The girl with one backpack and a passport

I met an American girl during my trip to Japan. She had been travelling around for the last 4 years. Indeed her American passport made her life easier but wen I asked her how she decided ‘where next’, she said: I randomly get down at the stations and then explore the area around. This sounded dumb but exciting at the same time…playing with uncertainties. She travelled all across Europe and now was in Asia for over 2 years now. 

My first impression about such people generally was: Dude, you are running away from their life.
And, after running away from myself for years, now I can definitely say that the only way to find yourself is when you allow yourself to get lost in the first place.

There are different things that motivate people. Some people are motivated by beauty- of nature, of beings; to some, cultures provides the inspiration and to many, money. 
I think I have lived across a lot of these phases, after I realized that the recurring theme of my life has been: “Curiosity”. 

Curiosity to do things I have never done, to see how things work, to explore what lies on the other side of the river and curiosity to see if I’ll be curious forever. 

Curiosity keeps me going. Ask yourself- what keeps you going? And, explore it in all layers. 
Now, when I am 30+ and less greedy and more confident in my skin than I have ever been, the thought that half of my live is actually over (Life expectancy of an Indian female is 68.35 years) urges me to make the most out of it. Curiosity + less time available= More curiosity. 

One of the biggest fallacies I realized about life is about a beautifully (peacefully) planned and lived life. I feel predictability is a silent killer. I always thought I loved perfect plans. And look at my life: Life made sure I never fall into a trap of my own plans so kept blasting it in weirder ways. 
In a few years time, I’ll be 40 – that used to be my benchmark for calling somebody ‘old’, and I’ll reach that that before I know.  

Unless I put myself out into the dark, I am not going to see any supernova. Until I am in the usual comfort that I am used to be in I’ll not see what lies beyond. 

So, here is my challenge: I will see half of the world that God has created before I turn 40. 

Caveat being- not that I'll die or get arrested, but that the world I wish to see will not last forever. 
I want to see the world before countries destroy each other. The notorious dictators and evil leaders are on their spree to destroy histories. And, am not too hopeful.
Look at what they did to Damascus/ Aleppo. Can I think of going to Baghdad now? All those stories about Kabul have been buried forever now. 

So, I need to hurry up- I don't have forever, and the world won’t last as long as we presume it to be. 
And the challenge for you is: find out- what moves you, what shakes you and what keeps you going. 
(Believe me, you’ll get three answers. Feel free to share)

My experiments with Forgiveness

Bible says:  
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 6:14-15) (sound like a deal, right?)

I think I read it first as a kid when some part-time Missionary (for the lack of a better term) handed me over a pamphlet about Christianity. Since then, I began my experiments on forgiveness. 

Especially on this day, Rakshabandhan festival, while on our way to visit our uncle’s place, we would pass through Central Jail where women were sitting in the park outside waiting to tie a rakhi to their prisoner brothers. The scene never failed to touch me. How easy it looked to forgive those ferocious criminals at the sight when a brother would hug his sister with a rakhi in his hand and tears in his eyes. That remained my annual lesson on forgiveness for 25 years.

After this, meditation further brought some  light in my life when I learned how unscientific it was to not forgive anyone. But I also somehow misinterpreted that as a yogi I should be simply pushing away any feeling of hurt without facing it, which made me what I am now. A degenerated version of a yogi. 

And that is how I gradually started converting my religious rituals into spiritual quests. For example, during fasting at sacred days I gave myself a target that I would be forgiving – People/ hurt/ grudge, which trust me is harder than starving yourself for a day. And, I was doing both!

 So I can say it became a second nature to forgive murderers, thieves, and such offenders and to ‘consider’ forgiving people who caused hurt/ personal injury to you. 

Absolutely not saying I have forgiven everyone, but I have tried. Every terrorist, thief, drug addict, sex offender, murderer has a story which might be a logical one given the circumstances and deserves forgiveness.
Except- smokers.

Smokers have no stories. They have only BS. You didn't eat or drink cigarettes to get addicted, you don't even get injected them in your body accidentally. None mixes that in your food behind your back. 
You smoke at your own will, after reading the warning on the packet and in cinema halls. You deserve no mercy. You deserve to be socially (and sexually) boycotted. 
From the bottom of my heart, I have sincere hatred for smokers.

Whether you smoke outside my office building or in my bathroom or 10,000 km away in your country, -  I’ll find you and hate you.