Thursday, June 13, 2013

Indolent Pleasures

I really do not know where human beings get these crazy notions. The one that has irked me all my life is this idea that somehow a person has to justify his/her existence by doing something. I mean, my own belief is that "I exist therefore I deserve to exist" but this commonsense notion seems to find disfavor with almost everyone. People keep asking me "But what do you do?" and my answer "I live" is considered absolutely insufficient if not downright insulting. It is this stupid notion that causes otherwise harmless people to go out into the world and create absurd things like bundled derivatives and cause untold harm and misery to large swathes of the population.

I have always been made of sterner stuff. I prefer to loll around in my sofa and take my ease. Unfortunately, the world does not need to convince me of its rightness in order to get me to work. All it has to do is to stop supplying me my food and other needs (to be frank, it never started) for me to have to get off my behind and toil at something. I offer as solid proof of the existence of brains inside my skull that I did not starve for more than a few hours before I realized that I would have to set aside some funds to feed myself before I started taking my ease.

Having set out with the clear intention of working just for long enough to ensure that I could have a modicum of comfort through the rest of my life, I did work for as long as eighteen years before I could bid goodbye to my forced adherence to the stupid notions of Society. Even as a child, I never had had the itch to boast of possessing the most marbles - so I did not fall into the pit of wanting to crow about having reached the top of whichever dunghill I had toiled in.

My annual visit to Delhi involves a visit to my erstwhile place of toil. Nothing gives as much joy to the slave as a visit to his place of enslavement when he knows that he is now irretrievably free. So, every time I visit my former office I feel a happiness akin to ecstasy. The funny thing is the sort of impression that I seem to have left behind. Can you believe that there are hordes of people there who actually believe that I am a workaholic and still refuse to accept - after seven years - that I could ever be capable of living a life of absolute indolence?

Thankfully, it does not require their belief now for me to loll around at home and watch with grave interest the procession of ants that is wending its way towards the sugar that I spilled and am too lazy to clean up. There are those who feel impelled to try to corner all the marbles in the world. I watch their antics with amused interest. There are those who work at bettering the lot of Society. I salute them without feeling any need to emulate their actions.

I have found my metier. Anyone who does something needs an appreciative audience. In a world of people scurrying around turning head-stands and cart-wheels, I am the only one who is prepared to sit around and applaud. I have my hands poised. Now, strut out your stuff!

36 comments:

  1. What I get from your post is that you enjoy moderate leisure time to do absolutely nothing...I mean complete peace and leisure....That's something I dearly miss....peace of mind helps one think and imagine...

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    1. And also, Soham, the leisure has not yet palled on me - nor do I expect it to ever pall :)

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  2. That's me. For me leisure is the ultimate pleasure. And Archimedes did figure out the water displacement theory while idling in a bath tub.

    Unfortunately could not meet you in Delhi. I had guests at home. IN LAWS.

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    1. Missed you too - I know why you did not come from Rickie.

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  3. I wish i could be like you(your smiling visage is motivation enough); but i just cannot be idle-i get bored.
    And by the way it is the likes of you who watch here n there and then give us the law of gravity.

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  4. ahhh.... need I say anything more other than the fact that I enjoyed it like the others :)

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  5. Suresh, if I am jealous of anyone I know in the blogosphere, it would be you. Seriously!! :) I always keep dreaming of that day....you are living..and that's all it is about.

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    1. Waiting the day you will join me in my indolence :)

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  6. I guess i am i a better position to understand and appreciate what you have said

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    1. Now you are and I knew it would strike a chord with you :)

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  7. Well, clearly you are already master and I am work in progress!
    Classic Suresh!
    Good luck with the trek!

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    1. Thanks Rickie! Hope you have progressed a lot in what you set out to do :)

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    2. I'd say about 90% there. The end of the tunnel is in sight! :)

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  8. Loved it! I too wish to just 'live' someday...Happpy Living! :) Hope you had a great time at Delhi and missed me a little.

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    1. Thanks Akanksha! Missed you a lot - not just a little :)

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  9. It is indeed good to be out of the rat race. Theoretically idleness is a praise worthy quality. Only in practice people want to be occupied all the time.

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    1. I, too, was a bit apprehensive about being totally idle. Now I know that I was made for it :)

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  10. A really good post, Suresh. Food for thought too. Indeed, why do we seek validation of ourselves in what we do or what others think? Frankly I share your views. Haven't worked as much to completely retire but am pretty happy with the way I work now, but you have my admiration for leading your life on your own terms.

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    1. Thanks Rachna! What makes it easy to be a maverick is the support of people like you.

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  11. I dont know whether other people see it or not, but its courageous of you to do what you want (in your case not do :) ) a lot of people would be jealous of you for this..coz most of the times we are toiling to impress the world when in reality that should be least of our worries.

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    1. We are too busy toiling to impress a world which is too busy toiling to impress you to notice what you are doing :)

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  12. I really admire the decisions that you have made and the 'indolent' life that you lead Suresh. Kudos and keep having fun :D

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    1. Indolence consists in not HAVING to do anything that you do not WANT to do :) The 'Not Wanting' may be temporary or permanent :)

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  13. This complete laziness or freedom is rare to find, Suresh. Even if it is, it may come at the cost of working for 25+ years and end up in us being bed-ridden for life.

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  14. You, dear Sir, are an inspiration. I wish to follow in your footsteps in a few years. Hopefully.

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    1. Will be waiting with the welcome mat spread :)

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  15. "Ode to Indolence" in prose! Since when did this race for everyone to be a someone gain predominance, I fail to understand. Thats when all the stress started :) A wonderful write up as usual Suresh!

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    1. Quite right! As though it is not enough trouble to do something you are also perpetually looking over your shoulder to see if you are still ahead of those laggards or looking enviously at those who are ahead :)

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  16. Have I read this before? If not, then I still think it does because these words echo my own feelings so closely.

    We will prove to the world that idleness is a virtue! Inspirational!

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  17. If there was a way to measure true happiness, I think we would find that the cave men of yore were much happier that we are today. It might also be that animals, even the lowliest of them, might be happier beings?! I think it is time we humans paused a bit, this headlong rush, this reckless haste is just generating more misery. We need to understand, or at least make an effort to, that comforts are necessary but you don't really need a palace and harems and a million attendants to be happy--not sure if any of those princes were ever happy!

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    1. In the rush to get all that, we seem to use up all the time that is needed to enjoy all that :)

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