Unknown Authors & Other Under-Achievers...

“Sitting silently,
Doing nothing,
Spring comes,
And the grass grows by itself”
- Basho

After all these years, the “About Me” columns are still the hardest to fill…

“Who am I?” is not just a bad Jackie Chan film – it’s the 8000 year old haunting question. Any answer to the question feels false. A big lie - a bigger ego-trip.

What reflects me? The t-shirt I wear? My job? My qualifications? My interest? Or, is it the type of coffee I drink? While the guys at Seiko will have you believe “it’s your watch” – you know it’s a lie. I don’t even wear a watch! I guess, that makes me a nobody.

I once said: “Art is in the process of creating what you create - Not what you've created...”
I went ahead and used the quote at the back of a brochure a few months later – quoted as “Author Unknown”. I was the author – however, I knew, “Unknown” will have a better impact than “Sushil Kumar”

“Unknown” will make people focus on the quote – the readers would see the content, not the glass it came in! My name would lead to: “before I buy this, who is this Sushil Kumar?”
He is nobody. Who cares about what a nobody has to say? An “Unknown Author” would have greater value…

If Oprah says “smoking is good for you” – while some of the viewers will lose interest in her, most of them will pick up a cigarette!

We live in a world where a step-by-step guideline has been setup by a society that we comprise of. The founders are its servant.

I remember viewing an animation a few years back – Corporate Puppet by Tony Bailey. It’s odd, the plot is something so simple and, perhaps, deeply enrooted in the back of everyone’s head – however, we just never made it vocal.

The story is of a young man, who, after years of ass-kissing, finally gets to shift up the corporate-ladder. However, the higher he went, the higher was his fall…

While such an animation and similar-themed films will hit the audience real hard, I doubt most of them end up doing anything about it. It’s odd, we are so used to complications that the simplest thing seems extremely complicated to attain.

I am expected to run, simply because everyone around me is running. “If you are not part of the stampede – you’ll be crushed.”
That’s reality.
That’s life.

Posted by: Unknown Author

Zen Wheels...

Brake! Gas! Honk!

It happens every morning – a million locations around the world… except Perth, perhaps.

I’ve had the good fortune of avoiding Dubai’s traffic hours for a whole year. Lately, however, I’ve had a morning drive from Dubai-Sharjah-and back. I’ve been re-discovering the traffic-tricks I had once mastered.

The roads are fairly kind in the morning – my 6:00am drive. The rising sun, the voice of Adam Duritz (backed by David Bryson on the Guitar), a soft breeze of 12kph Northwest. However, the 7:30am return can numb your feet.

The first couple of days I didn’t know what to expect. When does traffic build up? Where does it all clear out? Which lane is the fastest? Wasn’t that Blue Pajero 6 cars behind me?

That was stage 1. It’s when you are just getting familiar with the road and the traffic revolving around it. You always feel the lane you picked is the slowest of the 4. Moreover, you have no idea how traffic flows – the car ahead of you always manages to surprise you when it brakes or speeds. Stage 1 is when The Experts take maximum advantage of you.

The Experts? That’s stage 2. It takes no more than a week to become an Expert. Of course, everyday brings something new, in the whole Zen-like sense of life – however, The Experts are always aware. It’s a 6th sense, they can somehow figure when the traffic cop will be around. Even if they do get caught, they usually weigh the time they’ve saved over the years against the fine they have to pay. Seems like a cheap enough deal.

Moreover, The Experts gradually learn the art of time-management. There is a little Einstein hidden in every Expert. I know if I’d leave work at exactly 7:32am (car time), I’ll miss most of the traffic and make the first two signals – provided I maintain an average speed of 83kph. 7:34am will ruin everything! The whole equation falls apart.

Although, The Experts don’t believe in anyone being ahead of them, down the line, even The Experts find a heart. Stage 3 is when an Expert doesn’t let the Black S-Class cut in front – however, looking in his rear-view mirror, even The Expert wonders, “what difference would it have made?” The Expert is now moving to stage 3 – The Expert with a Conscience.

“What difference does it make?” is the question that haunts you at stage 3. Reading or viewing a few freak accidents hits you even harder. “In order to save 10 minutes of his day, he lost 10 years of his life…” Doesn’t seem like a good deal at all.

Finally, appears stage 4: The Zen Master. Everything slows down.

The Zen Master values life, and time. You know those people you always see stuck in the extreme-left track approaching Garhoud Bridge – and you wonder, “don’t they know the slowest track will move the fastest?” While most of them are still at stage 1, some of the guys in the worst-track are Zen Masters.

The Zen Masters will drive with the Lao Tzu principle in mind – “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” The Zen Masters are in no hurry – the world can wait for them. Nothing you do can disturb or irritate a Zen Master. They will let you cut in, they will stick to their lane unless absolutely necessary, and even on an empty road, they will drive at no more than 80-100kph.

The average driver can never beat the Zen Master, because, the Zen Master is not even interested in playing the silly traffic games.

Zen Masters are a rare breed, the rarest of the 4. However, they are the most essential for effective traffic-management. Can you imagine a world without the few stable and sensible drivers? A world where every driver knows every single trick in the book and is constantly applying them.

A secret is not a secret if shared by 6.2 billion people. The Zen Masters, although aware of the secret, are no longer interested in its content...

Corporates with a Heart...

"Good Morning, Readers. The staff of Tao of Me welcomes you to the 21st century. On your left, you'll find corporates with a heart and soul. And, on the right, is the mirror revealing their true intentions!"

I can still remember the day, I purchased my first pair of Nike's. Just, plain red and black, cost me around $48.00 -- the most expensive shoes I had purchased at the time! I was 11, and it was probably my first-ever major purchase decision.

The shoes were great -- they must've lasted much over a year. However, more important, was the thrill of wearing them. In my own head, I could jump higher, dribble faster, defend better -- I was practically flying...

That was the destruction of a child's simple thought process. The marketing gurus had already contaminated my mind with their "buy this shoe to fly" message! It was still late, comparatively -- today you got kids pushing their parents to McDonalds by the age of 5!

As time went by, though, I tried a few brands, including Adidas and Reebok -- but, nothing did it like Nike. Opinion: Nike did and still does manufacture the best basketball shoes in the industry!

So, since the product was good, and their ads were so inspiring, I became a sucker for Nike. In college, you could spot me from a distance with my Nike bag, Nike track-pants, Jordan T-shirt (still Nike), Nike shoes, and the Nike socks!

I had become a Brand-Loyalist!

My final year in college, I came across a job description for a Brand Manager for the Jordan Brand! Although I was referring to it strictly for a project, the actual description gave me a dream-job! So, this is what people meant when they claimed to have found their calling... A new profound meaning... Life's actual purpose!

I headed for Australia to do a Masters in Sport Management, with one dream in mind -- I would, someday, work for Nike...

Ironically, working on a project during my Masters, I got no help from the people at Nike (strike 1), I came across an overwhelming number of articles regarding the sweatshops and Nike's cruelty (strike 2), and I felt they went too far with gorgeous and fit women, in white meditative outfits, working hard and not sweating (and... strike 3)!

It's hard to explain what went on in my head, because, I don't really remember. I do, however, remember that I lost complete interest in Nike -- and with that, any other marketing stunt the corporations tried to pull off. Of course, Nike doesn't care. It's been 3 years, and I still haven't received a comforting call from Phil Knight -- or Michael Jordan!

Nike started as a small dream - with Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman using a waffle iron to manufacture the perfect running shoes -- but, in time, it became a nice big corporate.

I've been noticing Dove's new campaign everywhere. It's an effort to change people's attitude towards the beauty of women. It's a "Corporate Social Responsibility" program -- such an effort could only make you hate the term.

It's odd -- they take pictures of fairly good-looking women, try to make them look less attractive, and then pop the question - "Big or Beautiful?" - "Plain or Perfect?" - "Grey or Glowing?"

It's a shame how the term, "Social Responsibility" is misused. It's nothing more than another marketing stunt. Does anyone really think they mean it, when they say, "we care"?

The closest a Corporation got to being genuinely responsible is, perhaps, The Body Shop with the No Animal Testing claim! However, at times, even that may not be easy to believe...

Fancy marketing campaigns are merely shows and concerts -- who knows what's going on back-stage?

Posted by: Just Another Consumer...

Gypsy Feet...

Ever had a taste in your mouth - but were unable to point out what it was that you just ate 5 minutes ago?

Lately, thanks to my ankle-injury, life has changed -- just a little bit. Sure, it will take me some 3-4 months to fully recover, but the painful part is over now. Who would’ve thought - a game of basketball, I would come crashing down on someone’s foot, end up with an ankle the size of a tennis-ball - all this, for the betterment of my life.

The first month, I needed my parents to drive me to the Ayurvedic Rehab Centre. People would either stare at my foot, or at how I was leaning on my father. “Will you look at that? The young man, instead of taking some weight off the old man is actually pushing down on him! What has this world come to?”

It was funny, looking at people mesmerized by the beauty of my injured foot. They’d be walking forward, but looking back, with their eyes fixated on my ankle. Eventually, they would bump into a pole, or trip, and injure their foot… Ok, that isn’t entirely true -- but, it could’ve happened. 6.2 billion people with a broken foot - by then, I would’ve recovered, and be named king!

Drastic imagination aside, I’ve been driving to the clinic myself for the past 5 days.It’s impossible to drive with my father around. Not because he’d be pointing out mistakes (I m practically perfect on the road) - but, simply because, he, like Michael Schumacher, needs to be behind the wheel, at all times! Even with his melting knees, he’d rather bear the pain, than lose control.

I, generally, don’t really care. But, every once in a while, I prefer driving alone. The only way to have that pleasure is to wakeup by 6:00am and head out while half the world is still asleep. Or, is the world half-asleep?

Either ways, just, the thrill of hearing a CD I may have burnt the night before, wandering through the empty roads, drifting in my own mind… There is some form of spiritual ascending and eternal satisfaction in rising with the sun, and realizing that you are one of the few people enjoying it. Almost makes you feel like The Chosen One!

With not much traffic around, it’s easy to stay calm and composed.

A 10 minute wait at the clinic, and my therapy begins - nothing hi-fi, really, just massaging the ankle. If I m lucky, I manage to get my doctor to share a few stories about the Himalayas. I can’t begin to describe the image it paints in my head. All I know, is that it pushes me a bit.

On my way back, stuck in just a bit of traffic, I almost feel… floated. I m reminded of the constant urge to break-free, which many seem to share. It simply gets stronger. Revitalized!Even in that traffic-filled, fumed, congested environment, I take a deep breath of the fresh air – the thin layer that has managed to survive at the bottom of the contamination.

All the running around seems point-less, if you don’t seem to be getting anywhere. If life is simply a marathon, why not run in style? I’d rather have a pair of Gypsy Feet - just, travelling and writing - accompanied by some good coffee, every once in a while, and my cherished headphones and CD case.

I now realize, the taste in my mouth were the fresh green grapes I just had…

End quote:
A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.
- Lao Tzu

The Little Things in Life...

As I type this, I look outside my window - at the building next to mine - and, I notice a shoe. A lonely shoe, which has been sitting outside the window of a second floor apartment for the past 2-3 months (perhaps, longer)!

If the shoe sticks around for the whole year, I wonder if it will start growing a small little plant around it. Wind Dispersion is a powerful tool of creation, after all.

Also, never underestimate the power of a silly story. It's the silliness that connects people. War, Poverty, Race, the UN -- these things don't connect people. What connects people, is the little things. "Oh, you want to kill Emran Hashmi? Me too!"

One of my favourite screenwriters is Cameron Crowe (Singles, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky). Aside from the fact that he picks the right soundtrack -- he seems to notice and point out the little things in life.
The little things we all notice, but, may never think about mentioning. Cameron does, and he uses those habits/thoughts as crucial ingredients in character development. Be it when Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) talks about his expertise in analysing last looks, in Elizabethtown - or, when Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) feels like "just another shark in a suit" - or, when the team of Stillwater, on the verge of falling apart, sing Tiny Dancer on the tour bus to reconcile their differences, in Almost Famous... Each line, each song, each moment, is a memory - not only of the film - but, of our own lives.
A blurry reflection of what many of us think about or go through in our lives.

For many years, I thought, I was the only person who walked a particular pattern on a pavement. 2 Grey tiles (left and right foot) and 1 Red tile.
However, a few years back, I noticed a friend do the exact same thing -- with a slightly different pattern, of course. When I inquired what he was doing, he said "it's a common thing. Many authors have written about it!"

*Plop
My bubble of specialty just burst.

3 Days after starting my blog, I found The Tao of Someone Else.
I even thought, I had coined the phrase "This is such a Seinfeld Moment!"

The point is, regardless of how minor and stupid a thought or habit may feel, such thoughts compose our unique snowflake-like being. Moreover, sometimes you come across someone who apparently goes through the exact same thing. While, at times, it makes you feel like someone has stolen a spare key to your kingdom -- it may also take a lot of weight off, just to know that someone else is going through the exact same thing!

Just to know, that many people around me are also wandering aimlessly in life (mostly) -- phew!

My most cherished little thing though, other than the coffee-bean secret, is my commitment to my black pen. I make sure no one touches it, until, one day, it runs out on me.... Then, I need to start a new relationship....

.... Silly little things -- they make life so much better...

GB of the Living Room...

Few months ago, I got stuck with a friend who wanted to shop at a leading furniture store in Dubai (no, it wasn't Ikea!). She was hunting for a set of Olive-Picks, which she had spotted earlier in the catalogue.
Now, if you are familiar with the product, you truly are fancy!

I wasn't, at the time - I don't think I had heard of such a thing. However, my mind is capable of breaking the words and trying to figure what the purpose of the product may be. In some ways, it's a toothpick-like fork you will never throw out. It other ways, it will just make your drink look fancy...

Pointless?
But, it sells...

What probably sells, even more, is the $272.00 Buddha next to it. Buddha with a price-tag!

The first representations of Gautama Buddha were created almost 5 centuries after his passing... The reason behind this, as many believe, is because Buddha did not want his disciples to worship an image of himself - rather, use his teachings as a pathway to nirvana.

Of course, the first few images and statues were probably painted/carved for the simple joy of creating. Or, perhaps, just to inspire Buddhist Monks during their meditation.

Today, however, it's all very different.
Browsing through the current issue of Inside Out, I realized, how the image of Buddha has become nothing more than just a crucial component of an Interior Designer's must-have list!
Quite simply - Buddha, is no longer the memory of a spiritual leader who inspired many – but, merely a household commodity most interior designers like to see in living rooms, in order to add a zen-like appeal to the setting!

Statue of Buddha = $272.00
Maroon Meditation Cloak = $14.20
Pure Sandal-Wood Incense = $12.95
Recreating a mini-ZenGarden in your own back yard = $1450.00
Twinnings Green Tea (in 3 different flavours) = $10.45
Attaining Nirvana = Priceless

Sigh!