness is the way to go!

PS. This doesn't really work in the long run. For true happiness, learn from Fight Club!

Words of Wisdom

by George Costanza

"The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A death. What's that? A bonus?!? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then go live in an old age home. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, then, when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day. You work forty years till you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You drink alcohol, you party, and you get ready for High School. You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, and you go back, you spend your last 9 months floating with luxuries like central heating, spa, room service on tap, then you finish off in an orgasm!! Amen."

Found it here. I don't the the link works any longer though...

Words...

I found this somewhere online, can't remember where. If anyone knows who came up with it, please let me know so I can give credit to the person.

Learn to be Quiet

by Franz Kafka

You need not do anything.

Remain sitting at your table and listen.
You need not even listen, just wait.
You need not even wait,
just learn to be quiet, still and solitary.
And the world will freely offer itself to you unmasked.
It has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.

I found this poem online, thought it was pretty awesome... what do you think?

PS. I've removed the last line of the poem- I think it sort of spoils the whole thing. If you want to see it, just select the whole post.