Listen to Words

He entered my life when I was eleven or twelve; one of those friendships that arrives through another friend and then outlasts everything else. Now, at forty-five, we remain brothers across continents and time zones that barely touch. My friend, among so many quirky things, had a religions relationship with To Kill a Mockingbird. He carried Harper Lee's novel like it was sacred text, not just a book but a moral compass. I remember watching him speak about it, his eyes catching that rage towards the fire. Only a handful of people believe so deeply in something; justice, integrity, the kind of quiet bravery that doesn't need to announce itself. In so many ways, he embodied Atticus Finch. I am not, by nature, social. When I encounter rare souls, I sense their energy like heat from a flame. Then, I met you, River. I fell in love; truly, madly, for the first time in my life. And there it was, in your suitcase, worn at the spine with love: To Kill a Mockingbird. That same book, that same black cover with the orange drawing of a bird. You carried it everywhere; to different countries, for work, on holidays. It lived in your backpack like a talisman. I remember when you left suddenly; in the rush of that goodbye; not knowing it would be our last. You left the book behind. When we were no longer lovers, when everything else you'd left could have stayed forgotten, the one thing you asked me to send back was that book. I hope the book is still with you now, and guide as a compass. For times when the planet spins drunk with madness and decency feels extinct. I hope you read it again soon, letting its words remind both you and this weary Earth of purpose; to believe, despite everything, in the possibility of goodness.

Let me stay in this moment; just a little longer than usual. Let me blend into the feeling, the calm ocean at dusk, the thrill of running into its freezing waves.

I've stolen glimpses of you, since Earth last circled the sun. I want to explore the mundane, touch the magical, unravel mystery, craft theories on saving humanity.

I want to get lost in hours of simplicity. I want to feel my limbs tangled in yours, while stillness fills the air, and your warmth makes the cold feel electric.

You feel like home where I can build a flame. I want to gather firewood on winter nights, within a universe that barely knows our name, under weary shooting stars, as aliens drift through the cosmos calling your name.

When I bite into an Orange, I find the flavours to be incredibly stimulating. I love citrus flavours, and I may be very sensitive to them. According to ‘Quiet’ by ‘Susan Cain’ I could be hovering more towards the introverted side of the human spectrum. Susan Cain takes us on an educational journey full of facts and new research into the world of introversion, extroversion and bits in-between those realms. ‘Quiet’ takes you through how we view introversion from organisational, to personal relationships and to how we raise the next generation. Evidence such as organisational leadership where teams with more proactive members tend to flourish under introverted leadership. Also, the opposite is true for extroverted leadership. While research has still not concluded on the exact science why us humans fall into such spectrums, this book takes us through the evidence of tremendous success when introverts and extroverts embrace each other’s strengths and work towards a common goal. The American Civil Rights movement in the ’60s would have had a different start if not for Rosa Park’s quiet strength coupled with Martin Luther King, Jr great speeches. An organisation should equally cultivate and reward their versions of “Steve Jobs” and “Steve Wozniak” and encourage their partnership. If not, we could be missing out on the next “Apple”. Susan Cain's Quiet is recommended a book to bite into!

Henry Rollins wakes you up bitterly wide eyed open with Black Coffee Blues. This was a strange read. I'm glad it has its quirky character as a book. We should have more books like this. Notes, stories and poems all seeping into your blood with something stronger than caffeine.  Everything amounting to a glimpse to a non-fiction world I couldn't imagine. It's painful so tread with precaution, but you come out with your skin still intact.

I finished 'The Last Girl' by Nadia Murad this week. This book clutches you with the painful detail the experiences of Yazidi community in the hands of terrorism. Especially what the young women had to suffer through. The story narrates in great detail the time before ISIS rule to the grim facts of what it is to be a women-slave under them. How religion is distorted to justify crimes. Rape used as a tool of war to terrorise. Sexual abuse of women used as a recruitment incentive. This is not the first time in history this has happened and on many occasions, we never know the truth. The sentences in this book carry an important story which should be known the entire planet. I read the last words from the last sentence in the last page inside a crowed bus. Just as I was done I had to hold back the teardrop trying to burst out of my right eye. Reading this book every morning reminded me how fortunate my life is and what most of us complain about is lacks any weight. Even before I read this book I knew of the atrocities ISIS had done but to read what Nadia and the Yazidi people in Iraq had to endure kept me sighing in grief, repugnance and concern. Sorrow for the souls that have suffered. Concern for how such evil erupts. Disgust for the brutality people are capable of maintaining themselves to achieve.

A lot of information adhered to me while immersed in this well-written book. But few of them took more room in my brain. How we treat animals now is a good indication of how enhanced humans will treat us in the future. Fiction has more power than we realise. The weird reason why we strive for a home with a big lawn. Dataism - the new religion. Power of algorithms and even today most things are run by them i.e. the stock market. The total connectedness and the all-ruling internet-of-ALL-things. There is something stranger than a brave new world in store for us. Yuval Noah Harari's 'Homo Deus' is a sound eye-opener to the possibilities in store and maybe how we Homo-sapiens can harness a better tomorrow.  

Again I come out enlightened by Malcolm Gladwell at the end of a reading journey. 'What the Dog Saw' contains a series of essays and articles about amazing personalities, social concerns, corporate predicaments and analysis of intellect. There are lessons to be learned from everyday issues, their solutions and people. If we dig through the most mundane, there is a wealth of marvels to be found. Reading this reminds you to take another careful look with a different lens at the world around us.

Imagine that you were asked to give the public your ‘reading list’. Not what you’re currently reading. Not what you plan to read. Not even what you read in the past. Well not really but close enough. This is the list of handful of books that inspired, redefined, or even saved you. The book you read that you want to share with the world. The book that contains words that can help humanity. The world is not always going agree with you. In fact it rarely does but you believe strongly in the content that you want to share it with a wider community. What were those books or book?

Parts of me are changing into new algorithms. Some parts are going back to familiar places. One thing for serious contemplation is that I’m allowing myself to let go more and more. Feeling of being out of control is growing stronger into my spine. What colours this year will conclude in I do not know. But I like the colours that I’m swirling in. Unlike the drink on my desk, they’re palette is not clear. Like the sensations in my inner throat, these colours are intoxicating and at the same time sobering.

When I have copies of Malcolm Gladwell's books floating around in my apartment, I must inhale the sparks of wisdom within them before moving on to anything else. 'Blink' brings us insights into how our mind works. How best to determine a situation and arrive at a solution using first instincts or when to delve into deep analysis. The stuck-in-the-mud situations we most often get into with analysis-paralysis. The idea of making better decisions with less information. Again Malcolm Gladwell brings brilliant bytes of informative stories to enlight us and why we must consider new ways of deciphering the world - "When to blink and when to think". 

"When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from the unconscious, from somewhere within ourselves. In the important decisions of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature." - Sigmund Freud