SHADOW-BOXING WITH OUR PHANTOM


















What goes on in another person’s mind – I can only imagine. But, what goes on in my mind – I can see, hear and feel. 

And, if I ever tell the world that I am able to ‘read’ what goes on in another person’s mind, then, it is a pure lie. I am bluffing!

Just as what goes on in my mind, you can’t read, I can’t read what goes on in your mind. Therefore, all attempts to read another person’s mind ‘as a book’, I seriously consider to be a great mind-game we play. Yes, to kill our ‘excess’ time in hand!

It is like chasing a phantom… Or, shadow-boxing with him!

Another person has his own mind… Hence, he thinks his own thoughts. Now, what thoughts does he think and why does he think them… are two futile questions from my end. And, whenever I try to read his thoughts and, worse, try to prevent him from thinking them, I am already in the boxing ring, trying to knock out the phantom!

“What a waste of time and energy,” I just got this thought, a while ago, in my mind, so strongly, that I really got up and knocked out the phantom: this one - my own ‘wasteful’ thinking!

Though I know that all my obsession with another person’s mind – what he thinks, why he thinks, how should his thoughts be and not be… so on and so forth – stems from my own insecurity, my ego, my wounded pride… 


though I know that, eventually, the other person is 
not going to change just because I want him to… 


I keep my obsession with the other person’s mind still on… My shadow-boxing with the phantom continues!

As kids, we were obsessed with 'The Phantom', the incredible hero of our comic book. And, now, as grown-ups, we are still obsessed with this real-life Phantom - other person’s mind!

Now and then, we do get up and scream, “What a waste of time and energy’, though…

Yes, as I did a just a while ago.


GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic.: Manoj Nair

Comments

Vikas Shinde said…
A Phantom of a Post! Brilliant!... Vikas
February 7, 2013 at 4:14 PM
Rupesh Mehta said…
Oh boy! This is my story! Thank you for sharing.
- Rupesh
February 8, 2013 at 9:16 AM
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