Everything in excess…! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.
Author: rrmahalle
Two Things
Two things I observed. Working out teaches you to accept the pain and meditation teaches you to let things go. How do both relate? Meditation makes neurological changes in your brain. But regarding working out, people think that working out adds to the physical change only. But truth to be told, I found that working out has as much neurological effects on brain as physical changes. It is that one’s focus on neurological changes is concealed by his focus on physical changes. But, you need meditation and working out in tandem to observe this.
How about pain? Everyone encounters it. Everyone is hurt time to time. I observed something recently. When I was hurt recently, I cussed out loud, “Wow, this hurt…!” With it, I accepted the pain. What more can pain do once you’ve accepted it. Then I smiled and said again, “Wow, this hurt…!” (Deep down, I was thinking pain makes me more stronger. Thinking this becomes a default mode when you work out.) Then, on its own, that thought, that blow, that pain, withered away. I felt light, as if the pain thing didn’t occur. It was the combination of both – Workouts teach you to accept the pain, and meditation teaches you to let go…
Man, I was pretty late to the party. I wish I could have started these three things when I was 18.
1. Reading Books – I started at 20, I was 2 years late.
2. Meditation – I took it seriously at 27. I was 9 years late.
3. Workouts – I started it at 27. I was 9 years late.
But as they say – The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now!
See, this shit you went through, most people don’t know pain like that. They never will. And if they did, it would end them. But the people who dig in, the ones who keep surviving, those are the ones you can’t beat. Those are the ones no one can beat. Because once you’ve weathered a storm like yours… you become the storm. You hear me? You are the storm. And it’s the rest of the world that needs to run for cover.
Fernando Vera, Mr. Robot S04E07
1.10am
“Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go into the desert at night and look at the stars. This practice should answer the question.”
Lao Tzu
Warning तर द्यायची! आधीच तो अरिजीत, त्यात पण असा without warning attack! गरिबाचा जीव घ्यायचाय काय!? 💓💘
आधीच अरिजीतला ऐकुन कुठे प्रेम नसलं तरी प्रेमात बुडतो आपण! 😉😁
God, that was a killer moment! I was working out, and this song came out of nowhere in my headphones. I listened to this song for the first time and instantly, I sat down! God, Beauty is Arijit’s voice!
Btw, today I hit my first ton, a 100kg lift.1I don’t know why they call it a ton, when clearly a ton means 1000kg. I thought I would hit 100kg with deadlifts, but I was stalled because of a weight cut. Today, I lifted 100kg with Squats (six reps and three sets).
Hello, are you listening? Yes you, you my reader, hello, this once skinny little kid has lifted 100kg! 😎 More to come! Vamos…!
Nightmares
Some things are very powerful in this world. Certainly, Books are. And if you want to experience that, East of Eden by John Steinbeck is a must read. God, that book shakes you and leaves you stunned…!
And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected.
John Steinbeck, East of Eden
I had the same feeling when I had read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Course changes (strengthens) because of some books.
The Leica
THE LEICA. What’s so special about it?
As Leica, here I am referring to Leica M.
I want to write what is so special about it, and why no other camera matches that specialty. The Leica M is one of the costliest camera on the market right now. For the comparison, pro level full-frame DSLR or Mirrorless Camera with some of the best lenses are somewhat cheaper than Leica M and its standard lens.1Sony A9 with 35mm f/1.4 = ₹5,17,980/-
Leica M with 35mm f/1.4 = ₹8,23,502/- Also, they offer more features than Leica M. Yet, it is the costliest of them all. What makes it so?
Pros usually don’t buy a Leica M. Their first preference is always that pro level DSLR or Mirrorless Camera. It means that for practicality and utility, Leica M is on a down side against the Pro cameras. Surprising thing is – most of the customers of Leica are amateurs. I know, it does not make sense. The Pros click more than a million photograph with their camera, and the average amateurs click at most fifty thousand. If you apply economics, it is very easy to understand that clicking a photograph with Leica M is 20 times costlier than other pro level camera (that too with less of a technology).
I am a numbers guy, so I ran-checked features and tech. The only significant number the Leica M surpassed every other pro level camera was price only. This doesn’t make sense.
Few reasons I can think of. First is the Leica Lenses. No other lens can create the micro-contrast the Leica lenses create. Also, they are one of the few sharpest lenses available on the market. This we can say as advantage. But don’t be mistaken, there are other lenses on market which are on par with Leica Lenses.
The Leica Lenses are handmade. They are produced by artisans. To create something handmade, it takes unmatched efforts and unmatched human precision to achieve perfection. Lenses can not afford incorrectness.
But… one might argue that if precision is the ultimate aim, handmade or machine-made, what difference does it make. Why pay more when you can get the same thing? End product, precision, matters.
Then what’s so special? Lenses? Handmade? German? Heritage? Other cameras match this too. As a matter of fact, Leica is vulnerable to the speed of technology. It updates infrequently, and the updates are minor tweaks rather than revolutionary. This doesn’t make sense. Leica is a mad argument. Pros don’t buy it, mostly amateurs (actually Madmen) buy it. So does the price justify for the Madmen?
The answer lies in the question itself. It is only Madmen who pay extravagance. Many think they seek materialism, but I don’t think that’s true. To the Madmen, any price justify if it fulfills one condition. The only condition Madmen seek is the Zest for Life! Leica breathes that Zest for Life! And it justifies the price.
I don’t think anything more is needed to say. Arrivederci…
Paths
But the best people you’ll ever meet,
Have wandered off their track,
Found themselves along the way,
And have no need to wander back,
So forget about life’s road map,
Follow your heart at any cost,
For you’ll never truly find yourself,
If you’re too scared to get lost…
Erin Hanson