George Carlin

Just about the only person in media and on street whose stream of foul words i can ignore, pretend they don't exist and move on to hear what he is actually trying to say !

The following piece i came across from http://www.georgecarlin.com/home/home.html and am reproducing it here :

Life is not as difficult as people think; all one needs is a good set of rules. Since it is probably too late for you, here are some guidelines to pass along to your children.

1. Relax and take it easy. Don't get caught up in hollow conceits such as "doing something with your life." Such twaddle is outmoded and a sure formula for disappointment.

2. Whatever it is you pursue, try to do it just well enough to remain in the middle third of the field. Keep your thoughts and ideas to yourself and don't ask questions. Remember, the squeaky wheel is the first one to be replaced.

3. Size people up quickly, and develop rigid attitudes based on your first impression. If you try to delve deeper and get to "know" people, you're asking for trouble.

4. Don't fall for that superstitious nonsense about treating people the way you would like to be treated. It is a transparently narcissistic approach, and may be the sign of a weak mind.

5. Spend as much time as you can pleading and impressing others, even if it makes you unhappy. Pay special attention to shallow manipulators who can do you the most harm. Remember, in the overall scheme, you count for very little.

6. Surround yourself with inferiors and losers. Not only will you look good by comparison, but they will look up to you, and that will make you feel better.

7. Don't buy into the sentimental notion that everyone has shortcomings; it's the surest way of undermining yourself. Remember, the really best people have no defects. If you're not perfect, something is wrong.

8. If by some off chance you do detect a few faults, first, accept the fact that you are probably deeply flawed. Then make a list of your faults and dwell on them. Carry the list around and try to think of things to add. Blame yourself for everything.

9. Beware of intuition and gut instincts, they are completely unreliable. Instead, develop preconceived notions and don't waver unless someone tells you to. Then change your mind and adopt their point of view. But only if they seem to know what they're talking about.

10. Never give up on an idea simply because it is bad and doesn't work. Cling to it even when it is hopeless. Anyone can cut and run, but it takes a very special person to stay with something that is stupid and harmful.

11. Always remember, today doesn't count. Trying to make something out of today only robs you of precious time that could be spent daydreaming or resting up.

12. Try to dwell on the past. Think of all the mistakes you've made, and how much better it would be if you hadn't made them. Think of what you should have done, and blame yourself for not doing so. And don't go easy. Be really hard on yourself.

13. If by chance you make a fresh mistake, especially a costly one, try to repeat it a few times so you become familiar with it and can do it easily in the future. Write it down. Put it with your list of faults.

14. Beware also of the dangerous trap of looking ahead; it will only get you in trouble. Instead, try to drift along from day to day in a meandering fashion. Don't get sidetracked with some foolish "plan."

15. Finally, enjoy yourself all the time, and do whatever you want. Don't be seduced by that mindless chatter going around about "responsibility." That's exactly the sort of thing that can ruin your life.

Letter to the Editor

The following is the letter that i sent to Editor, TOI ,Pune. As expected, they printed after deleting and/or shortening few lines. The omitted ones are in red.

This refers to the article ' Anticancer drugs show a strong signs of growth '(May 20).
Anticancer drug market showing growth maybe 'hallelujah' moment for pharma cos, chemists and ,doctors. However, from a patient point of view its disastrous. Those people who have undergone chemotherapy and radiation and paid huge hospital bils and bought costly chemotherapy drugs must be wondering why government and NGOs are silent on huge profit margins that pharma cos make on selling anticancer drugs.

Why are anticancer drugs so costly and actually beyond the reach of many sufferers? Its not that Indian pharma cos are innovating and trying to find a less toxic alternative to chemotherapy. Most of the anticancer drugs in market are molecules imported from outside the country. The only cost that these MNC and Indian cos have to bear is manufacturing cost in bulk. Cancer is a chronic traumatic disease whose treatment should not only be subsidized but a huge emphasis can be made on not making it out to be a 'huge money making machine'.

Alaska Impressions

I'm just back from an 8-day trip to Alaska; weary, jetlagged and disintegrating with this ache to go back; not to mention insanely jealous of the people who are yet to experience it for the first time. Because Alaska, the Native "Aly-eska"..."the great land" is not only the Last Frontier as car license plates proclaim; it is a place where all things begin and end, and begin all over again in a timeless cycle. It is a place where the SCALE of things exceeds all imagination, uplifting and humbling us at the same time. Picture the biggest thing you have ever seen..waterfall, mountain, sea. Picture it 100 times bigger. Not enough. Now think about the oldest thing you have seen. The oldest thing I just saw? ICE. More ancient than Egyptian mummies, the Ramayana, that dinosaur skeleton in the Chicago museum. Ice...gleaming a hypnotic, unearthly blue from deep within a 600-foot glacier. A boatload of people riveted to the deck by its slow passage into the freezing ocean where its life began as water vapor, eons ago. Open mouths as the ranger explains its source...the Harding Icefield, tucked out of sight in the mountains, tantalizingly, an ancient blue mantle dating back to the last ice age.

Alaska at once makes you proud and frankly disgusted at being a member of the human race. Proud because never before was I struck full force with the odds our distant ancestors conquered to survive as a species. Disgusted, saddened, frightened, and outraged at the way our modern way of life is poised to destroy this world. Sure, the Natives hunted, fished, chopped trees, wore fur, took from Nature...but no more than what they NEEDED. And they found a use for everything. Seal bladder water carriers. Salmon skin rain gear. They considered themselves a part of the ecosystem, not something above and beyond. Circle of life.

Us? We guzzle gas, breeze through mountains of paper, don't care if that plastic bottle we just tossed into the garbage will stay forever in a landfill. Today's "its all about ME" culture fed by media, insipid reality shows, even the Internet..instant gratification in a bottle of pills.

And out there...all this timeless magnificence, all this generosity. The quintessential shiver of joy and purpose in Alaskan huskies...born to run, pulling a sled mile after treacherous mile through a minus-40 degree winter blizzard, narrow mountain trails, carrying vaccines to a remote town quarantined by diptheria. Not having the FAINTEST idea of their heroism, the lives they save, the sheer GOOD that they do. Here we have housewives washing their dirty linen on Youtube, scandal-seeking paparazzi, "super-sizing" nations accusing struggling populations of eating all the world's food, debates over a star's "wardrobe malfunction" outlasting even California wildfires. Pride in being half a pound lighter than friends, a fast car, designer handbag or shoes. We live our lives teetering on the knife edge of the hands of a clock, running harder, faster even to stay in the same spot.

But the wilderness carries life, death, courage, humor, freedom, LOVE in a beautiful, fluid cycle. The thrill in watching moose shield their young from predators, a mama grizzly bear grazing with her cubs on a hillside, one eye on the sheep...a red Arctic fox suddenly bursting into view out of the bushes, wolves crossing a braided river, a bird of prey scanning, in great arcs, the sweeping landscape of mountains and valleys. Unexpected echoes sound in some primordial, buried part of my core. Unearthing a deeper memory of once being part of this world, not a spectator. What is wrong with this picture? Why did we ever leave?