Random rants...

Does hard work always pay off, even if only eventually? Or is hardly working quite enough sometimes to have a windfall? When indulging in diligence, where does one draw the line between utility and futility? Newton and physical laws apart, what reactions does one expect from actions when the reactions have only a very slanting relationship with the actions? Does one good turn deserve another? My grandma tells me that it doesn't work like that often, and I can only agree. Karma seems like a bit of a joke, if I be kind to the concept, and if I be brutal, then well, it is a lie. Unless of course, you drag in the concept of reincarnation too and then include actions from past lives in the karma equation. But I will leave you to decide all that for yourself.

An empty mind is not the devil's workshop, nor is it empty in a vacuum-ish sense of the word. An un-preoccupied mind (for that is what I think is usually referred to as an empty mind) has enough thoughts of its own which may or may not be regarded by devilish. But such a mental state tends to bring out the worse in us because idle thought is perhaps the worst enemy of our species. It often leads to the most productive and constructive sort of creativity too, certainly, but creativity can be destructive too. A so-called empty mind usually shows us the darkness within, and most of us have a tough time coming to grips with it.

The holy month for the Muslims is upon them and you and me. Fasting and feasting go hand in glove, chasing each other much like the sun and the moon. While Muslims try to be even better than they always are during this time which should cleanse their bodies and purify their souls, I wonder how many of the quam continue to indulge in unholy acts during this time, acts that perhaps provide them sustenance or have become fixtures in their daily lives. Even if they may be god's chosen people unto whom he gave his last and final and true word, I am sure there are still those among them who knowingly go against the light they have seen.

Stress can lead to acne, whitening of hair and impotency. The first, I seem to have largely escaped. The second, I have concluded, is an irreversible sort of process. The hair doesn't go back to being black once the stress leaves. The third, well, I really can't say since I have had no instance to find out for certain one way or the other. But it is surely a worrying thought. Someone enlighten me about what other physical changes stress can cause, and I shall check for those too if I can.

While Indians are known for their veneration of cows, it seems we are hardly alone. Check this out: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gkkgQupj_lWIxw_huyo_1FCL5OAAD9A7B0000. If the link doesn't work, just search for it. Cambodians worshipping a calf that has reptilian skin, and some woman getting cured after drinking water that was used to wash its dead body, after it died because excessive deification kept it away from its mother who could not feed it enough, leading to the death. Beat that, Indians!