Busy or not too busy?

"The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you are still a rat." - Lily Tomlin.

This status message, stamped with the red "busy" mark, somewhere in my friends' list in Gtalk, made me smile the moment I read it.
I saw a blur the next moment. I wiped my eyes, shaking my head, while trying to get high off the chill going down my spine. I have been getting those a lot these days and I am loving it!

I was still smiling though. That's what I have been doing lately, when I read something philosophical. You want to choose your words carefully in and around philosophy. Every word means what it means. You cannot blurt out words casually. Not that anyone would decapitate you for doing that, but why disregard the power of language?

The endless circulation of "touching" emails constantly remind us not to forget the meaning of different words representing different virtues. But what if we have forgotten the meaning of meaning?

"Bye" and "See You" do not mean the same.
"What's up" and "How was your day?" do not mean the same.
"Working hard" and "Working smart" do not mean the same.
"Want" and "Need" do not mean the same.
"Sleep" and "Rest" do not mean the same.
"Quiet" and "Peaceful" do not mean the same.

One cannot reach the skies by climbing the ladder! We are grounded for life, in life - the ladder is not. We reach the sky when we feel its presence above us, in front of us, around us. All we need to do is lie down and look straight ahead and there awaits the sky. But who has the time to lie down, you would ask.
"We do!", I would say.
I, for one, surely do!

the gaze,
the blue,
the answers?

Be engaged, not busy.

shamie,
15th september, 2008