Month: October 2020

The Living Years.

As it happens so often in my life, I received a link to this remarkable song with such beautiful lyrics after I had written my previous blog post. This is so relevant today that I feel that I must share this with my readers. My sincere gratitude to RP who sent the link to remind me of this song.

The Living Years
Mike + The Mechanics

Every generation
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door
I know that I’m a prisoner
To all my Father held so dear
I know that I’m a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Oh, crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got
You say you just don’t see it
He says it’s perfect sense
You just can’t get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence
Say it loud (say it loud), say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye
So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
It’s the bitterness that lasts
So don’t yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you don’t give up, and don’t give in
You may just be okay
So say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
Because it’s too late, it’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye
I wasn’t there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn’t get to tell him
All the things I had to say
I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I’m sure I heard his echo
In my baby’s new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (it’s too late when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye
So say it, say it, say it loud (say it loud)
Say it clear (come on say it clear)

Source: LyricFind

My Best, Worst And Most Likely Case Predictions For The World In Five Years.

I am not Nostradamus and I find it extremely difficult to predict what will happen tomorrow leave alone during the next five years. There is so much uncertainty around that it is not funny anymore. Here is the latest ominous sign about the kind of unexpected things that can happen in the future just as this chinese virus came as a surprise.

My best prediction will be that:

  1. Almost all vehicles two wheelers, four wheelers and transportation and agricultural vehicles will run on electricity. Electricity itself will be generated from renewable sources and be non polluting. This single development will realign industry, maintenance and service work forces like never before.
  2. Artificial Intelligence and robotics will be the next big invader into employment and the Service Sector will be the biggest employer throwing unqualified workers out of employment and causing big strain on National budgets. This could raise taxes on working persons causing quite a bit of social unrest.
  3. Working and Learning From Home will be more common than working in offices and learning in schools and colleges, and this will strain the Realty Sector but will reduce traffic on roads and call for different kinds of policing and criminal activities.
  4. Women will increasingly be more visible in high positions and their wages will match male wages.
  5. Hard cash as we now know it will become almost extinct as electronic payment systems will increasingly take over.
  6. Banks as we know now will also disappear as while Banking will very much be there, Banks in physical existence as branches and offices
    will disappear.
  7. As much as I hate to predict this, wearing masks will be as ubiquitous as it is in Japan.
  8. Wireless charging of hand held devices which will be indispensable and will enable people to charge their devices on the go.

    Worst prediction will be that the Clash Of Civilisations will see intense hostilities across the globe and we will see unprecedented refugee problems across the globe. Some trigger-happy lunatic in charge of a nuclear arsenal may start something and none of us may be alive.

    The most likely prediction will be that nothing will change and we will blunder along as we are doing now.

This is my contribution to this week’s Friday 8 On 1 blog post topic. The other seven bloggers who write on the same topic every Friday are Maria. Sanjana, Padmum,  Raju, Shackman , Srinivas and Conrad.  This week’s topic was suggested by Conrad. Please do go over to their respective blogs to see what they have to say on the topic. Thank you.

Changed Priorities.

My readers have often commented favourably on some of the exchanges that I have with my friends about which I post.  The comments would appear to appreciate the bonhomie that exists between us.

I wonder what my readers would say to this image that was sent to me via WhatsApp by another friend with the comment: “Perfectly fits you sir🤪 “

First Borns.

This message was posted on Facebook by a lady friend.

“First borns are always the meanest.

Because we became parents of children we did not make.  So, yeah, we are very angry.”

My friend added the comment:  “And that too at a really young age.”

 

Being a First born and upset, I responded : “I am sure that my three siblings will totally disagree.”

My friend responded : “It’s different when you’re a guy. Guys are not expected to parent their siblings but girls are. It’s the bane of society where women are expected to shoulder responsibility from the day a sibling is born 🤷‍♀️”

What do you think?

Explanation.

A friend of mine from Kolkata had been ill for a while and was discharged from hospital a few days ago. I had spoken to him immediately after his discharge and earlier this afternoon, I rang him up again to enquire about his recovery and progress.

He answered the call with a ‘good morning” despite it being 4.30 pm and I responded with my usual Hari Om.

We spoke about his recovery and disconnected after a few moments of other usual chats.

Half an hour later he called me back to explain that he was fast asleep when I had called, it was cloudy and dark and he thought that it was early morning. After the call, he got up washed up and discovered that it was afternoon and he called to explain his “good morning” greeting!

I had a good laugh, wished him many more such deep sleeping binges and also promised to start my future conversations with him with an announcement of the time of day of my call.

I wish that I can sleep like that! Can you?