Wednesday, August 31, 2005

The Unreasonable Man

"A reasonable man tries to adapt himself to the world, but an unreasonable man makes the world adapt to him and all progress depends on the unreasonable man"

Imagine how everything would be if life went like this... the sun rises...the cock crows...You get up...Do your daily chores...etc.etc...Take a nap...wakeup again...etc.etc...sleep for another eight hours and the wheel moves on. Boring isn't it? Don't you think there is a need for a change? For something, out of the ordinary, past the mundane, off the beaten track?
It is only when someone thinks that things ought not to be the way they are that there is progress.

History tells us the same thing. Imagine how the world would be if some unreasonable man hadn't decided to rebel againt the roman empire?...We would still be seeing half-naked men draped in shawls with olive reeds on their heads,olympics would always be held in Athens.And Gaul would still be defending itself? True, Rome wasn't built in a day. But still, I like the present day world better.
Think of how the world would be if Jesus Christ hadn't spread "the good word of god"?Majority of the world wouldn't have a man on a cross, dangling on a chain, around their necks.
Or if Christopher Columbus hadn't decided to go against the Turks and take the sea route to India?...We still wouldn't know that the American continents existed.
Think of how the world would be if Gandhi hadn't decided to use the yet-unheard-of methods of Sathyagraha and Non-violence to fight against the colonisers?...The sun still wouldn't set on the British empire.
Think of what would've happened if Hitler hadn't decided to overrule the Versailles Treaty? Germany would've burnt its boots. And most of all Democracy wouldn't have as strong a hold in Eurasia as it has now.
So, I think that its only change which brings progress to the world and hence would want to make it the motto of my life ( Until, ofcourse, some "unreasonable" man decides that it should change)

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Harry Potter- Present, Future

After reading the latest installment of the Harry Potter series, I’m thinking if “The Prisoner of Azkaban” still remains my favorite Potter book.
Thickly plotted, the book is very gripping. Each line has been carefully written and nothing has been overdone. Even though we stumble on whatever has already told here and there, the repetition enhances the overall effect.
When I read the “Order of the Phoenix”, I felt that my cousin’s hunch that JKR was losing her touch was true. But “The Half-Blood Prince” proves otherwise. Unlike the 5th book this one is not hazy. It has a definite direction. Everyone seem to have more control over themselves. Harry’s love life has been made more subtle. It seems that the main role of the book in the series is to connect old threads and draw new ones.
There is one part in the main plot that intrigues me- the behavior of Snape. Why did Dumbledore trust Snape so much? Is there a more valid reason for Snape to kill Dumbledore other than the Unbreakable vow?
So, what might happen in the next book? Since JKR is indicating that Hogwarts might not open next year, there is a lot of adventure expected in the next book. We might be seeing more of Snape. We will, obviously be seeing Harry trying to protect himself when Lily’s protection lifts and after Dumbledore’s death Voldemort will be very active. “R.A.B” might be a new character who might aid him in finding the remaining Horcruxes.
And we Potter fans might have to wait for a long time to find out what the last book will be called, Harry Potter and “the 4/5/6 Horcruxes” or “the final struggle” or some other name that we cannot figure out, and longer time to read it.