Subversion of the mind

The day I was born, I was kept in a conditioned room because that was the standing instruction. As I grew up I was sent to a place where my mind was force-channeled to a prescribed path set by some unknown person who was being called the Author. I personally don’t know Mr. Author, but he would be my saviour throughout. He saved me from flunking in exams, from getting scolding from teachers, from embarrassments in front of fellow mates and pretty girls in my class, from facing the wrath of my parents, etc. But it was always temporal; I still felt fear creeping behind me, engulfing me in darkness. Yet a sound kept pronouncing to follow the Author religiously if I wish to see daylight. And so it continued; I abided by every rule deemed important by the Author, for he said that was the path to eternal sunshine. The day did come when my path blazed in silvery bright. The Author came in a unicorn and took me to another place along the same path. They tested me on various occasions: 8 to be precise, but I had the ever trusted Author by my side. This stretch was fairly simple. The drills were the same; the instructions from the Author - the same; fears none. The Author has imparted enough confidence in me to face the bright light for eternity. All I had to do was to follow the set rules – everything will eventually fall in place.  

Everything did eventually fall in place. Upon hearing the voice of my confidence, eternal sunshine sent for me. It was my time: time to reap the benefit of years of diligent work under the Author. But as I turned back to look for him, he vanished in the rays by then. Copping the loss, I braced myself. As the sunshine dictated terms to follow I started searching for rules to follow; there were none. It said that I hold the power to make or break a rule; that I should bend its rays to draw power. I didn’t learn to bend a ray, then comes using it to draw power. I asked for a manual, but I was given a goal list. When I asked how, it asked me to look inside to get the answer outside of the box. I searched outside and questioned inside; I searched for the Author and wandered inside. Shattered and battered I realized I was taken for a ride by the Author. 

Sucker the boss (bastion of servile serpents)

Chapter I

Hell sounds real

Everyone in this world would have had to report to someone at some point of time. Doesn’t that mean everyone was bossed at least once? Who are these bosses  anyway? What is their ulterior motive apart from taking us for a ride?

If we were to classify all the bosses in the world, they would all fit into two categories – one who knows everything & one who knows nothing. The irony is, the one who knows it all acts naïve (to catch you off guard), while the latter acts like a know it all (to silence you). Yet, what’s common between these two is that, ultimately they will prove us wrong – ‘you don’t know anything’. There is an old saying that, people who have the last word is considered won. Guess that’s why they don’t let us have our say. But wait, that’s so old like them! People who have the last laugh are the winners now; & laugh we do! Remember the last time you couldn’t contain your giggle which inadvertently came out while your boss with his constipated serious look was trying to explain a funny theory of his? Work life sure does throw up such gems in compensation for the solitary confinement.

During these kind of serious one to one conversations, which eventually becomes a speech by the boss, a lot of phrases thrown all-over snarls at you; all with the same remark – ‘to say this you are not needed at all’. How much ever frustrating that might be, I channel my thoughts to think about what they really need. After much deliberation, I realized what they were expecting from us all along. If you could brush through your memory, you could hear some wonderful piece of advises from your boss –

‘you shouldn’t mind burning the night oil!’,

‘why are you so impulsive? Plan everything clearly’,

‘you are all spineless – be bold will ya!’

‘Burning the night oil’, ‘be impulsive’, ‘spineless’ - Cockroach! Yes Cockroach! They want us to be cockroaches. After all, they survived the big meteorite which extinguished dinosaurs from the face of the earth. With such repertoire to their credit, they certainly  fit the bill of heeding to paradoxical statements like, ‘why didn't you just follow my instructions? Use your head!’ – Dear boss, we did use our head; that’s why. The funny fact though is that cockroaches can stay alive for many a days without their head. The next time you see a cockroach in your unclean toilet of your unclean bachelors’ apartment; tell them – ‘caught in the wrong job? Meet my boss’.