DreamingAway

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Surviving the Generation Gap

We were recently discussing the decrease in attention spans and decided, somewhat casually, to count the number of people entering the lunch hall while looking at their phones. It felt unnecessary, as almost everyone was glued to their mobile. This wasn’t the case in years past. Is this a generation gap? Mobile phone usage is just another addiction, like anything else, and it has nothing to do with the generational differences. Yet, the reasons people use their phones might signal a generation gap. Or maybe the very dependence on mobile devices in daily life reveals an underlying generational divide. We weren’t entirely conclusive. Generation gaps are inevitable, as change is universal, and it is the adaptation to these changes that creates the gap. Differences in thought, social norms, and behaviour naturally emerge over time, creating a distinct divide between younger and older generations. When things like climate change can play a role in shaping these differences, it is clear som

Friendship Delusion

On our way home, one of my teammates was sharing his experience from a recent trip he took with his schoolmates. I mentioned that I used to go on trips with my college friends a lot but have since lost contact with most of my schoolmates. He told me that his college days coincided with the pandemic lockdown, so he made fewer college friends and has more friends at work now. As a result, he either goes on trips with his schoolmates or colleagues. Of course, when it comes to trips, it doesn’t really matter who you go with, as we often travel with groups of strangers nowadays. Last Friday, I was having dinner with a colleague who was visiting from our branch office. During our conversation, I asked him if he meets his friend (whom I also know as colleague) every time he comes to the main office. Although he visits almost every month, he admitted that he misses seeing his friend some months. He also reminded me that his friend was also his college mate and that they were r

Leading in the Wrong Race

When working in an environment where benchmarks are readily available, whether directly or indirectly, we often have a clear understanding of what is required for our career growth. Since these benchmarks typically align with what an average person can achieve through regular skill upgrades for their experience level, achieving them might seem straightforward. However, in reality, it is not always this simple. For countless reasons, we often fail to continuously upgrade our skills, resulting in us falling behind where we could have been. Firstly, there are no everyday indicators showing that we are slowing down or lagging behind. It is difficult to recognise at first and only becomes apparent later. By the time it is noticeable, it may already pose a threat to our job. But what if there is no immediate job threat? This can easily occur in organisations that can accommodate people based on their current skill levels. In such cases, it's like choosing between just running or running

My Mom’s Broom

They say that the departed souls show up in the form of crows, and we express our love, respect, and gratitude towards our ancestors by feeding these birds. This need not be true, I never believed so, but it feels good, so I do feed the crows. I used to give banana peels to cows, enjoying the feel of their rough tongues snatching the peels from my hand. And if you have pigeons at home, you know the sheer joy of letting them perch on your hand while they eat. So, here’s my thing: I love feeding animals. There's something magical and heartwarming about connecting with these creatures, even if it’s partly for my own amusement. They usually run and hide as soon as they sense our presence, but not this brave one. The internet search says, he is a “brown-banded cockroach.” Let’s call him Browny. I found this little daredevil darting out of a carton of pet food. I was curious. I blocked his path with my finger, expecting him to climb over it like a little hiker. Nope! Browny dashed back i

The haunting cry - anger, jealousy, mother

Even before the buffalo and the bike passed by, I could sense the situation unfolding. The buffalo let out a reverberating sound, both peculiar and familiar, echoing through the air. I had heard it before, not just from buffaloes, but from other animals too. The haunting cry was unmistakably that of a mother’s desperate plea, begging for the release of her baby — a cry that can melt your heart and leave it wrenching in agony. I know this scenario of moving a cow and her calf from one place to another is quite common , but I hoped the journey would be brief. Is this emotion exclusive to mothers alone? I pondered this question deeply. I believe there exists an underlying emotion, one I call “mot-emo,” that drives the actions of mothers. While it may be prevalent among mothers, its presence is not confined to them alone. I think we just fail to recognise or acknowledge this everywhere else. Mot-emo is a universal emotion, much like happiness or anger, that can manifest in a

“I know how to fly,” the kite says.

She stood among a small group of girls, must be a college student waiting for the bus. Was she a kite? I am never conclusive, never closer to satisfaction whenever I think about the meaning and connection between the God, life and ourselves. And, I am not bored of contemplating it whenever the opportunity arises. It was only a few minutes, but she gave me an opportunity to delve into these thoughts. For many of us, our first experience with flying a kite might have been simply holding the string and running, allowing the kite to chase us from a distance of two or three meters. Of course, when we began kite fighting, we knew that we were playing one of the games that required a multifaceted skill set. We wanted to master them all, from making kites to manja thread, to dheel, to street fights. Imagine a kite festival, surrounded by kites of various colours and sizes decorating the venue. There are kites ready to take flight. There are children playing with kites, crashing a few accidenta