A monument forever after ...

As I write tonight, I cannot help but wonder why monuments have captured the imagination of the human race since times of old. Every monument claims scale, awe, and symbolism. I truly appreciate the effort spent in conceptualizing and building them. But more than that, I want to know something else. Where does the conviction stem from? Who or what moulds the belief? How does the perseverance stay true? Just by looking at these marvelous creations, I struggle to fathom the complete emotion behind their existence and their continued halo.

Forever after. These two words have driven men crazy. Though you know that nothing lasts that long, you want to believe in it. You strive to create something like that. You desire to perfect something like that. Yes. Forever after. Every monument was born out of a simple thought. I don't know if I can state it just as precisely as I am thinking about it. But here is my feeble attempt. To celebrate one's love of an ideal. Every monument celebrates the existence or the desire of one's most heartfelt emotion. The Pyramids represent the search for a higher power. The Stonehenge stands witness to the promise of return. The Taj glows with the flame of undying love.

You can infer a genuine feeling of admiration and affection in every monument. How can it not be? After all, to come up with something like that needs unwavering commitment and fierce dedication. I do not know if there is any one monument that can be considered greater than all others. But I think that all of them share the same foundation. That of celebration and lesson. In every monument, each generation leaves behind its story. In each monument, every generation celebrates a story. In each and every story, the love for some ideal shines.

The bridge across the river...

Reading the future. When it comes to product design and planning or even investing in one, this is an immense gift. In software development cycles, this one is a double edged sword. On the one hand, it helps you come up with the "wow" factor. On the other hand, it makes you look like a fool in the present sometimes. Yes. Remarkable isn't it? What concerns me is not that you look like a fool, but the fact that people tend to overlook the potential of something great just because they dont want to admit it. I can understand when people cannot imagine. I appreciate when people evaluate the risks of betting on the future. What perplexes me is the attitude where people simply want to visualize the future in the future.

Confused? Ok, let me illustrate. Imagine you are the architect of a town. You are planning the bridges, the reservoirs, gardens, and the railroad for this new town. It might appear logical to think what the needs of the future might be? Hmmm. May be the roads need to be wider because you may have lot of cars? Something like that. On the contrary, there are those who decide that road widening can be considered when we have too many cars. Now, the most wonderful case is where someone asks this: what makes you think we will even have roads in the future? I witnessed one such scene today at my workplace. At first, I tried to understand the reasoning behind it. I failed to do so. Yet, I wanted to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. So, I tried to imagine the growth of alternatives. Disruptive? Could be. But I could not fathom why you would not atleast plan for it? If not presence, then absence at the least. Predicting the future is tricky. Agreed. But planning for the future in the present seems a fair deal. Not placing too much emphasis on the future also seems reasonable given the odds. However, I do not buy the notion of living in the present by turning a complete blind eye towards the future.

Here is something that I learned today. Some people are willing to take the risk in the future by claiming that the present is overwhelming. Some people wish to think about the bridge only when they cross the river. Right or wrong? I dont know. A matter of perspective I guess.

The hare and the tortoise..

Remember that story? The hare. The tortoise. The fast one. The slow one. And finally, the tortoise wins. What is it about that tale that we find interesting? Is it because the tortoise represents most of us? Is it because the underdog wins? I dont know. I think the story is more symbolic. It reminds us that perseverance is important. Moreover, it reiterates the need for focus. What I think is most fascinating is this. The tortoise's win is always mentioned with an element of surprise. Would it be surprising if the tortoise were to claim that it always knew who the winner would be?

Closing thoughts for tonight... If there were a sequel (like Shrek movies), who do you think would win? The hare? Because it has learnt a lesson and is now more careful? Or the tortoise? Because it has another trick up its sleeve? Who knows...