Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Sheela Krishnamony “It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”   ―   Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez     I came across a statement today: “Disillusionment is the last illusion.” It took me some time to grasp the meaning of this sentence… I am a dreamer… an idealist. I am, also, a strong optimist. But, all said and done, at the end of the day, when I see my dreams remain unfulfilled… when I see people around me not as loyal and committed as wish them to be, when aging – health and money issues – try to intimidate me, when some people relentlessly try to crush me down, and when I see myself alone when it comes to fighting many of my battles… yes, that’s the time, I sense the cloud of disillusionment in my heart… “What is the point,” I do hear my heart ask, “If things go this way in my life?” Bitterness and cynicism walk into our he...

Pic.: Nirmala Sundar W here does our cynicism come from? I think, it comes from our disappointments and frustrations. I watch myself, closely, every time I tend to become cynical – and, let me tell you this: I do pass through my own share of cynical bouts umpteen times in life – and notice that my heart is not strong enough to withstand the disappointments and frustrations stemming from various setbacks… the temporary defeats, unfair criticism from people around, lack of loyalty and integrity from people around, lack of appreciation and loss of love… yes, I notice, that whenever I experience any of these setbacks, if my heart is not strong enough to withstand the pain and the shock, I, invariably, tend to sulk… go into my shell and conclude, “What is the point?”… “No use.” Mercifully, in my case, the bouts of cynicism are sporadic… Like the dark clouds in the sky, they appear, stay there for a while… and, then, they go… But, go they will! So, wh...

Pic.: Sherry Haridas I n my ninth-standard English text-book, there was a lesson on John F. Kennedy. And, that was the first time, I heard about the famous line from his inaugural speech: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Much later in life, when I came across the management jargon, ‘Being Proactive’, I thought of Kennedy’s famous words and realized, that when we all start blaming the country or the government for our miseries, we come about as  the worst lot to live in this country! Let me tell you this:  no matter how much I pay in taxes and no matter how much I am made to believe that the elected representatives of our country are callous, corrupt etc... I have refused to buy the argument that all our problems can be solved by the government we vote to power... True, the government has to be accountable... transparent, honest and committed. True, we expect our representatives to deliver what they pro...

“Life is Beautiful!” Is it? Yes, I do say, “Life is Beautiful,” very often… But, do I believe in what I say? Is Life really beautiful? The expression – ‘Life is Beautiful’ – had first come to me when the famous movie, by the same title, was released. It was a movie about the horrendous torture in gas chambers by  Hitler’s Nazi… the Holocaust… the brutality at its worst. Still, amidst this hopelessness, a beautiful story of a man and his little son was told… When we watched this movie, we had cried and we had smiled…  We had cried… unable to withstand the harshness of the dark side of Life… We had smiled… being able to still find meaning and hope amidst the insanity of mankind… Ever since watching this movie, the expression – ‘Life is Beautiful’ – has easily come to my heart… But, I do wonder, at times: “Is it really so?”…  “Do I really mean it?” This morning, I had somebody along with ...

The world is not perfect; its principles are. When you go about your life expecting the world to be perfect, you only end up being cynical. On the other hand, when you keep faith in its rock-steady principles, you become buoyant, zestful. This morning, I felt a strong urge with in me to pray for this wonderful 'boon': of being zestful, hopeful and buoyant. I realise that, often, many small irritations, small misunderstandings in my life, make me edgy, pessimistic and give up soon. I tend to lose trust in people, their goodness, their sincerity easily. I see myself making gloomy predictions; and, I remain immobile, unenthusiastic and skeptical about other people's ideas and plans. A couple of my students remain absent for my class, least bothered to inform me - it is enough to make me conclude: "The times have changed; there is no respect for teachers." The fact that ninety-eight percent of the students attended the class, bothered to take me into confidence - yes,...