A Breath of Fresh Air................

Was reading this article by Neil Postman called Informing ourselves to death on vasants blogs. A revolutionary perspective on the evolution of technology, the advent of the comps and the "boons" of information technology.

Has written other brilliant articles .. the one other article that stands out is the graduation speech that he always wanted to give. Here he urges students to Athenians, not Visigoths.

In the quest for existentialism...

It has been a long and eventful journey. I don't exactly remember when, where or how it started, but somewhere along the road I picked up this 'pseud dood' word - "Existentialism". What was it all about - was it some pseudo intellectual gobbledygook discussed by the jobless bourgeois over cups of hot coffee ?, was it some cult concept drawing millions of hapless moths towards its incandescent warmth ?
what was this word ? who were these people - "the existentialists" ? A movie, a book, a person, a thought - there was existentialism existing everywhere....
To be frank, most of my efforts met up with a dead end. I tried asking people and most of them came up with hogwash which they themselves couldn't understand. I tried reading conga's book authored by Satre but could not get past the first few sentences.
Tried searching on the google, most of the stuff went way way way way over my modest 5'10" frame. I bought a Kafka at Strands, but the novel was so laborious that every page was followed by a good 10 hour sleep - it was the ultimate sedative. I, infact felt guilty that I wasnt able to appreciate a great mans work. Along the way i picked up lots and lots of jargon. the existential angst, the despair, subjectivism involved in human live, about how existence preceeds essence in human life.
EXISTENTIALISM WHERE DO U EXIST ??

The Call ( my attempt at nano-fiction )
It is pitch dark and the landscape - tough and rugged. He moves towards the barbed fence with surety and stealth. He could almost smell freedom. Freedom from a life of pain, misery and persecution. The inexorable call of the promised land.
A sudden metallic shrill pierces the deathly silence. A searing pain wracks his body and then darkness overcomes.....

My Religion

Hymns of Horror, Divine distress;
Prayers of panic, spiritual stress;
tears of trepidation, holy hell;
rhythms of ruin, venerable vice;

oh! great religion, I bow to thee;
I genuflect at your altar of acerbity FOR -

thoughtless though I am not, toothless I am;
guiltless though I am not, gutless I am;
hopeless though I am not, heartless I am;

A powerless pawn caught in this chequered web,
struggling and lost in this winding maze,
seeking solace in the unknown dread,
beaten, broken, bloodied, helpless... MAN.

The Writers Bowel

beads of sweat form a oozy stream,
face contorted - frozen in time,
teeth grit, fists clenched
amorous nails plough into the lumpy flesh.

the brainy bowel refuses to yield,
the adamant thought stands its ground,
the obdurate muse needs to be flushed,
but no laxatives for this dogged crap.

to constipate or cogitate,
to excrete or excite,
the Hemorrhoids or hemorrhage,
the yellow or the grey