Short story about a young Ghost

Death struck him suddenly in all its cold bloodedness, when he was barely 24yrs old. Therefore, what is there to write about a young ghost who has not seen much in life, nor in death? It was an unfortunate evening, on a late winter when death visited him. So unfortunate was it that the death anniversary comes once in every 4 years. No one knew about his death, not even his closest souls. How could they have? - For when he died, neither the earth shook nor the sky fell down. In fact so silent was his death, that there wasn’t even a whisper.

Yet so great was his obsession for life that he continued to live even after his body petrified and all the elements of his body had been assimilated in nature. Thus, he continued living among people with such skill that few ever realised that he is a phantom!! Death changed nothing - except his pride. In fact to his surprise similar things kept happening to him even after death as they were happening when he was alive.

May be time flows in a circular fashion or in his case - it was only a matter of "old habits". So while he continued his search for truth, beauty, love and justice - and kept indulging in activities like: reading, writing, cycling, net surfing, & spending time with friends. His friends both old and new kept claiming - his honesty, loyalty and adaptability are some of the qualities that make him adorable - the way they were doing while he was alive. But after a while he realised, death has given him an ability to see - past / present / future as a single unit!!

Thus these days he introduces himself as "I am the Dream I am the reality I am the temporal I am the eternity - I am the devil I am the divine - I am the confusion I am the solution" - I am just me!! – a soul Living on the edge ~ committed to all yet connected to none. Do I have any dreams or hopes no one would ever know!! But my dear never say or feel sorry for this young ghost because there is no room for sorry for a man who has ever been in "????".

Is it foolish to be a genius?

Is it foolish to be a genius?*

In English there is a saying which goes like this, “practice makes a man perfect”. But, trainers and spiritual masters tell us no one other than god is perfect hence rest of us can become excellent but never perfect. So, we may change the saying as “practice can make a man excellent or genius”. However, if we take our discussion to the Hindu philosophical realm then we find each man is in essence not only child of GOD (Amrutashya Santan) but also there are schools that inspires each to attain Godhood (Pragyanam ..... Shivo ahm). The point is each of us has the choice and ability to be the master of his or her own destiny. Let me not digress; rather return to the original topic that is, “what is the stuff geniuses are made up of”.

A dictionary definition for “genius” is: “Someone who has an unusually high level of intelligence, mental skill or artistic ability.” Thomas Edison the great inventor used spend long period of time in the laboratory, trying and testing hypotheses till he finally got them right. He hardly ever went home, and never gave up. Speaking of his trials he once said: "I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work." The take home is hard work and Persistence. Secrete has been revealed by Albert Einstein, when he said, "It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer." According to Floyd Maxwell, geniuses have three traits in common: organized, orderly approach to solving problems; maintain an attitude of wonder about the world around them, a habit of seeing things from a fresh, open perspective; and ability to concentrate harder and longer than the average person on whatever interests them.

The website www.studygs.net, puts the following nine approaches about how anyone can think and solve lives problems like a genius – 1) Rethink! Look at problems in many different ways. 2) Visualize! Utilize diagrams and imagery to analyze your dilemma. 3) Produce! Genius is productive. 4) Combine! Make novel combinations... 5) Form! Form relationships. 6) Opposite! Think in opposites. 7) Metaphor/simile! Think metaphorically. 8) Failure! Learning from your mistakes is one example of using failure. 9) Patience! Don't confuse inspiration with ideas.

My personal take on this issue is very simple. More than the genes it is our response to our environment that makes us either a genius or an awe stricken under achiever; marvelling at the acts and accomplishments of the masters. To begin with we must try and find out with an open mind about the how aspect of things that we are bothered at any point of time. And, then put time and effort to excel at it with a sense of purpose. Soon, we shall find people around will start appreciating us.

So .. See you at the top !!!

* Will soon be published in Canvas