Posted 12:58 PM by The Consultant
Happiness

He was staring out of the window. There had been a small accident in the street below. He could see the two tiny drivers get out of their toy cars. He could see them arguing with each other. Probably they would fight, he hoped. For next five minutes, they were just yelling at each other. He got bored. He sighed and looked up at the sun. It was 4.30 pm. Sun was moving relentlessly towards a blue sea. There were no clouds in the sky. He scanned the sea for any vessels. He could not find any. He gazed at the sea for some time, then again shifted his gaze to the accident below. Damn, he had missed the fight. There was a small crowd down there. He could see some people holding the two drivers apart. A police car came and stopped. He got bored again and moved back to his big desk.

The work was waiting there for him. Three mergers and one Euro bond issue still left! Probably Mr. Davis, his boss would call him again tonight and request his cooperation for the hostile takeover that was not moving satisfactorily. He would again have to give him a few useless tips that even he did not believe in. Mr. Davis would then start talking about his divorce, his two kids in California and how his wife was ruining his life. He would have to listen all that crap.

He decided that the work could wait a bit. He walked over to the refrigerator and took out a can of coke. He chuckled as he opened the can. Imagine an investment banker drinking coke! His clients would be aghast.

He tasted the cool liquid flowing down his throat. He closed his eyesand enjoyed the feeling. Suddenly, he realised something. This was the first time he had genuinely smiled in months. He slowly lowered the can from his lips. He stared at the floor pattern for a long time. He was in a daze. It was as if you are living a fast life like a robot and suddenly you come face to face with your soul and everything comes to a standstill. You take a long hard look at yourself. Suddenly it dawns upon you that in the rush of fast lane, you have left your life far behind and you have traveled such a distance that your soul suddenly looks unfamiliar. Some aspects of your character that you had taken for granted now seem alien. You look at yourself and shake your head in disbelief. He had felt the same way about a year back. After four weeks of sheer work, one morning, he had woken up in some hotel room after just 3 hours of sleep. He had splashed some cold water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. At that time, he had had the same unnerving experience that he was having now. His reflection had looked at him and given a sad grin. “Where have you brought me, my friend?” the reflection seemed to ask. He had gone back to his bed in a daze. He had sat down and made plans. He had plotted out the course of his life. He would no longer tolerate any deviation. He would wrest the control of his life away from the circumstances. He would become of his own master. He would follow a path that would allow him to feel the life in him. He would no longer be on autopilot. He would make conscious efforts to enjoy his life and find the happiness. He had prepared a list of things that he was going to do in the next six months.

He tried to recall what was on that list. He could not remember anything on it. He suddenly panicked. He was losing touch with his soul. He no longer remembered what he was. He sank into his chair and organized his thoughts. This is just a temporary glitch, he assured himself. How can he forget what he wanted to do? That was just crazy.

He frantically groped for that wish list in the depths of his mind. He felt something in the darkness and pulled it out. Yes, he wanted to read some books. Books were his life once. He had read almost all the books in his town library. He would go trekking in thick, green forests, up the blue mountains and look down at glittering silver lines of streams rushing down the valley. He would sail across endless oceans in search of newer and more wonderful sunrises and sunsets. He would..

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Mr. Davis came in without asking for permission. His face was grim. The news was bad. Someone was acquiring the shares of a company that their client was targeting. The client was furious with the delay on their part. He immediately became engrossed in the discussion that ensued. He suggested a few strategies for identification of the other party. They finally decided upon a course of action and Mr. Davis left.

He thought briefly about the advice he had given. He felt that it was the best he could do. However, he felt that if he gave it some more thought, he could do a better job of it. He decided that he would finish the pending work and then rethink his strategy for the takeover.

He got back to the boring Euro Bond Issue with renewed vigour. Outside his room, another sunset went by unnoticed.

Posted 5:18 AM by The Consultant
Mr. Romeo

A couple of days ago, it happened again. Another guy got angry and shot his girlfriend. It happened in Sangli this time. This is not the first time it is happening in Sangli. About 5 years ago, the same thing had happened. But one good thing is that this time, the girl has survived the attack. Though she is still hospitalized, she is supposedly out of danger.

The story goes that the girl wanted the guy to pass his graduation exam and become independent before she married him. She happens to be a doctor while Mr. Romeo has cleared only the higher secondary exam. Mr. Romeo is 27. She is 25.

Mr. Romeo tried to commit suicide after his attack on his girlfriend. He is still alive though.

What drives these men? What is the reason that these rational human beings become so violent and crazy that they can attack their loved ones? Does it have something to do with our society, our justice (?) system or is it just another mutation in our gene pool?

It is high time that we identify the root cause and make sure that such things do not happen again and again. I cannot think of any deficiency in our system that causes such irrational behaviour. Any ideas?