Darks clouds close in from the horizon.
"You mean you haven't read the Vedas! One-Fourth of your life is wasted. Have you read the Upanishads?" the Scholar to the Boatman taking him across the river in some rural village in India.
"No". It slowly started to drizzle.
"Half your life is wasted. What about the Bahagavadgeetha?". The downpour increases in intensity and an occasional lightning can be seen "No Panditji".
The wind is slowly gaining speed "Three fourth of your life is wasted!".
"Panditji do you know swimming?".
"No no. Why?". The boat slowly sinks "Looks like all your life will be wasted soon, there is a storm coming and my small boat may not stand up to it!".
A well known joke(more than a joke) from India. Personally, I am a wreck in such matters whose importance is stressed above. If not exit in 50s, madness in 60s, certain to drown somewhere, sometime.
Different things to learn in life physical, knowledge-wise. People proportion their learning in different ways. Some wrestlers only at the physical level, some bookworms only in knowledge, some TV-Ad-Hero-kids, drinking Bournvita, become "Champions" in ladai and padai(roughly translated - wrestling and studies).
Mental make-ups, inflexibilities and the choice of a path in life. Is their something that is best, a formula? Or is it same either way? Does it matter at all? Doubts galore... Tuesday, April 09, 2002
