The Truth about TRUTH

When was the last time you lied? Just an hour ago, when my friend asked if I was free to go for a walk I politely declined. I told her that I was busy with my project when I was not doing anything even remotely related. Why? Just because I didn’t feel like going and didn’t wanted to tell the real reason!

Truth…Why do we attach an idyllic and superlative tag to this extremely rare phenomenon? The truth is a bully we all pretend to like, isn’t it? Honesty and truth are fine materials for sermons but when we have to actually follow it in real life, we get frightened.

Have you ever told your friend that she looked terrible that day ? Have you ever tried to disapprove your professor’s absurd blabbers? Never…That is because you neither want to hurt your friend nor screw up your term works! Then why despise this wonderful “Lie”.

Are we honest with ourselves? Then why do we wear make-up? Why do we try to project ourselves as ‘beautiful and wonderful’ when we know that we are not? What is the point in creating an illusion when the truth is contemptibly transparent! We try to camouflage our real feelings by the so called social etiquette. We are trained to say ‘Nice to meet you’ and ‘Thank you’ even though we may not like that person. But our body language and facial expression deceives us. We dare not face the truth!

Truth is an extremely strong principle that has the power to transform us, enlighten us. But for a common man like you and me…let’s face the truth…Lie is not that bad either!Don’t snatch away lies, let us live with them!!

Wild Showers!!

The amiable earth drains
To the extent she could bear;
This makes the anxious heaven
Darken with accruing vehemence,
The meek clouds blink spontaneously
Amidst the brimming tears,
And the aqua driblets hits vociferously,
Uplifting the heat-wilted foliage!

As the pelting drops startles life beneath,
The scared lion roars ferociously,
Every time there is thunder clap;
As an attempt to reclaim his imperiled status.

The dear eyes longingly at the graceful doe,
As his heart brims with enigmatic desires.
The soaked monkey tightly perches,
On a secluded branch,
Looks skyward bewilderedly
As if to ask the God
Why this sudden shower?

The snake wriggles indecisively,
Offended by the seeping intrusion.
The only form that doesn’t seem to mind,
Are the mirthful birds that carry the news,
Of the pouring glory across the globe!

The cloud disburdens and the wild spirit gladdens,
What a beautiful sight the nature presents;
As the wild life blends harmoniously,
With the God’s elixir that
Rekindles life in every form!!

To Die Or Not To Die!

Do we have the right to live life in our own terms? Ofcourse, we do! Now that isn’t an issue of dispute. Fundamental rights bestowed upon us entitle us to choose every step we tread…so does that include our choice to die? Euthanasia…should it be legalized? Many countries are in favor of mercy killing…so should India join the foray? Controversies seldom confuse me. Most of the problems are either black or white to me…but this one is mournfully grey.

Imagine this….every time as my ventilators make me breathe, excruciating pain torments every inch of my body. Innumerable tubes cram every orifice in my body. I am incompetent to perform even my basic chores. I have always lived a liberated dignified life and here I am living just for the sake of it. Should I let my inability hurt my dignity just when I am at the threshold of the finish line? Moreover it’s my body, my soul and my choice. Doesn’t it sound pretty logical?

Many argue that euthanasia amounts to suicide. Suicide is a spontaneous, puerile decision to end life as an attempt to escape from an ostensibly crucial issue. While the decision to pull the chord isn’t a hasty one…infact it’s a noble deed to liberate the vehement soul and let it rest in peace. Now is this ethical? Who are we to play God? But then who are we to counter God’s will by mechanically extending couple of tormenting hours in life? Another major impediment is the Hippocratic Oath…One of the clause goes like this…’To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death.’ But then the same oath subsumes another vow ‘to keep the good of the patient as the highest priority’. Euthanasia is in the interest of the patient hence is moral.

Having said that, the optimistic (unrealistic) me refuses to believe that my loved one can actually die. What if there is a miracle? What if my beloved wakes up as if nothing happened? What if ‘The Lord of Mercy’ decides to bestow few more years? These ‘What if’s are countless. Some things in this universe are celestial and incomprehensible. I do believe in miracles. I have seen them happen.

Let me share an incident…One of my close friend’s father suffered from a rare lung ailment ‘primary pulmonary hypertension’. His condition aggravated rapidly and was put under ventilator and showed almost nil progress for ten days. Doctors had given up. But then to their utter surprise, he started responding excellently and was back on his feet in a month. Some years back, he left for his heavenly abode after almost 3 years of normal life. Those three years did matter a lot for the family. His family got together and made the maximum of those 1095 days. This incident reinforced my faith in miracles. What if the family had decided to put him off the ventilator?

Weighing both the sides, I believe it all depends on personal choice. If the chances of survival are nix and the suffering unendurable, I don’t think euthanasia is a bad choice.