Inspiration

Hello there, 

So I have been meaning to start a blog for quite sometime now. For years, if I am to be completely honest. Invariably every summer vacation during my college years, has started with a resolution to write a blog, and invariably it would sizzle out as the days passed and I became complacent and got used to the comforts of the ‘Home life’. The farthest I have gone is to create a webpage on blogspot, but that has been the sum of my actions. This time it will be different.

I haven't finalised the theme for this blog, yet. So this inaugural entry is going to be a haphazard amalgamation of my unstructured, random thoughts. The motivation to write is a complex one and  has many levels. Firstly it would be really cool to discuss the thoughts and ideas I have with my friends and more so with strangers whom I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to interact with without this blog. Secondly It would be fun to document my decisions and mistakes as I make them, which may someday help others who decide to tread a similar path, after all dear reader the wise are those who learn from the mistakes of others.This is a really strong motivation, as I strongly believe in the concept of ‘paying it forward’ where in you try and help those who come after you, as a way to thank the people who came before you, for all that has made you, well you. Thirdly and more selfishly, to my dismay I have been noticing that my writing skills are slipping, becoming rusty and are in need of wear, this is an attempt to remedy that too. 

Through a tinted window

Okay so enough of general banalities, so what’s up?  This entry is being written on a super fast from Manipal to Mumbai, as I return home. A chatty TTE and a beautiful country side stand witness to my incessant typing. Let us talk about inspiration.

Inspiration is a very powerful tool. I believe taking random instance of momentary motivation and turning them into fuel that keeps you going through the darkest of nights is a very vital life skill. All of us have goals, aspirations and ambitions in life, but why do the majority of us end up not realising them? The answer is a lack of persistence. All of us know what is right for us and what is not. What will further our cause and what will not. Then how does this rationality drown into oblivion in our daily lives? The problem is we do not see the big picture. It is very important to take a step back every once in a while and look at the bigger picture and as Randy paunch puts it very eloquently in his last lecture - “do not let the urgent drown out the important”. As a side note if you haven’t watched the Last Lecture, you definitely, positively, absolutely should. It has the potential to change your life, in-fact I recommend that you watch it once every year. But I digress. 

The beauty about this phenomena is that it is very easy to implement once you are conscious towards it. Anything however seemingly unrelated to your goals can act as inspiration. Do you want to know what is the best part? The universe presents you with amazing opportunities daily, you just have to pick them. Here are some instances of momentary inspiration that have help  convert thoughts into action.

Heavens

Pale blue dot, is a picture taken by the Voyager 1. Incidentally Voyager 1 is the first man made object to escape our solar system and become venture into interstellar space. The famous Carl Sagan had the following reflections on the pale blue dot photograph.

“ From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”

The Pale Blue Dot

Just look up at the night sky and see the infiniteness of the universe. If you have been lucky enough to see the ‘Pillars of Creation’ in the Eagle Nebula through a telescope, you know what I am talking about. 

The Pillars of Creation

One of my favourite quotes about space exploration, comes from the West Wing, when Sam Seaborne is asked why should the government spend taxpayer's money on a NASA program:

'Cause it's next. 'Cause we came out of the cave, and we looked over the hill and we saw fire; and we crossed the ocean and we pioneered the west, and we took to the sky. The history of man is hung on a timeline of exploration and this is what's next.

President Bartlet from Aaron Sorkin’s ‘West Wing’

“ Every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we are reminded that capacity may well be limitless. This is a time for American Heroes, we will do what is hard, we will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes and we reach for the stars! ”

“ Our goal is not to cater to the least common denominator but to raise it. “

Manipal weather and scenic beauty

Reader who share the Manipal experience (my UG college) will relate to this instantly. Just one look at the beautiful surroundings with the perfect weather show you that the world and life itself is much bigger than your daily struggles. 

The Destitute

You are lucky enough to be in a position where you are being briefed about what humanity has achieved before you it is your duty and responsibility that you either further it or use it to better the lives of the people who need it the most.

 That poor old lady on the side walk is relying on you. I can talk about computer science, my tradecraft. I feel like I have a super power, never in human history have we had the power to change lives transcending geographical barriers by the push of a button. Affordable healthcare innovations, Predicting outbreaks using big data, technology to help the differently labeled lead a more ‘normal’ life, agricultural insights these are some of the applications of CS that are changing the world, I hope you are not among those who are stuck in the mini world of creating the next trending app or most visited website. More on this some other time. Meanwhile use your super power for the betterment of the unfortunate. 

Crush 

One of my favourite writers on Quora Dushka Zapata sums this up very nicely 

“A crush is a pure lightning bolt of the best kind of energy. It’s yours to use any way you see fit.
If it were up to me (since you asked) I’d suggest that you use it to wake up happy and create something.
To fuel the courage to do less of what depletes you and more of what fulfills you.
Use it to love yourself for exactly who you are.
Use it as motivation to always be kind, even after a long day. 
Years from now, when you look back at the time you had a crush on a stranger, rather than thinking “boy, that was so silly!” I hope instead you remember what you felt as a source of inspiration.
Inspiration is what a crush is for.“

Read the complete answer, here http://qr.ae/8JrBNI 

Steve Jobs 

‘We are here to make a dent in the universe otherwise, why even be here?’  is a very very powerful quote that resonates with me.

Hamilton

“If you stand for nothing Burr, what do you fall for?”

-Aaron Burr,Sir!

“ There is a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait “

“In New York you can be a new man!”

-Alexander Hamilton

“I know that we can win, 

I know that greatness lies in you,

 but remember from here on in history has its eyes on you”

-History has its eyes on you

“I am not throwing away my shot, 
Hey yo I am just like my country, I am young scrappy and hungry, and I am not throwing away my shot!”

-My shot

“ How do you write like tomorrow won’t arrive?

 How do you write like you need it to survive?

How do you write every second you are alive?”

-Non Stop

Basically the whole musical is an unending source of inspiration. For the uninitiated, Hamilton is a musical on Broadway, created by Lin Manuel Miranda. It tells the story of the American founding father Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in the words of his nemesis Vice President Aaron Burr. You just need to listen to the whole cast album available here —>https://goo.gl/7igoYB 

“For Camelot!”

 Need I say more? For those who do not know Camelot is a musical (and now a TV series) where King Arthur and his advisor Merlyn establish a new order at the ancient Roman castle of Camelot. They go on to unite all of Britons and in turn become legends, because they offer a new form of politics, a politics of hope. 

The eternal rashtriya kavi Ramdhari Singh Dinkar has written many a classics, which are very moving and full of inspiring couplets. A favourite of mine is Rashmirathi (which is also available in an audio format on youtube) 

"सिर पर कुलीनता का टीका,
भीतर जीवन का रस फीकाअपना न नाम जो ले सकते,
परिचय न तेज से दे सकतेऐसे भी कुछ नर होते हैं
कुल को खाते औ' खोते हैं

"विक्रमी पुरुष लेकिन सिर पर,
चलता ना छत्र पुरखों का धर.अपना बल-तेज जगाता है,
सम्मान जगत से पाता है.सब देख उसे ललचाते हैं,
कर विविध यत्न अपनाते हैं"

"उड़ते जो झंझावतों में,पीते सो वारी प्रपातो में
सारा आकाश अयन जिनका,विषधर भुजंग भोजन जिनका,
वे ही फानिबंध छुड़ाते हैं,धरती का हृदय जुड़ाते हैं." 

Let me know what do you think about this piece in the comments below. Also if there is a specific topic on which you would like to hear my thoughts the comments section below is the place to shout out.