Corners

Please don't feel the need to read this. It's a bit of a rant unlikely to please anyone. And that goes for you too, nosy ones. The well-wishers of course, feel free to flock in.

Winter's gone. I have to say I am not very fond of this transition period, though in comparison the weather at this time is most pleasant. I mean, these aren't Springs or Autumns. There aren't vibrant flowers or leaves, sparkling clean air or blue skies.

It's odd of course, how vivid memories, or the imagination tend to be. And how important they surprisingly become. I saw the golden triangle aglow, heard the bell ring with its mild echo like a happy sound emanating from a hollow space, and saw the mahogany even before the elevator arrived. I didn't wait for it and took the stairs instead.

Ah, the day. It began with much laughter and conversation with a variety of colleagues. Looking intently at the screen (for legitimate reasons - a few deadlines are inching closer) didn't dissuade some of my colleagues who almost in sequence decided it would be interesting to make some conversation on a Monday morning. I had little option but to humour them with a few nods, some smiles and a remark here and there. Spent some time with the boss as well. Though there are ways of having my requests honoured, it isn't simple. An unnecessary distraction. And yet I harbour a feeling that there's potential for positive interaction. But from what I hear about the others', things can be a whole lot worse.

The few uninterrupted hours I did get were utilized without pause. I think we learn to do that over time. Besides there wasn't really an option.

Returning from work was unpleasant. The narrow road is almost clogged by the idiots digging up the land adjacent to it for some construction. Hillocks of soil line up the sides, turning it into a single lane and the air is opaque. I mean, what are these idiots thinking? Event those makeshift tents they spend nights in with their families are not the blue and orange they once were, but brown. Add to that the awful traffic - I think it was worse today on this road than I usually encounter - and it is a mess, a sort of confusion no one really gives a damn about. Vehicles show no hesitation in taking the wrong side of the road and on a bike, one can choke to death of fall off the side when a tattering old truck bellowing wildly zig-zags through like a maniac! I suppose a burkha might be suitable attire for a cyclist in these parts. Rampant inconsideration can make one as sick of body as of the mind.

Life can be a celebration, and I don't mean that hypothetically. Each day can be a celebration. Each moment can be worth rejoicing in. The idea isn't absurd or utopian, but it's clearly lost on most here. I think it might be a completely new concept, primitive though it is. It's not joy, but a battle one steps out to. At the core of all issues is the happiness of an individual, and the absence of an environment or infrastructure to facilitate it. The death of spontaneity spawns a horde of people with agendas and dubious motives. Holds true for the seemingly innocent ones too. My capacity for empathy falls flat before this ever-growing group. The need therefore becomes to create small spaces, spaces of relative isolation and for select groups, almost creating an alternate reality to take refuge in. Like I said, an active imagination is the antidote for the malady these surroundings can inflict. Of course for the less imaginative, which is the larger group, there's always the rules of religion to plunge into. No wonder it sells so well in these parts.