As the mind thinketh – an informal survey

It was a nice saturday morning, 6:26 AM. I was staring at the deep orange eastern sky sipping a cup of hot coffee…lost in a train of thoughts. I’m aware of the chirping of the birds, and an occasional flap of the wings of birds flying hither and thither silhouetted against the orange sky. ‘I wish I were a bird’ – that was the first thought that came to my mind when I envied at their happy life, not needing to worry about salary, escalating costs due to inflation, saving money, investing in real estate (or rather protecting it from the cluthes of the tax department), paying for my car and educational loans, and so on. The list was endless!

Suddenly my mind started getting weird thoughts about the bird’s life, the kind of commitment it may have, the daily routine, and things like that. I, you know, tried to empathize but in vain. Why am I not able to think from the bird’s point of view? Do these birds also ‘wish I were a man’?

Well, I attributed this ‘putting myself in bird’s shoes‘ to too much of my affinity towards National Geographic, Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel. Or, may be, the dead neurons in my brain have suddenly become a little hyperactive – thanks to the recent ‘early morning’ rising from bed and the strong filter coffee.

Just then when I was about to finish my second cup of coffee, empathizing with squirrels, eagles and sometimes even crows, I returned to my ‘human’ senses and realized that it has started drizzling. Wow! what a start to the otherwise sunny and humid Saturday in Chennai. Immediately my mind was full of thoughts on taking my car on a long ride to Pondicherry with a couple of my friends, and filling our small bellies with a pitcher of beer and some fried fish fingers and tuna kissed with lemon, garnished with baked potatoe filings. Ummm, mouth watering (guess yours has started watering too!). Anyways, the rising petrol costs suddenly came to the front from the back of my head and said ‘NO’. Full stop.

Meanwhile, the beautiful drizzle has by then become hard rain, and I could smell the dull humid air inside my bedroom. Hmmm, finally it all comes down to this – me flying as a bird, a virtual trip to Pondicherry, and finally inhaling the sultry air inside my damp bedroom. Why couldn’t all these things but the last one become instant reality as and when I’m thinking? Why did God restrict us physically (and financially) from realizing such beautiful dreams? May be they are mundane to Him – may be!

Well, I decided to write a mail to four of my friends (who would have got up by then) asking them just ONE question – curious to know of what others think like (or act) given a simple strange scenario. So, the question was: If you were presented before God, and if you were to be presented ONE boon (just one!), what would you ask Him?

I mailed this question and called all four of my friends (2 girls, 2 guys – equal opportunity you know!) pestering them to check their inbox and reply back.

So here are the responses to the aforementioned question:

Friend 1: I will ask Him to terminate terrorism and make everyone rich in this world.

– ah, since when did you start thinking about the betterment of this planet? Thinking yourself as Mahatma Gandhi or what? Secondly, you lost, you asked two wishes!!

Friend 2: I must be the richest person on earth

– Competitor for Bill Gates and Warren Buffet? Tough luck. Secondly, the answer is monotonous. Did you just watch a ridiculous bond movie?

Friendi 3: I will ask Him to grant me a boon that I would want whatever I wish for at that moment

– whoa! never came across such an ingenious wish. I like it!

Friendi 4: Well, ‘ll ask him to grant me the boon of wishing for ten more wishes

– Lol, for how long have you been waiting for this? Greedy, but clever.

By and by, ‘Friendi’ is the feminine gender of ‘Friend’ in Chennai. Pun intended!

What did I infer from this? Girls are gifted with ‘situational awareness‘ in front of God. Don’t ask me what they are in normal circumstances, I know not.

Before publishing this post, I sent it across to my friendies, and they cursed me of being a male chauvinist. You think so? Justify…

Disclaimer: The sample space for this survey is very small. Arrive at conclusions at your own risk.