Vegetarianism rocks.....

I found this article just now. And I got so excited I had to come put a link up. Okay, so I have a friend who is OBSESSED with BBC news. Every little while I used to wander past his blog, and there'd be an article up about the weird and wonderful articles he'd find, but he's never mentioned this one to me, and it's really old! It's funny how these things stick around in the most popular links - people see them and their interesting titles, keep clicking them, and the cycle makes them remain the most popular article perpetually. Like the Sudanese goat article. That's been passed around beyond belief. What's that? You haven't seen it? Okay, well the gist of it is....

A man wakes up in the middle of the night. He wanders out to see what's going on, and there's some random guy doing "things" to his goat. I mean, bestiality is not most people's thing, right? No, don't look at me like that. I'm not into that. Just because I bite... 8-) So he ties up the man. Brings him before the village's counsel of elders. They essentially dictate the laws. They decreed that since the man had had experiences with the goat that one ordinarily would with one's wife, he had to pay a dowry. And get married to the goat. No joke. Really.

But anyways..... This one in question is about how I'm clever for not eating meat. Lol. Apparently vegetarians are more intelligent and live longer than non-veg. Live longer? Duh. Most meats are chockful of "bad" cholesterol [the unsaturated types]. Shame it doesn't make us pretty too! I got told last week that all the pretty people are non-veg people.

Meh. Two outta three ain't bad. Have a nice day!

BBC News - vegetarianism

PS.... Just in case you still didn't believe me about the goat! Lol! [First link originally written in Feb 2004]

PPS. Lol. I just searched BBC for the link. It's such a phenomenon. In May 2007, Rose, Sudan's married goat, passed away. My condolences to her widower, and all who will miss her.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4748292.stm">BBC News - original

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6619983.stm">BBC News - update

Shantaram....

I love reading. It's one of my favourite things to do in the world... To curl up with a good book, and be transported to another time, place, or universe. To see, hear and smell things from another lifetime with such vividness that you can lose yourself for hours on end. It opens opportunity, and lets the imagination soar. More so for a well-written book. I guess it's why I usually read the book before going to see the movie, and then am invariably disappointed, lol! It never looks just as I had pictured it. The colours are muted, the actors possess a different take on the emotions, and expressions. But when you're reading, the characters are truly of your own creation - the author merely provides the guidelines.

I rediscovered just such a book the other day. Shantaram. By Gregory David Roberts. There are no words to describe it. When reading it, I literally felt what he described. More than that, I was inspired by his words, his candid self-assessment... I walked along his path of self-discovery, was crushed by his disappointments, and soared with his realisations.

Yet more inspiring, the story the book tells is true - it's somewhat awe-inspiring to know that the life he describes actually happened, once upon a time. And if I were to repeat the blurb [as I do below], I have no doubt that you too would be incredulous at how much one can achieve in a single lifetime. The mental strength to survive so many hardships is actually real.

I remember how I felt the first time I read the book over a year ago. I wanted to embark on my own journey of self-exploration; to face my own challenges to not only survive, but learn from my experiences [and through which create my own opportunities to achieve wonderful things]; to save lives; to simply make a difference. I was sure that the lessons learned from the book would never leave me, its profound meaning would forever change my life.

That copy of the book has since been read by 3-4 more people. It returned to me last week, and I voraciously read it again - not just to see if it was really as good as I remember, but because often, the second time one reads something, the more insight one gets from it. [The same was true of Fight Club - the clues for that ultimate twist were there all along, try it! It's pretty incredible what you miss when you don't know what you're looking for!] I guess in terms of books, the first time, I read faster to feed my insatiable curiosity of the twists and turns within the plot that the underlying messages are only superficially recognised.

And it was just as good as I remember. Better. More inspiring. Yet somewhat depressingly, in the year since I first read it, none of my ideals have happened. Lol, it's not like I ever expected to go and live in an Indian slum and save lives or anything. But it's all the same. Well, on first thought anyways. I guess for the more ordinary amongst us - those not quite as adventurous as Roberts - the changes are more subtle.

- Like my last couple of posts for example. I've found myself appreciating the little things more. The beauty in my mundane ordinary and unexciting life.
- I'm more likely to take that spontaneous choice. Why not go out for that friend's birthday despite the shedloads of work I'll have to make up for? It's important to me, and them.
- And I guess best of all, I'm provoked into looking at myself a lot more. I'm happier with who I see looking back at me. By living my life more with each passing moment rather than for what's happened in the last 10 years, and preparing for what may or may not even happen in the next 10 years, I'm gaining more pleasure.

And I'd like to think, sharing that pleasure with those around me. Like I'm sure you've seen those stupid e-mail forwards. The one I'm thinking of in particular is about the smile, and how infectious it can be. I smile, so others around me will smile more. Smiling makes people happy [something to do with the endorphins (happy hormones) the brain releases, triggered by the smiling mechanism]. By my smiling more, I'd like to think the world is just a little bit happier, even if it is localised. You hear so many stories about those brave individuals who stuck to their belief that if they do what they can, one person can make a difference.

Starting small, I'm making a difference.... Give it a go, it's fun! :o)

"In the early 80s, Gregory David Roberts, an
armed robber and heroin addict, escaped from an Australian prison to India,
where he lived in a Bombay slum. There, he established a free health clinic and
also joined the mafia, working as a money launderer, forger, and street soldier.
He found time to learn Hindi and Marathi, fall in love, and spend time being
worked over in an Indian jail. Then, in case anyone thought he was slacking, he
acted in Bollywood and fought with the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan... Amazingly,
Roberts wrote Shantaram three times after prison guards trashed the first two
versions. It's a profound tribute to his willpower... At once a high-kicking,
eye-gouging adventure, a love saga and a savage yet tenderly lyrical fugitive
vision"
Written by Time Out

PS. Yes, I know he was an escaped convict, and a former heroin addict, and that he not only fought for, but rationalised and even maybe slightly trivialised Jihad. And that much of the book has probably been slightly overdramatised. But the majority of what happened is true. And he achieved much good in his life, to atone for his past sins. And who doesn't make mistakes? It doesn't make the book any less powerful.

Beautiful! *sighs*

Today I am expressing wonderment at all that is. It occurred to me today, mid-revision. Well, mid-supposed revision - the reality was closer to procrastination. The world is so much bigger than anything we know. Regardless of our woes; our joys and successes; and even our very existence, the world is relatively indifferent. Clocks keep ticking. People carry on about their insignificant lives. The sun continues to rise and set. Eventually we all will die. Even those who achieve a celebrity status. The kind of status that means they're remembered after their death - their existence has been recorded by civilisation as a whole. Like Shakespeare, or Caesar. In all likelihood, there will come a day when not a single person on this planet - not a single atom in the cosmos - is aware they existed.

So what then, is the purpose of life? Given that on our death, we can no longer experience life, and will henceforth eventually be forgotten? See, here's the thing... I don't actually have a clue. Maybe I'll save that for another day. This started out as an expression of amazement at the size of the universe; the efficiency through which it runs; and the beauties which it creates. The beautiful views of sunsets/sunrises; the ocean on a clear summer's day - indeed, the ocean on a miserable stormy day too! The tiniest little ant in itself is a wonder, there are so many rare species of whose existence we are even entirely unaware of! The list therefore, is endless.

Whenever it all gets a bit much, I know I can retreat to thinking of any one of these wonders, which will put my worries into perspective - nothing makes an impending deadline seem so trivial as the thought of miles and miles of the sea, whose waves will continue to rise and fall whether or not you write 4000 words, or 6000. The soothing sound of waves crashing on the shoreline. The deep blue translucent vision stretching as far as the eye can see, until it meets the bright sky at the horizon. Beautiful, no?

So that's my tuppence for the day. Appreciate. Savour. Make the most of every experience. Take a moment to ponder the beauty of natural creation. Stop to enjoy the beautiful view from the train window as you're squashed like a sardine in a carriage. Or to smell a rose as you stroll past a bush, instead of rushing to push rudely past everyone else on the road. Think about the miracle behind a fly's tiny little wings, instead of aimlessly swatting to cause its extermination when you hear a buzzing sound. Dream of lying on a beach on a hot summer's day as you fall asleep instead of worrying about how busy you'll be tomorrow.... Doesn't life already seem that little bit sweeter? :o)