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The Ocean Beckons


“Anybody who’s ever mattered, anybody who’s ever been happy, anybody who’s given any gift into the world has been a divinely selfish soul, living for his own best interest.  No exceptions.”

Einstein didn’t discover the theories and formulas of relativity with the intention of serving humanity.  It was his interest, his passion, to dwell on such matters.  Otherwise he wouldn’t have been Einstein.  His mind was such that it couldn’t be satisfied with anything less than those ethereal concepts.

There are hundreds of artists, writers, scientists, who defied well-established and domineering (even ominously threatening) authorities in order to express the truths they had discovered.  Galileo, for example.  Even Salman Rushdie, why not?

Most of us are not Einsteins and Galileos.  We are ordinary mortals who would like to do our ordinary jobs to the best of our abilities and earn our living which will help us live happily with our families or engaging in our hobbies or other meaningful passions after the regular work hours. 

What if that bread-earning work becomes an oppression for the soul?  What if the work environment changes all of a sudden for reasons beyond our control, tossing us into a new world with a structure that sits on us like the yoke on the neck of a bullock?

It is in such times that I’m reminded of Richard Bach’s reluctant Messiah whom I have quoted at the beginning of this piece.  You can quit the job even if it is your life’s mission when it becomes unbearable, that’s one of the fundamental messages of Bach’s book [Illusions]. 

“I command you to be happy in the world, as long as you live.”  Suppose God tells this to an individual what would he do?  Go your way, discover your happiness, says the Messiah’s God in Bach’s novel.

Let not the system kill your creativity.  Let not the system sap your vitality.  Let not experts define the crests and troughs of the wave that you are commanded by them to surf.  The vast ocean beckons you.  The ocean does not command you anything.  You can ride any wave.  But the ocean has its own laws.  If you break them, they will break you.

They are the laws of the ocean.  You should know them if you want to break free from the structures laid around you like a debilitating trap by people who call themselves experts.  You are the expert in the ocean if you know the laws of the ocean. 


Ready to break out of the structure?  The ocean beckons you. 
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Comments

  1. Donna BurmanJuly 23, 2014 at 7:05 PM

    The last second para!! What motivating lines!! Totally inspired!

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 23, 2014 at 8:35 PM

      Certain truths of life are born within the fire that is set in you by others. Some of those are what I've expressed here. Glad you found them inspiring. Your comment is a motivation for me.

      Delete
  2. Vinay NagarajuJuly 23, 2014 at 8:23 PM

    Nice one Matheikal, esp when you talk about the laws of the ocean. This reminds me of a book - Jonathan Seagull and its quest to fly. Brilliant one!

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 23, 2014 at 8:36 PM

      Jonathan Seagull and Illusions were two of my favourite books in my early twenties. Later, other books took their place. But certain ideas and thoughts from them still live on in my memory, motivating me, inspiring me... to go on.

      Delete
  3. Ravish ManiJuly 23, 2014 at 8:51 PM

    I agree with Richard Bach's quote. We do things only to meet our selfish needs whether for this world or some other. As I see, Law of Ocean gives the right to big fish to eat small fish.

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    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 23, 2014 at 9:16 PM

      Yeah, that's why I said we should know the laws properly. Knowledge equips you with the skills called for. However, the piece I've written is not to be taken scientifically. It's poetry in prose!

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJuly 23, 2014 at 8:51 PM

    Wow, such amazing play of words. totally impressive. Btw, have you ever stumbled on the works of Ayn Rand on objectivism?

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 23, 2014 at 9:17 PM

      I have a personal copy of 'Atlas Shrugged' and have read "The Fountainhead" as well as quite a few other books of Rand. But her philosophy doesn't excite me now. As a young man I was enthralled by her.

      Delete
  5. ManiparnaJuly 23, 2014 at 10:11 PM

    Intense and inspirational ....

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  6. UnknownJuly 24, 2014 at 1:27 PM

    Illusions has been very close to my heart. A master piece that can guide anyone who has questions on life or its materialistic nature. I like your motivational lines wound around it. Beautiful indeed.

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 24, 2014 at 6:54 PM

      'Illusions' is a unique blend of the Western outlook and the Eastern mysticism. The plot is simplistic. But I admire the insights it provides into life.

      Delete
  7. UnknownJuly 24, 2014 at 1:50 PM

    The vast ocean beckons you. The ocean does not command you anything. You can ride any wave. But the ocean has its own laws. If you break them, they will break you.
    Totally in love with these lines, inspiration is in the air today.

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  8. UnknownJuly 25, 2014 at 10:00 AM

    Oh lovely! It doesn't just inspire but it excites me at the same time.

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 25, 2014 at 11:36 AM

      There's some excitement in me too, Namrata. I'm looking forward to a new beginning... though it may take a little time.

      Delete
    2. UnknownJuly 26, 2014 at 8:00 PM

      I wish you all the best. I too am looking for a new start.

      Delete
  9. Bushra MuzaffarJuly 25, 2014 at 3:46 PM

    Tomichan .. I appreciate your absorption of the surroundings and its conversion into prose-poetry. The rules are very essential. .alas...one has to learn the rules all along. ..while playing the game of life. ..the rulebook is never handed to you at the start. ..not fair

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    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 25, 2014 at 8:59 PM

      Let me add this, Bushra: rules are often made by silly people who have infantile aspirations. In smaller communities it becomes very obvious. I'm living with such a situation right now.

      Delete
  10. KalpanaJuly 25, 2014 at 3:58 PM

    Life wisdom that comes to you as you grow. As Bushra so insightfully says - one has to learn this, nobody tells you how to do it. Good post Methikal. As always.

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    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 25, 2014 at 9:00 PM

      Life can give us more wisdom if we are ready to throw our security to the winds, Kalpana. Life can be a big joke. It can be a terrible tragedy too. Matter of perception.

      Delete
  11. Sunshine-struckJuly 25, 2014 at 8:25 PM

    According to my observation, many professionally successful people have a bad personal life. Or a bad personal life has directed them to professional success. And many personally successful people settle down with a mediocre life.

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    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 25, 2014 at 9:02 PM

      AMEN. You said it. Most wonderfully. I couldn't have said it better in so few words.

      Delete

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