Comeback is a compilation of poems on the theme of bouncing back from a dire circumstance to regain a former favorable condition. The book will be available on Amazon from November 15, 2021 and features some of my poems on the theme.
The threat is not from artificial intelligence but our eroding intelligence.
While I am quite a techno-enthusiast and a fan of emerging tech wizardry, I am not keen on a virtual world as a way of existence. It’s all hep and geeky when used for specific and specialized purposes in a controlled environment. It is scary as an extension of our personal lives, infiltrating our homes.
I am all for virtual robotic surgeries or a few global corporate off-sites, maybe simulated training but I don’t want a virtual holiday or have children don avatars and hone online personas. I would rather have my son scuba-dive than wear virtual reality (VR) glasses to “experience” the ocean world.
Continue reading “Metaverse: Enter at your peril”As a life-long student of history, I know every chapter resounds with the story of Heaven and Hell!
Ambition prophesied
Madness was not
Kingdom in sight
But hell it brought
Murder, malice
Truckloads of lies
A slice of heaven
Promised delight
All for naught
Power unchecked,
A tragedy wrought!
______________________________
Kings can’t smother
Smolders of a revolution
For when men burn,
Sparks reach heaven
Ashes color hell
A world rebels
For those who suffer
So history tells
Book: The New Face of Grief
Author: Katie Rössler
Genre: Contemporary, Self-Help, Non-fiction
Review Copy: Reedsy Discovery
Available at: Amazon.in
Recommended: Must Read!
The New Face of Grief is a relevant book because grief is omnipresent in human life. Through the global pandemic, grief is a prevailing emotion. This work aims to help us not to make grief omnipotent in our life.
The author, Katie Rössler, highlights important concepts that we relegate to the background. Grief is not always about death, illness, and separation. Grief abounds in more sub-categories than we realize and accept. For example, a change of location, getting married, or changing jobs may cause grief and it is not just a passing emotion. At the onset, she sets the pace, “The reality, dear reader, is that the journey of grief cannot be rushed.”
The book is full of wisdom, neatly laid down in concise chapters. Initially, I felt the author unnecessarily seemed to justify writing this book because of her personal traumatic experiences. Once you get past that there are real grief stories, too. You find a comprehensive yet deep inquiry into everything within and beyond grief. It touches on ignored topics like humor as a tool to tackle grief, or when grief becomes a family matter.
This book is relevant for those who want to understand and tackle their grief and for caretakers or loved ones to learn how to help a grieving person. While judging and shaming are not expected, telling someone to pull themselves out of “the pit” is also not acceptable. Grief-handling is a delicate and mostly long process that is shrouded in diverse social and emotional inhibitions. However, grief should not be hampered by guilt or the demands to spur back to normal. There are no rules of grief.
The author addresses important aspects of grief that may lead to addiction, depression, and physical and mental ailments. There is power in “ugly crying” and there are “deeper lessons” in the process of grieving. Part 3 of the book is engrossing as it highlights the manifestations of grief in both physical and mental terms. In the end, she talks about the tools of healing.
This book is a succinct treasure trove of all grief-related questions and challenges. I recommend this as a handbook for yourself and also your loved ones. We cannot face what we do not understand. When we find a simple guide, like in the pages of this book, the journey may feel less lonely and far less intimidating.
Suppress them not
Let them ebb and flow
Opinions, notions, emotions
Break the shackles
That bind you to silence
With anchored inhibitions;
In thoughts, voices, words
Our world is made, unmade
In never-ending cycles
A constant alchemy of change.
Last year, I blocked a few people on social media and exited WhatsApp groups due to differences in opinions. Well, not exactly that because different thoughts are enlightening, but due to trolling. Harsh words, bigotry, and bias were the hallmark of these discussions.
Needless to say, even these people must be relieved to have me exit from the group because now no one could challenge their point of view. We all love to believe we are right and our ideology is the best. Fair enough, but then why troll and abuse diverse ideologies. At that point in time, I wrote Trolled into Silence.
Over time, the situation has only worsened. Polarization, in almost all aspects of life, has manifested in crude ways. It is a global phenomenon. Innocent banter and sarcasm are also frowned upon because everyone is oversensitive. The cherry on the top is fear of the repercussions of speaking out.
Continue reading “Who will speak?”
Blue Pen Strokes 