Picture this.
I was at a hole in the wall cafe with a friend on his birthday (on 15th Nov :-), so now guess who!!)
As he and I sat alone, reminiscing about Lawn tennis, philosophy, existential nightmares, our own battlefield weariness...and of course laughing off our losses.....
As he and I sat, we drowned beer (Bira of course) and Chivas (of course!!)....we both drank as if to drink is to set free.
The table next door, had two younger boys (probably in their early 30s)....drinking eating and reminiscing.
Remember this was a hole in the wall..and up walks a fully grown roach along the floor to their table.
I see it (and I am petrified of roaches...so much for my skunky bravado!!) and so do they. My friend is drunk blind :-)
As I watch the roach inches closer to them....and eventually they start trying to squash it. But not in a petrified way, but in a way that they seem to be enjoying it. They are killing it, one leg or piece of its body a time....stamping its life one breath at a time with their nike sneakers.
Something in me had revulsion. I don't enjoy the spectacle of treating other life forms as lowly. Have I not eaten meat, then why cast stone? I have definitely eaten meat in my day.
But the Buddhist in me believes that killing out of fear or hunger is still something I can rationalize. Killing for the fun or mirth of it....makes me feel strange.....
Of course, I am no one to judge the two folks...I have committed grave heinous murders in my life...both literally and figuratively.
But....death is not a matter of light in my head anymore.
One day, we too shall cross the bridge. One day we too shall encounter our own delusions. One day we too shall be the object of someone’s mirth. That is the day, as my life passes by me in an instant....as the brain is erasing its RAM.....I will definitely see the image of the squished up roach.
I was at a hole in the wall cafe with a friend on his birthday (on 15th Nov :-), so now guess who!!)
As he and I sat alone, reminiscing about Lawn tennis, philosophy, existential nightmares, our own battlefield weariness...and of course laughing off our losses.....
As he and I sat, we drowned beer (Bira of course) and Chivas (of course!!)....we both drank as if to drink is to set free.
The table next door, had two younger boys (probably in their early 30s)....drinking eating and reminiscing.
Remember this was a hole in the wall..and up walks a fully grown roach along the floor to their table.
I see it (and I am petrified of roaches...so much for my skunky bravado!!) and so do they. My friend is drunk blind :-)
As I watch the roach inches closer to them....and eventually they start trying to squash it. But not in a petrified way, but in a way that they seem to be enjoying it. They are killing it, one leg or piece of its body a time....stamping its life one breath at a time with their nike sneakers.
Something in me had revulsion. I don't enjoy the spectacle of treating other life forms as lowly. Have I not eaten meat, then why cast stone? I have definitely eaten meat in my day.
But the Buddhist in me believes that killing out of fear or hunger is still something I can rationalize. Killing for the fun or mirth of it....makes me feel strange.....
Of course, I am no one to judge the two folks...I have committed grave heinous murders in my life...both literally and figuratively.
But....death is not a matter of light in my head anymore.
One day, we too shall cross the bridge. One day we too shall encounter our own delusions. One day we too shall be the object of someone’s mirth. That is the day, as my life passes by me in an instant....as the brain is erasing its RAM.....I will definitely see the image of the squished up roach.
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