कालाय तस्मै नमः

Sometime in mid August 2012.

Me: Dude, I am coming to India in September. I will reach Pune on early morning of 23^rd. will be in Pune until 6^th Oct. Lets meet for a while...

Friend: Kya baat hain! Sure.. we will meet.. after how many years will you be coming to India?

Me: Well, for the first time after 33 months..

Friend: long time.. Excited to come to India?

Me: Well, not if I look at the time of travel! But of course, yes.. Will meet my parents, be at home.. plus homemade food.. Ganpati.. Have been missing Ganpati since last 2 years. fun of visarjan..Meeting good old friends.. Hangout at Boat Club.. lot of things.. I have already sent emails to friends.. asking them to plan a meet up on particular dates..

And, the conversation continues with each other discussing on how ‘satisfied’ one is with his achievements until one’s quarter life (crisis!?)

17^th September 2012: 

Time: 1 am EDT. 

I get a text from L. I read with sleepy eyes. L talks of how excited I must be as I would be going to India after quite a long time. I say to myself, ‘Yes, I am.’ But, I decide to reply when I wake up.

Around 2:00 am EDT: I get a call from my brother. He informs me with a shaky voice, ‘’Dad is suddenly unwell. We are taking him to hospital. I have called M and N and they will be reaching shortly’’. I wake up in a shock. I don’t know what to do. Gathering myself, I decide to follow my usual morning practice, open up my palms, joining them and concentrating on the 3 thick so-called heart, brain and life lines on my palms, I recite the morning hymn taught to me by my parents, seeking health, wealth and wisdom from the different forms of Almighty. Somewhere, I hope, let this morning prayer give as much health as possible to my father. He is more in need of it than me. I call another friend and inform him of the emergency. I get an update from M that my family is in ambulance. I just hope and pray for things to get better and come under control. What else can I do sitting 9000 miles away? I decide to iron my office wear because irrespective of the outcome of emergency back home in India, I have to report to work to take care of an important assignment due that day. I start preparing coffee for myself and reply to my friend who had texted, telling ‘Excited? I don’t know. Dad is being hospitalized.’  I taste the lukewarm coffee. It is bitter than usual. ‘Should I be taking this as an omen’, I tend to think. Ignoring the temporary bitterness of the coffee, I call M to get an update. Dad is in ER. I try to recreate scenarios in my mind of how my mom, brother and friend would have managed to face this emergency and get shivers which I cannot forget even today. In few minutes, my brother calls me up informing me of father’s demise. It must be 2:30am in Detroit. It is dark outside. A life, very dear to me, has come to an end!

How topsy-turvy things can become in a matter of 90 minutes! A text from a friend and I do feel excited in the middle of sleep about the upcoming India trip. An hour later, a disturbing phone call upsets me. Half an hour after the phone call, the previous excitement turns into an everlasting bereavement. Who could have possibly thought I would be coming to India under these circumstances? My immediate family, or my friends to whom I had emailed about a small get together, or my closest friends for whom I had bought gifts and had hoped to see their excitement when I would hand over their gifts to them, or the deceased who until a day before the aforementioned fateful event had said, ’I will be seeing my Mayur in a week’. Who? None. I had never imagined in my wildest dreams that the first time I will be going to India from US, it will be to perform final rites of my beloved dad, that too, a week before my scheduled trip. But, one omnipotent entity knew everything and had different plans for me.  

It exists, but you can’t see it. It keeps slipping out of your hands. It never stops and makes you chase it for you to wisely use it. We think we are using it but, in a way, we waste it more than we use it. And, we waste it on inconsequential things in our life. Material possessions, which in the end, do not make a slightest difference to what you had when you were born. Still, we chase them for an ephemeral joy. Of course, I am talking about ‘TIME’. 

We all may have heard about importance of time management. In school, we may have solved riddles like what has 3 hands but no face and proudly answered ‘A clock!’ We may have also read those lines which talk about importance of 1 ms, 1 sec, 1 min and so on. We may have heard Billie Joe Armstrong strum ‘Time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go’and Linkin Park explain ‘The clock ticks life away’ in ‘In the End’. We may have heard about Steve Jobs stressing on our time being limited and not waste it. I am unsure how many of these mentioned before and many alike actually explain how TIME could be. I believe the experiences which come with Vedic quote: ‘कालाय तस्मै नमः’, which means, ‘Salutations to that great entity called TIME’ might very well be the quote explaining the power of it.

What is the best thing that happens to you? What is the worst thing that happens to you? Well, they are not things or events. I have started to believe it is the TIME that happens to you. Good or bad, it is all in the hands of TIME to show you it’s either side. What is the best way to heal a wound? Someone has wisely said that time heals everything. Do you believe that God exists? Till date, I used to believe in the existence of God. But, while flying back from India, I was thinking about the turn of events in my life and it dawned upon me, couldn’t it be possible for TIME, which has been in existence since times immemorial, to manifest itself into different forms which people today worship as god? Or, just like an organizational hierarchy, could it not be possible for TIME to be the ultimate boss? Could not luck, fate, destiny be the marionettes controlled by TIME? Well, only TIME knows it. And, only TIME can tell it.

There are few things which science cannot explain. I know this sounds a cliché. But, could it be related to the unexplored mystery of TIME? On 16^th September, I read the above Vedic quote (कालाय तस्मै नमः) in a newspaper. I immediately copy pasted the quote as my GTalk status message. I still do not know what exactly made me do that. And, the unfortunate event I faced on 17^th. I just cannot call it as a coincidence. Though it does not completely justify the existence of a greater power, it certainly makes it difficult to deny it.

Someone has rightly said, TIME, is the greatest teacher, unfortunately, it kills all its pupils.

.

Forgive & forget... and get on with life

I read the following article on The Hindu and thought of sharing it with all. Link to the article is at the bottom of the page. It has been written by Dr. H. V. Easwer.

Often, during a medical call, I received lessons in health and wellness from the most unlikely of people. No textbook in the world would ever contain these ‘tutorials.' An evening in the late 1980s, a few days after Diwali in late October, on the banks of the Karamana river, was one such time when a popular local character, Chuppayyan (Subbayyan), opened up a new vista of well-being.

Karamana was a quaint, sleepy, and nondescript suburb in Trivandrum city and it was here that Chuppayyan wandered around without a home to call his own. He was an orphan but I would disagree if you say Chuppayyan was a beggar as he did many odd jobs. Also, unlike the scraggy looks of a destitute, he was a little plump and had a cherubic face. He would seek alms only when his earnings failed to satisfy his hunger.

If there was someone that he was close to, it was Valliamma the old woman who sold vegetables door-to-door in a basket made of palm leaves. Nobody knew how they were related but then Chuppayyan could be seen at her side helping her. Valliamma would sell small unripe mangoes for making pickles from January to March and every child at Karamana was familiar with her Kanni maanggai (unripe mangoes) chant as she went around with the basket on her head. Chuppayyan would follow her for a while and then wander off as she sat on the thinnai (pyol) of a house and measured her mangoes with a pakkah, a measuring jar of those times.

This incident occurred as I was returning home with a friend after attending a medical call at the house of an old lady who was incapacitated by a stroke. We took a shorter path along the dyke constructed along the Karamana river. A canopy of coconut trees lent the evening a darker shade than it really was and we could see the silhouette of Chuppayyan ahead of us. There was a place where the dyke took an undulating turn and we could see some people sitting in a circle and playing cards. There were empty bottles littered around, revealing that the game of cards was accompanied by some fun with fresh toddy.

As Chuppayan neared them, one of the card players started taunting him. As if on cue, others joined him and started making disparaging remarks about Chuppayyan's parents, especially his mother. Chuppayyan passed them without uttering a word and his head was held low. Emboldened by his passivity, one of the card players got up and came close to him menacingly though he was too drunk to progress further. It was at this point that we reached the inebriated players and my friend, a member of a cadre-based political party, raised his voice and threatened them. Seeing my friend's reaction, the more sober of the card players rushed to pull back their friend, who was intending to harm Chuppayyan.

My friend turned to Chuppayyan and berated him for being silent. “Why didn't you react,” he asked as we resumed our walk back to our homes. Chuppayyan replied: “Avangalukku puriyadhu” (they are all so drunk that they will not understand).

My friend, who was known for his fire-brand temperament, persisted: “But then they were abusing your parents, weren't they? One should hit back if one's parents are made fun off.” I was watching Chuppayyan, who replied very calmly: “Anna [brother], I do not know who my parents are and hence it does not make any difference.” I was surprised by his rather calm demeanour and obvious lack of ill feelings towards his tormentors. I was also puzzled by his nonchalance and promised myself to seek the truth from Valliamma.

Some months passed and came summer. I had forgotten Chuppayyyan as I busied myself with life and the challenges on its professional and personal fronts. On a hot summer noon in May, I found Valliamma on my doorstep with a minor medical problem. After prescribing her medication, I broached the subject of Chuppayyan's paternity with her. “Where are his parents? Is he your son?” She was surprised but answered clearly: “Chuppayyan knows who his parents are. They are a family of rich traders in Bhoothapandi. When the boy was young he had epileptic fits and the parents got scared and abandoned him on the banks of the Karamana. When he grew up, they got in touch with him again, but he told them that he was happy with me as I raised him after I lost my husband in my younger days.”

I looked back on the day when Chuppayyan was harassed and taunted on account of his paternity. His response to his tormentors and his parents who abandoned him was indeed the most unexpected from a vagabond. He scored high that day for his emotional quotient, in stark contrast to many of us who would seethe in anger at the slightest provocation and perception of unfairness in our lives. We hit back losing more in the process. Our roads are the best examples of the latter group which whip itself into a frenzy at the slightest provocation from fellow-drivers. They lose all reason and harm themselves in the process of flying into road rage.

That was the day when I learnt an important lesson for good health: one should always engineer one's perceptions in a way that does not hurt us — learning to forget, forgive, and get on with the journey of life; simply because there are too many things around us which we cannot change.

We humans are perhaps the most insecure among the animal species as we live our lives, going to great lengths to ensure that our health and wellbeing are not adversely affected during our spell on this planet. It is this insecurity that drives endeavours as varied as astrology, the bullion markets and, of course, the big business — religion — as we seek to secure our future. In our times, even the ‘medical industry,' which includes investigatory tools such as CT and MR scans and the countless blood tests, is sometimes used in this human quest for reassurance.

If you ask the ‘wise,' they would say that the key to wellbeing lies in the mind and it is the mind's reactions to events that determine our health and happiness. What do you think of the man who had a heart attack when his favourite team lost a cricket match? Or a boy who decided that the world ended for him because he did not qualify in the medical entrance exam. And then there was this businessman who had a heart attack soon after he lost a bid for a lucrative contract to his rival. Why does this lady run her blood pressure up when she meets her brother who, she feels, cheated her in the division of their paternal property? The wise would say that all these are the result of the way we perceive these events. It is here that many of us could learn from Chuppayyan.

- Dr. H. V. Easwer

(The writer is Associate Professor, Dept of Neurosurgery, SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram)

www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/article2907848.ece

Mi- ek Engineer

“ Kay Mayur, kay mhantos? Kasa challae abhyas 10^th cha?Kay tharavla ki nahi pudhe kay karaychae tula? Engineering ki Medical? Software engineering la far scope aahe mhane. Patkan nokri  lagte. Engineeringch kar bara ka..  Te mechanical engineering vaigere karun haat ghan nako karun gheu…IT bara.. ani Commerce kinwa Arts side la bilkul jau nako.. mi sangto , agdi faltu side aahet tya.. kami marka padnari loka ti side ghetat.. lavkar uthun abhyas karat ja… Tula ‘ENGINEER’ vhaychae na?”  Almost 10 years ago, I used to listen to the above. My relatives and father’s friends would come up to me and hammer me with these words. Building madhla ‘mahila mandal’ kadun suddha kadhi kadhi asa updesh milat ase.  Tu Engineer vhaychae.. mi- ek engineer vhaychaye..

By definition, Engineer mhanaje:  A professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical and practical problems.  Scientific knowledge?? Mathematics??? And ingenuity to develop solutions for technical and practical problems????? Ani  he sagla karaycha koni?? Mi ?????  He mhanaje Harry Potter madhle te 3 unforgiving curses sarkhech zale: Crucio, Imperio and Avada Kedavara -  mansacha gamech sampla…  manus mela ani ek Engineer janmala ala..  ek Engineer: who sacrifices his sleep, does not have regular eating habits and what not…

Engineerche specific traits astat..  exam cha adhi kiti pages vachave lagnaret, mitrala phone karun portion mark karun ghenara he fakt ek Engineerch karu shakto..  exam cha diwshi phone karun: arre jara ardha tas lavkar ye re..cafe madhe…ha funda kahi kalat nahie..tu ye ani samjav mala.. ek cutting marun jauya mag exam dyayla.. asa eka engineer kadunach aikayla milel.. end moment paryant assignment submit na karnara ‘professional’ ha engineer… 7 diwsat kaam sampva ashi mudat milali asel ani tari 5^th 6^th day la kam chalu karun 7^th dayla first class kaam karun denara ha hi ek engineerch asu shakto…of course, end moment paryant fight marun..  Class madhe top karnara ani Facebook var ‘ I am looking for the one who said that " Engineering karlo, Bada scope hai” ‘he page like karun aplya mitranna invite pathavnara ha pan ek Engineerch asu shakto…  Civil, Mechanical, Metallurgy, Polymer sarkha fields madhe degree gheun placements cha veli  TCS,IBM  madhe job ghenara Engineerch..  ashya ajun kiti tari traits astil kay mhanave tyacha baddal..

No doubt, engineering  degree cha 4 varshatli majjach vegli aste… submission sathiche night outs, exam and placements cha adhiche night outs,  result ani placements nantar cha partya, mass bunk marun movie la jane, proxy lavtana pakadle jaane, exam madhe tough paper ala ki shejarchachya chehra var chyayla, tula hi yet nahi ka asa expression pahne etc etc are unforgettable. FE madhech Graphics ani Applied Mechanics sarkhe ‘Little Boy’ ani ‘ Fat Man’ sarkhya bomb she khelnyachi opportunity hi Engineering madhech milel… And how can one forget convocation?  The day which makes u feel u have achieved something which is difficult for others to get.. tasa pahila tar, pratyek mansat ek ‘Engineer’ astoch… pan ‘Engineering’ karaychi opportunity kahi lokannach milte…

Pan, he Engineers nastil tar human life would have been so difficult… Fundamental Science cha mansala  kami kharchat, agdi sopya ritine upyog kasa hoil yachasathi apla ‘tisrya majlyacha’ cha vapar karnare Engineer, ani hyach unique species of mankind sathicha diwas  mhanaje ‘Engineers Day’. This day is celebrated every year on 15^th September. The day is also the birthday of Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya, the greatest Civil Engineer India has ever known. It is unfortunate that many Engineers do not know when this day is celebrated, why and who Sir Visvesvarayya was.  Aso..  

To end, mala koni vicharle what is ur proudest achievement till date, I will say: I am an Engineer. Proud to be an Engineer! This is the day for all the Indian Engineers to celebrate a degree awarded on a 'certificate' called as ‘Engineering’ 

॥विश्व - अभ्युदयार्थे अभियंताजीवनम्॥ :  For the flourishment, happiness, betterment of the world, an Engineer’s life is.

PS : Ha blog vachnyacha adhi hyachi length baghnyat ali asel tar tumhi Engineer.

One

Harshal: “Hey! How are you, dude?”

Mayur: “I am fine. Nothing much. Routine life. Sleep, wake up, eat, University, home, eat, sleep and the cycle goes on. What about you?”

Harshal: “I am completely bored with these vacations. Waiting for the start of the next sem or any intern call. One intern man! Just one intern….”

Mayur: “True yaar.. Ek intern! Bass. Ek intern ya ek job lag jaye to life set hain yaar!”

This was the conversation between me and my friend Harshal. At present, both of us are on the same boat, looking for interns and jobs. However, looking at the current economic scenario, getting a job is going to be a Herculean task.

As the above conversation ended, thoughts avalanched in my mind about the importance of the number ‘one’ in our life. One phone call with my friend made me to ponder upon so many things. Just as the above conversation ended, I imagined myself working at a very good position in a top technology company in US, earning handsomely. As soon as I imagined myself earning a handsome salary, I planned to go to India sometime. I immediately planned a Konkan bike trip to places which we had missed visiting in 2008 with my college friends. I planned to put all my finance knowledge into practice and explore and reap huge benefits from various investment options in US and in India. I even planned to start an NGO in partnership with those interested to educate poor people (because I want to educate poor children) I saw my NGO’s services being recognized by the PMC. My plans and thoughts just did not see an end. All that I could foresee was one thing happening after the other, until somewhere I came back into the reality. Reality: I still do not have a job in hand and do not know whether I will get one in US or not.

Everyone lives in the same manner in which I lived for those ‘happy’ moments after that ‘One’ call with a friend. Thoughts after thoughts after thoughts and it just didn’t end.  I guess, if Christopher Nolan decides to write a script on thoughts after thoughts after thoughts similar to a dream in a dream in a dream, he may never be able to end it. There, I started thinking about how a positive ‘one’ and the negative ‘one’ can significantly influence a human life, or many lives.

To start on a very basic note, one sperm is more than enough to fertilize an egg and make a woman start feeling like soon to be a mother. She will be the happiest woman on earth only because of that ‘one’ sperm which made her, feel good about herself.  This good news will elate everyone around her and the general mood will be joyous. On the contrary, one malignant cell can lead to life threatening cancer. It will divide so rapidly that by the time you realize the reason for the deterioration of your health, it would have very well caused adequate damage to end your life. So many expectations and desires come to an end with the end of a life. Isn’t it surprising to know that ‘one’ small entity can either start a life by multiplying itself or end a life by dividing itself?

Likewise, there are so many ‘one’ around us that play an influential role in our as well as others’ life. ‘One’ person’s grit to make his nation independent can inspire millions of people to join the freedom struggle. We all know that ‘One’ person’s Facebook post have inspired millions of Egyptians to gather at the Tahrir Square and unite to fight against their dictator.  Now, after dethroning their dictator, the Egyptians are living a happy life. This would not have been possible, but for that ‘one’ post, they are seeing a new life today. Would not anyone want to unite and become 'one' against the numerous evil forces present in our society today? Why would anyone not want to do that? How hard it is to unite? To cite a recent example of the effect of ‘one’: The US was downgraded sometime back from ‘AAA’ to ‘AA+’ credit rating. Stripping off ‘one’ A led to a loss of trillions of dollars around the world markets. God knows how long it will take to recover the lost money, if it is ever possible to repair the damage. But, such is the power of ‘one.’

When we look at our self (not in the mirror), we realize that we have been blessed with a life and our biggest gift is the ability to think and act, thanks to the God’s largesse. Our ‘one’ deed/thought can change many people around us for good, or for bad, which in turn will change others and it will go on and on. The dynamics of it can be very well related to the routine examples which we see around us. It is like a chain reaction. ‘One’ word of hope will give so much strength to a person who is struggling with various problems in his life that he will be always game to accept the challenges; a positive change. Whereas, ‘one’ insulting comment, ‘one’ unexpected failure or ‘one’ failed relationship can even drive a person to commit a suicide; a negative change.

I did not want to write this but I could not help. Mathematically, human life can take up any value in the closed interval -1 to +1 i.e. [-1, +1]. Those who opt for ‘-1’ are similar to that malignant cancer cell which deteriorates your health. Over the period of time, they will lose love and support of people around them. They will hardly see any light of the day. In the end, they will be big failure. Those who opt for ‘0’ will remain where they are. Stagnancy will be an integral part of their life. But, those who opt for ‘+1’ will be doing the best job not only for themselves, but for others as well. They will be inspiring millions to live a good life. They will be at the forefront in spreading joy around them. People have been able to do it and hence, we are seeing some really beautiful things around us. Will anyone not want to choose the right ‘one’ (aspect) and see some good changes around them? Withal, ‘One’ is indeed the numero uno. 

Karmanye Vadhikaraste

It must be sometime in 1990s when the epic ‘Mahabharata’, directed by Ravi Chopra, was broadcast on the national television every Sunday at 9am. I vividly remember the TV series used to start with the following verse:

‘Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,

Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani’ ( 2:47, Srimad Bhagwad Gita)

Never ever in that tender age of 8-10 years, I had imagined that the above mentioned verse was the essence of the ‘Holy Gita’; the greatest spiritual book the world has ever known. It was in 9^th grade when I learnt Sanskrit in my school but I had no inspiration to find out at least the figurative meaning of the above verse. But after some experiences over the past 3 years, I somewhat realized the meaning of the above verse, though not completely yet.

Google the meaning and you will find out that the above verse means:

‘You have a right to perform your prescribed action, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be associated to not doing your duty.’

But, Google does not dictate what learning experiences we should have, even though we are entirely dependent on it for many things. Looking at our habitual dependency on the ‘search engine’, I am sure some people would have even searched for ‘happiness’ on it. Would Google have displayed ‘Page Not Found’ to them?

I always wondered, do we really act according to the above philosophy?  Do we ever do something without expecting an outcome? Do we ever stop cursing ourselves for a bad result? (Unless we run out of people to blame.)

The answer to all the above questions is NO. We do not. We never do. All our actions are guided by ulterior motives or we are forced to act/ do something because of certain unforeseen circumstances. We expect a lot from what we do. We expect to get a good job after the degree, an appraisal for a decent performance, a pat on the back for performing well in a game and the list of expectations goes on. We fail to realize that our expectations stem up from our desires. Desire is a root cause of all evils. Desire, can drive a man insane. If a person does anything with an expectation in his mind, he will just not enjoy his work. In the end, if his expectations are not met, he will be totally disheartened. That may be because his expectations were not realistic. Under the influence of a strong desire of a favorable outcome, he relinquishes the happiness, which in other case he would have got while performing his action. I feel, happiness is a path function. In simple words, happiness can be experienced along the path of your daily routine.

I know few people who are so annoyed with their work that they find it a burden to go to their work. I have been through such a phase. Having secured a job in one of the leading steel producers of India, I had expected a very good job profile. But, on the very first day of my work, I realized that my profile was not what I had expected. I was extremely frustrated with my choice of the company and cursed myself for appearing for the interview. To give an example, I had to sweep the floor with a dirty broom, which I had not expected at all. It was during this time, when I realized that I was unhappy because my expectations from the job were not fulfilled.

When I used to look at my colleagues, I wondered how and why these guys were so happy while working at a place where a 200 ton ladle is moving above your head,  possibility of sustaining serious injuries from the Hot Metal at any instant and so many of such depressing things. Gradually, I realized that they did not expect much from the work. They never came to work thinking it as a liability, but as a duty. They completely overlooked the depressing factors as if they didn’t exist and enjoyed those 8 hours. Eventually, I started aligning myself with their attitude. With dedicated practice, I could do that. I sensed the change in me when I realized that I had started enjoying my work, no matter what it was. I had stopped focusing on the result and  started taking sincere efforts to pursue happiness in any trivial thing I could find.

It is so simple to implement the above. Have no expectations from anything. But, hardly are we able to do so. That is because we are programmed to expect. Overcoming this tendency needs a lot of practice and patience. Initially, it is very difficult. But, having experienced it, I am sure this will be the easiest & loveliest thing one will ever do in life. Having done that, I am also sure that one will experience mental peace. Wouldn’t anyone love that?

Finally, I would like to say one must hope for the best in whatever he does. He should give his best efforts in it. Just do not expect anything. There is a very thin line between a hope and an expectation. One must be really careful to not to cross that line and jump into an infinite loop of expectations. But, hope is a good thing. No doubt, Andy Dufresne had realized this and had rightly said,

‘Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.’

US Debt Ceiling

A simple way to explain the current US Debt Ceiling crisis.

Debt Ceiling - Debt Ceiling is about money that is already being spent.

Let us look at the following analogy.

You go to Wal-Mart and buy an expensive household item. You pay for the item in EMIs. Later on, you think that you have spent a lot of money and you just want to stop paying for it. But, you forget that you have bought it and have used it. You have to pay for it.  

Debt Ceiling is similar to the credit limit on your credit card. Your credit card is unusable once it reaches the limit and unless you pay what you owe. But, debt ceiling is like one big loan. US is one of those few countries in the world, which by law needs to keep on increasing its credit limit. US just keep borrowing more and more. The debt ceiling is the absolute top amount of money that the US can owe to anyone at any given time. The current debt ceiling amount is about $14.3 trillion. In order to keep things going on, the Congress needs to increase the debt ceiling amount. The current debt ceiling will reach its limit on 2^nd August 2011, after which the US Government will not have money to pay for services like Social Security Administration, Health Services, Military etc.

The US has increased its debt ceiling limit before many times. But this time, it cannot be done for obvious reasons.

How does US borrow money?

US borrow money by issuing bonds. Bonds are a promise to repay money at a particular interest rate over a given period of time.  The US is thought to be a safe investment bet. There are countries which issue bonds but one is not sure what the future of that country looks like. Also, the US have got the highest credit rating (AAA), which means that it repays all the money which it can borrow. It has always paid its debt on time. Hence, the US is looked upon as a safe bet.

What happens if debt limit is not increased?

The US hit the debt limit on May 16^th but the Treasury Secretary was able to provide some quantum by moving money around, keeping the US solvent until August 2^nd 2011. If the debt ceiling limit is not raised by August 3^rd 2011, somebody is not going to get paid.  Some people think this may lead to a financial crisis. But, nobody knows what will happen because this has never happened before. Nobody is sure what is going to happen.

Clash of opinions.

Republicans are of the opinion of increasing the debt ceiling limit as Mr President wants it to be. But, they want guaranteed spending cuts immediately.  They want to regulate the US budget so that US is not driven all the time to such massive levels of debt.  Democrats are of the opinion that this is not the right time to start cutting Government spending in such a fragile, recovering economy. Businesses have not recovered from the effects of recession. If the Government reduces its spending, then the economy is at a severe risk of another economic downturn.

Ultimately, what is going to happen will only be known after 2^nd August 2011 if the debt ceiling is not increased by then.

PS: I have just tried to explain the current US Debt Ceiling Crisis based on my understanding. 

Types of people

Long time back, I had come across the following text which, according to me truly depicts the mindset of today's generation when it comes to work.

Here it goes:

This is a story of four people called Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

There was some important work that had to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry because of this, since it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody understood that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended with Everybody blaming Somebody as Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Oooops.............Got it? ;)

If You Didn't , Read Again....


PS: I do not remember the source.