Saturday, March 26, 2011

All happens for the best?

A farmer had a horse but one day, the horse ran away and so the farmer and his son had to plow their fields themselves. Their neighbors said, "Oh, what bad luck that your horse ran away!" But the farmer replied, "Bad luck, good luck, who knows?"

The next week, the horse returned to the farm, bringing a herd of wild horses with him. "What wonderful luck!" cried the neighbors, but the farmer responded, "Good luck, bad luck, who knows?"

Then, the farmer's son was thrown as he tried to ride one of the wild horses, and he broke his leg. "Ah, such bad luck," sympathized the neighbors. Once again, the farmer responded, "Bad luck, good luck, who knows?"

A short time later, the ruler of the country recruited all young men to join his army for battle. The son, with his broken leg, was left at home. "What good luck that your son was not forced into battle!" celebrated the neighbors. And the farmer remarked, "Good luck, bad luck, who knows?" 



P.S. My laziness to actually type this story led me to find this site, it is taken from there and I enjoyed it. http://restlessimaginations.blogspot.com/2009/09/everything-happens-for-reason.html


Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Happy Women's Day?

Once again, it’s that time of the year when women all over the world celebrate the achievements of women. 




To some, today is a day to bring burning issues to the forefront.
To others, it's a day of celebration and respecting the female souls that make your life wonderful.

To me?
I'm confused as usual.

What's so great about women?
A recent article suggested because they can multi-task and very beautiful and have an attitude worth admiring. Err... I'm not exactly what you call beautiful and I multi-task as much as Arjuna the Archer and really am too confused to have people notice my attitude. So that really can't be it.

Early on, I enjoyed celebrating Women's Day. I'm a feminist and often think women don't get their due. Whatever a woman is doing normally today is such a great task, what with societal norms and traditions. I'm not being a female chauvinist, I'm not claiming they're better than men, they are as good or as bad as men on a mental and spiritual plane. I know there will be some people who will turn up their noses at this point, believe me honourable reader, Aristotle never perceived the friction stopping the force and you are following in his footsteps. I also thought it was a great forum to be heard.

As a woman, I have received many “Happy Women’s Day” wishes meant as compliments. More often than not, it is like lighting a fuse for me. People don’t understand my vendetta against women’s day. Here, I try to explain my stance.

It was first observed in 1911 ( Yes, I know, this is a bit too much... but me and history are inseparable!) against the backdrop of protests demanding the right to vote for women. It was a movement started by women to celebrate the forward strides taken by women in all spheres of life all over the globe. But amidst these rosy descriptions is hidden the fact that women required and do require a reason to celebrate. The day is simply a mask to hide the scars of sorrow and an anaesthetic for the wounds of subjugation and discrimination. (Gee! I like my similes) . That is why I hate International Women’s Day (IWD). It emphasises and re-emphasises why only one day in a year is International Women’s Day whereas the remaining days aren't. I know that people will claim that women have achieved so much that is worthy of celebration. Then, celebrating IWD just once a year, is silly. Every day is a day of celebration then and thus it’s ordinary and requires no special celebration anyway!

International Women’s Day is a great mode of creating revenue for businesses. Women hardly realize that it is just a trick to make them part with their money. Advertisements crop up that claim they respect the female soul, the one which is the pillar of strength and other poetic lines to entice the innocent. It makes me wonder where all this respect was during the days I normally went shopping.
Finally, if you're a woman, I salute you and encourage you to be a responsible citizen of the globe and chase your dreams every single day. Be a part of the revolution. And yes, Happy Women's Day Everyday!

If you're a man, I firstly salute your patience to reading till the end, it gives me hope and would entreat you to treat all women fairly in triumph and trials. Be a part of the revolution!

And yes, I fully know that the burning question in your mind is
"Dude where's the treat?"