From & To Sathish #5 - Page 3

 Avan, Aval, Adhu- 11

The night air was cool and pleasant for now and Gayatri leaned her face out of the autorickshaw and let the air cloak her face with its essence. She had let her hair loose and it fluttered and flew like a mane behind her head and it reminded Brahma of a shampoo ad. He did not say anything for he did not want to disturb and ruin the moment for Gayatri who was obviously enjoying herself.

But he noticed that her eyes were sad and also wet with tears and yet he remained quiet for it was not his place to offer any words of consolation and also thought to himself that maybe the lady was crying to feel better.

He thought to himself, ' we all grieve in our own ways. we all suffer our own pain. we all fight our own battles. This is life.'

It was Gayatri who started talking when she asked why he was unusually silent and that which went against his chatterbox character.

' Ma'am, sometimes it is better to let silence do the talking.'

She looked at him, ' Brahma or Ganesan? and he said, ' whichever title suits your mood, ma'am?'

Gayatri smiled, ' either way you are a winner, young man?'

' Either way. Sorry, ma'am. what?'

' Brahma is supposed to be the creator and God of wisdom and knowledge according to the Vedas. But, even he takes a backseat when it comes to our mass hero and God, Lord Ganesha.'

' Please, call me Ganesan, ma'am. Actually, people use the name Brahma to tease me and I have been unable to shake it off since the practice started many years ago.'

Gayatri knew in her heart who could have been the person who had teased Ganesan with the new name Brahma and it had to have been either Ravi or his mother Rasaathi Ammal.

' You just said, that sometimes it is better to let silence do the talking.'

' I said it ma'am but I learnt it and its real meaning from master, sir. For he embodies the spirit that actions speak louder than words.'

' Now that you have mentioned your master sir, I confess that he is an unusually quiet and at the same time a very interesting and also intriguing person.

' I agree ma'am.'

A few minutes later, they reached Soorakulam Highway Hotel and Gayatri got down from the auto and opening her purse took out some cash to give Ganesan who immediately backed away with his hands in front of him saying, ' Ma'am, please don't insult and hurt me by offering money.'

She looked at him, ' but ganesan you have driven me to and back from Kumarapalayam and the distance must have been 30 to 40 kms. Now, there is a chance that you might return empty and without passengers. I am sorry but I cannot allow that. Please take this money.'

Ganesan's arms fell to his side and his eyes lifted and looked at her and his mouth spoke words that pierced and entered her heart. Arrows and sharp objects can pierce the heart and instantly kill you. Words, mere words too can kill you not instantly but a slow, poisonous and a horrible death.

But Ganesan's words were soothing and kind and full of all that is good and beautiful in this world.

' Ma'am, Akka, I don't know how it is on your cities and other places in this world. But, here in our Kumarapalayam, once we share food and share the air that we breathe and with it, we share our thoughts, then we become family, friends, and one does not take money from friends and family members.'

Gayatri looked at the young man who was barely in his early twenties and kept looking at him.

Ganesan looked back and then dropping his head said shyly, ' Sorry ma'am, but those words belong to my master sir. He is the one who taught all of us how to treat all those who visit our village, with respect, kindness, and love.'

Then he happily asked her, ' what time do you want me to come and pick you up tomorrow morning?'

' Pick me up. What makes you think that I am going to return for I might take a cab and fly out from Madurai tomorrow morning?

Ganesan shook his head and smiled brightly, ' No ma'am, you won't. You will stay for a few days or more than that. I am sure.'

Gayatri gently patted his head and saying good night went into the hotel.

Ganesan got into to auto and was about to start the engine when he saw something shining in the backseat and turning saw it was a mobile phone and picked it up.

' Must be ma'am's phone. for none in our village has something so expensive as this phone.'

He entered the hotel and walked straight into a small argument taking place.

Gayatri was staring at a few rough-looking men who were sneering at her and then he heard them say something really vulgar.

He ran towards Gayatri and standing beside her looked angrily at the four men who he recognised immediately and who in turn recognised him.

All four of them were totally drunk and one of them asked him, ' Ganesa, Unnoda passengera. From madurai stationa ille airporta? Vada naatu kaari. Azhaga irukka? ( North indian girl, beautiful).

Ganesan nodded grimly and said, ' yes, my passenger but more importantly Headmaster sir's Guest.'

The effect of his words was magical, comical and all too clear to see.

All four men nearly suffered a heart attack hearing Ganesan's words and they looked at Gayatri and quickly said, ' Akka, amma, vanakkam' and then vanished as if they had never been there.

The hotel manager and receptionist grew taller as he stood erect from his previous slouching and crouching posture and looked at both Gayatri and Ganesan and asked, ' Aiyo, Madam, You master sirs guest. No charges ma'am. You staying free as long you wanting to stay.'

' What is going on here, Ganesa? First, those four pests vanish and now this man behaves like this after a mere mention of Mr. Ravi Kumar. I don't understand. Who is he really? who is your master, really and why does he have this effect on all of you?'

' Good night ma'am. Some questions have to be answered by experiencing it and not by just hearing it or have it explained by others to you.'

Vaanathai Pola 301

Somehow everything in life and everything about the human species seems to about power and negotiation of power or the lack of it. In pure negative terms, power is the means to dominate, manipulate and bend to one's will the world around them. Corruption is one face of power. why, because you are corrupt and greedy and crave for more than your right simply because you can and you want to do so.

Raman sighed sadly and then looked up at the afternoon sky and went to meet Major Param and his team who were hunting the vehicle in which Brigadier General Prakash Malhotra had gotten into from his house and which had virtually vanished from the face of the earth.

Major Param had sensed that the call Raman had received was from someone very close and seeing him return enquire if everything was okay.

' Nothing serious or anything to worry about, Param but I need to be somewhere else for a couple of hours. Just keep at it and pore over all the traffic data starting from the defense colony and expand more if necessary. I am sure that the answer is in this traffic CCtv footage. For the alternate answer is impossible and if true will then mean that...'

Major Param along with Shaji, Balbir, Sukhi Ram, and Preetha looked at him with confusion and worry writ large on their faces and asked, ' alternate answer, what is that?'

Raman in a very serious tone, ' if we fail to trace and track the car then it means that the car has vanished into thin air and the logical assumption we can come to is that Prakash Malhotra has been abducted.'

Major Param gasped in shock, ' Abducted by who or whom?'

Raman pointed a finger up into the roof, ' By aliens of course, and if true then We are not alone.'

Preetha burst out laughing realizing that Raman had been pulling their legs and said, ' Sir, please, that is so corny and from X-FILES.'

Raman clapped his hands, ' Right. So that means the car is out there and all we have is to search for it and in the right place using our common sense.'

He looked at Param and the four young bright minds, ' each of you split a vector and sit at a console and pore over the footage. That will speed up the process.'

Flashing a smile, ' I will be back in a couple of hours and I am confident that you will have something for me by that time. Now, get moving, and let us find where and what happened to our Brigadier.'

Major Param asked Raman to take the army vehicle but Raman refused and instead borrowed Shaji's bike and helmet and left to Global Hospitals.

At the same time, Commissioner Vishwanathan and Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan entered the house of Cabinet Minister Durai Pandi Arumugam with the file on Radha Krishnan.

Nearly at the same time, Kavita who had taken Appu, Pappu, and Meena to Pizza corner looked at them, and asked, ' Kids, anything else' and the kids looked back at her with one answer in their eyes and the universal answer that shines in all kids eyes while out eating.

" Ice cream."

Appu said chocolate. Pappu said Vanilla. Meena smirked at both of them sarcastically and said, ' Ma'am, I will have the Black forest cake.'

Appu and Pappu's eyes went wide and both looked at each other and looked sadly at Kavita who smiled and ordered ice cream and cake for both of them and for Meena wondering at the same time as to who kids could put away so many calories and still looks thin and hungry.

She placed a hand on her tummy and thought, ' soon, I will have my own Kutty Radhu in my arms and I will call him Bhaskar after my brother's surname since Raman and Jeeva have already named their son as Vijay.'

Entering the two-wheeler parking lot, Raman left his bike there and slowly scanned the surroundings for the police jeep and found it on the opposite side, parked in the lot meant for Handicapped people.

He casually walked towards the vehicle and spotting the constable who was its driver standing in the shade of a nearby tree knew it was time to get into character.

Raman arranged his face with an expression of disgust and anger and taking out his mobile phone began to click photos and no sooner had he done that, the constable ran towards him yelling, ' hello, hello sir. What do you think you are doing?'

Raman looked at him with anger, ' Taking photos which I will now post on all social platforms and also send it to the Chief Minister's cell, and maybe once he takes action, then you arrogant cops will behave better.'

The constable driver did not know what to do and then he began to curse and swear, ' What do you want me to do sir? How am I supposed to follow the rules and laws when my own senior officer stops me from doing so.'

Wiping his eyes that had filled with tears of anger, frustration, and also sadness, he looked at Raman, ' My Inspector only told me to park here for there is a shade over the parking lot.'

Realizing that he had just blurted out information about his senior, he began to beg for mercy, ' Sir, I am but a constable and just a driver. Please, don't do anything that will make me lose my job and probably also earn my Inspector's wrath.'

Raman nodded and said, ' Okay. I will not do anything to jeopardize your career but on one condition...'

' What condition, sir?'

' You will tell me in a few minutes all that you know about your Inspector and his current projects and who are his connections in the department and in the Government.'

The constable driver looked at Raman in fear and asked, ' who are you sir and why do you want to know all that?'

Raman took out his Raw Id Card and said, ' You will tell me everything or else you and all your family members will be in jail for treason and for plotting against the country. Along with your Inspector and you can sit there and wonder what is going on.'

The constable felt a familiar pain in his bladder and gut and squeaked, ' I will tell you what I know but you have to promise me that you will protect me from the Inspector.'

Avan, Aval, Adhu-12

What web is this

Of will be, is, and was? —JORGE LUIS BORGES

Gayatri stood under the shower and let the cold water rain down on her. The Manager had offered to send up as many buckets of hot water that she would require but she had politely refused it and instead had opted to bathe in the cold water.

' This cold water is nothing compared to the ones I have waded in, swam, and bathed in most parts of North India for that was cold, bitterly cold' She thought to herself as she gently soaped herself.

She stood facing the large mirror and examined herself. She knew she was a good-looking person and with above-average looks. She was was above average height for an Indian as she stood 5 ft 5 inches on her soles. Her once fair Marathi skin was now a tad tanned although Gayatri suspected that she would carry it throughout her life given her job and passion for Photography, Temple architecture, and pottery.

She turned to her side and examined her body profile and whispered to her reflection in the mirror, ' Not bad for a 43-year-old woman' and then cupped her small breasts that had withstood the pull of gravity and still remained perky with the nipples pointing up into the skies and again and thought, ' Boobs now, where were you during my high school when my boyfriend had tried to stroke them and was disappointed to only find a flat chest and erect nipples.'

' Well, only cows need boobs to feed their calves, not me and this will do' Gayatri laughingly told herself, and then she felt a sudden heat fill her essence and she turned wet with desire.

She gently scolded herself, ' calm down you silly old cow and give your needs a rest. I know it has been many months since you got laid and maybe it is time but definitely not the place and not in this place.'

The real Gayatri stared at the reflecting Gayatri, ' he is something, isn't he? He is not good-looking in a traditional way for his good looks come from the aura that he projects and the way that he carries himself.'

Then she nodded at her reflection, ' I know, I know. Sex is not just about two bodies but more about their minds and their desire for each other.'

She groaned as the pull of her needs began to fill her thoughts and not able to control herself she began to stroke her already aroused C..t and nearly screamed her lungs out for the orgasm was so powerful and it took all her strength to stay on her feet and all she could do was lean on the wall and curse, ' Oh f..K., f..k. f..K me' as the spasms of her huge orgasm racked its way through her body and then a few moments later, Gayatri opened her eyes and blinked again and again and mumbled , ' WTF was that? I have never climaxed like that and not in just seconds.'

She looked at herself and saw her passions and orgasm running down her thighs and mocked herself, ' Not bad you middle-aged cow, there is hope for you yet.'

She put her mobile phone in silent mode, turned off the lights and laid her head, and fell asleep instantly with a pleasant smile filling the lips on her face and a pleasant buzzing feeling in the lips between her legs.

She had not wanted to but had secretly hoped to and there he waited for her and in her dreams.

He gently took her in his arms and buried his mouth in hers and filled her heart with his breath and love.

“One is never too old to yearn.”

Loneliness is often compared to hunger. It's a lack of emotional sustenance, the physical pleasure of being in the company of someone who cares about you. Loneliness also feels a lot like depression, though the two are not the same.

Adhu means it. The other one. That final piece of the puzzle. The exit and the entrance in your maze or rather your life.

But who is Adhu? Aval or Ival? We know who Avan is but only time will tell what it will tell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YizjzLGHP7A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHZhZDB-oys

I'm sure you will enjoy this.

    One word in the English language that could be a noun, verb, adj, adv, prep is "UP".

    Read until the end... you'll have a good laugh !!!

    This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word.  That word is, *'UP'*.  It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

      It's easy to understand *UP*, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake *UP*?

    At a meeting, why does a topic come *UP*?  Why do we speak 'UP', and why are the officers *UP* for election, if there is a tie, it is a toss *UP*, and why is it *UP* to the secretary to write *UP* a report ?    

    We call *UP* our friends, brighten *UP* a room, polish *UP* the silver, warm *UP* the leftovers and clean *UP* the kitchen.  We lock *UP* the house and fix *UP* the old car.

    At other times, this little word has real special meaning.  People stir *UP* trouble, line UP for tickets, work *UP* an appetite, and think *UP* excuses.

    To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed *UP* is special.

    And this *UP* can be confusing. A drain must be opened *UP* because it is blocked *UP* !!!

    We open *UP* a store in the morning, but we close it *UP* at night.  We seem to be pretty mixed *UP* about *UP* !!!

    To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of *UP*, look *UP* the word *UP* in the dictionary.  In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes *UP* almost 1/4 of the page and can add *UP* to about thirty definitions !!!

    If you are *UP* to it, you might try building *UP* a list of the many ways *UP* is used.  It will take *UP* a lot of your time, but if you don't give *UP*, you may wind *UP* with, *UP* to, a hundred or more.

    When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding *UP*. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing *UP*.  When it rains, it soaks *UP* the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry *UP*.

    One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it *UP*, for now...... my time is *UP*!

    So, did this whole thing, crack you *UP*?

Send this on to everyone you look up to.

Here’s a Kerala joke:

A Chinese man came to Kerala.  He took a taxi at Kochi airport.

On the way to the hotel he saw a 🚌 bus. He told the taxi driver that in Kerala buses run very slowly.  In China buses run very fast.

After a while, the taxi 🚖 paused and they saw a train passing over the bridge. The man commented that  the trains are also very slow here.  In China trains run very fast.

All the way to the hotel he made observations unfavourable to Kerala, the driver felt. But the taxi driver said nothing. 

When the man reached his destination, he asked the driver for the meter reading and the taxi fare. 

The taxi driver replied it was Rs.10,000/-

The Chinese visitor was shocked! He shouted "are you kidding? in your country buses run slow, trains run slow, everything is slow.  How come the meter alone runs fast?"

To this the taxi driver replied, calmly, “Sir, the Meter is made in China.”

                                                  Avan, Aval, Adhu-13

I need a jug of wine and a book of poetry, Half a loaf for a bite to eat, Then you and I, seated in a deserted spot, Will have more wealth than a Sultan's realm. Omar Khayyam

Gayatri's eyes slowly fluttered open and her brain slowly kicked into gear and she became fully conscious and aware of her immediate surroundings. Still lying on her side, she saw her thigh thrown over the pillow and the sight lit the wick of a lingering ghost of a memory candle from last night's dream and she blushed and whispered to the room and its inhabitants.

' please, don't share my dreams and thoughts with anyone else and I beg you don't ever fall in love for then you will find a piece of your soul left behind and lying at the bottom of the well when you look down on your way up. You will never be whole again and you will forever carry a limp not in your limbs but in your mind and you will experience permanent disabilities.'

The cupboard, the chair, the table, the mirror, the phone, and the bathroom door stared back at her in wooden silence and with the eternal patience of their kith and kin, trees. Trees, mighty, tiny, and medium-sized trees who stand in quiet tragedy absorbing the axe and its blows and still throwing shades and shadows all around them as they topple to the ground and finally meet mother earth.

Gayatri sat up on the bed resting her weight on her arms and said loudly, ' Yes, a tree. A mighty tree. That is who Mr.Ravi Kumar reminds me of.'

Her soul sang in sync with her lips,

' He stands, lives, and exists like a mighty tree

with arms wide open and free

with open arms like branches for all to see

his soul and shade are like the deep blue sea

for like the tree and the deep sea

he too is a nourisher and a guardian of

lost ways and wisdom of how a man should be

Ok Gayatri, that's enough of your piddly poetry' she told herself and saw the time was nearly 6.30 am.

A knock on the door and a voice from behind it, ' Ma'am, heater not working. Bucket hot water putting here. I going now. You wanting anything you calling phone down. I coming running. Ok, ma'am.'

Gayatri smiled and thought' Bravo, man. Bravo. It is not the language and it is not about how well you speak it. It is all about how you convey and portray your soul thoughts to another soul. F..k English and F..K Grammar and diction and convention.'

Gayatri took the elevator since she was carrying her duty bag which held everything that was needed for her work. Laptop, cameras, lenses,sketchbooks, I-Pad, and mobile power banks. She pressed the button and saw that the elevator was coming down from the fourth floor and it dropped down to her floor, the third and the door opened presenting to her the same four men who she had encountered last night.

For a second, her heart skipped a beat fearing the worst but what happened was the exact opposite.

All the four men stepped out and helped her get in and said, ' Ma'am, you please carry on. We will take the stairs.'

One of them with his eyes stuck to the ground said in a soft voice, ' Ma'am, please forgive our rude and obnoxious behavior for we were not ourselves yesterday night. For God's sake, please do not speak about this to Master sir.'

Gayatri nodded and the doors of the elevator shut themselves like two lovers coming together and wrapping themselves around each other.

She blushed and tapped her head with her knuckles and said, ' Idiot. Pull yourself together and concentrate on the work which has led you here.'

The Elevator slowly sank to the ground floor and the lover doors separated again and Gayatri saw that Ganesh was waiting for her near the reception.

Seeing her, he ran towards her with a smile as bright as the sun and helped carry her large bag to his auto and after placing it there turned to her and wished her.

' Good morning, ma'am. Master sir's mother is waiting for you.'

' Waiting for me. why?' Gayatri asked in a surprised voice although her eyes could not suppress her joy at being invited to his house and the chance to see him and spend time with him again.

' To have breakfast with you, ma'am' and he added, ' Sir, is not aware of it but Amma has commanded me to be your driver and see to all your needs while you are here.'

' So sweet and so kind of her ' Gayatri said and got into the autorickshaw.

The green board with white borders declared that the road leading to Kumarapalayam lay to the right a few km away and without even realizing it, she began to countdown the distance and time that it would take to breathe his breath and see his eyes with her eyes.

Amusing musings and I am amused to death

I don't know why but the pull of the blue ceiling that is really black above it and beyond is a constant one. Sometimes, even when I am in the middle of a scene, I roll my eyes and look up for deliverance of peace and answers to the character's problems.

Ellam mela irukkuravan paarthu paan.

Is it because the concept of Heaven and Hell is firmly indoctrinated in our thought process or is it because somehow we still hold some trace memory of our alien origins from another star or even from another galaxy?

Or is it because we fell down from the womb of God who somehow manages to still stay on top, floating on clouds playing its Harp?

The Tv serial Baakiyalakshmi in which I am acting in is now entering a very crucial junction of its voyage.

Just in case you are late to the table and the show, let me, Satish rewind the story a bit so that you can better understand what I am talking about and maybe relate to the characters better.

Gopinath is married to Baakiyalakshmi and they have three grown-up children. Two sons and one daughter. The eldest son just got married and the younger son has skipped his final Engg exams and has set sights on the world of illusions, movies. The youngest of the children is in her 10th.

Gopi, Baakiyalakshmi, and their three children all live in one house along with their parents and their new daughter-in-law.

Gopi is a person who is about 48 or 49 years old and is a quiet and pretty serious person. He always seems to have an expression of a man who is suffering from some strange mental disorder. He has lived a quiet married life for 25 years and has successfully crossed that chasm called seven-year itch and even multiples of seven and is cruising in a resigned and top gear mode, all set for the final ride into the dark.

Then all hell breaks loose when he meets a girl called Radhika and then it is revealed why Gopi is like Gopi.

Gopi and Radhika loved each other very much and were about to get married when his dad, a headmaster breaks their love and breaks his heart and forces him to marry Baakiyalakshmi who is uneducated and a few years younger than him. Gopi is 23 and Baakiya is 19 and both enter marriage with his soul already broken and is the reason for her soul being broken.

Then, 25 years later, Radhika happens and she is going through a divorce and lives estranged from her abusive husband and lives alone with her daughter.

               This is Satish speaking not Gopi but speaking for Gopinath. In the serial, Baakiya is portrayed as the perfect wife and Gopinath is portrayed as a rude and sometimes cruel person who just wants to be left alone. They don't even share the same bed anymore. Share a bed with what? Bodies, but that is a quickie kind of love. Souls, now we are talking.

I slipped into my formal attire and slipped into the character of Gopinath and transformed into Jekyll and hyde sans the evil but with all the repressed love and I opened my eyes and began to speak for all those who are in the late 40s and stuck in relationships and marriages without love and meaning.

Gopinath is a quiet, morose man in his own house but all love and romance when he is with Radhika.

Smirk, sad, sober, somber, sarcasm, and more when with Baakiya. But sweet, soulful, special, sincere, and romantic when with Radhika.

What will a person do when given a chance to feel love and feel loved again?

What will a person do to get his soul back?

What will a person do for a chance, a stab at happiness?

Anything. But is that okay when a person is in his middle-age and with a married son and two other children?

As Satish and though Gopinath I am going to speak for all those people who want answers to some questions that they are too embarrassed to ask openly.

When does a person become too old to fall in love?

Is one's life his or her own life or is it all about children and their futures?

How does one balance what one lacks and what one gets, from somewhere else?

Loss, gain. Push, pull. Give, take.

Adam, Eve and the apple and serpent.

But, who is the serpent here, eve or the other or Adam himself?

Or is it life itself that is the serpent?

Most venomous and at the same time a constrictor of our breath soul.

So, some take to booze and some to drugs. Some fade and recede into the darkness and some simply vanish.

Me, I have all of you to bug, frustrate and torture. Thank you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FGaN27Usa4&list=PLsSTkBgqx7osxL8vetgTg0I4RMIX536lL&index=40

Creep, crawl, hop, jump, and walk tall but still a creepy crawly

“I climb the door instead of a tree

Just to crawl with myself walking free

What if I’m a lizard beneath my skin

Changing my colours of the human I’ve been”

― Munia Khan

I don't know why but I come alive, wide awake in the wee hours of a new day, a new morning although the land and all lives lie in the vice-like grip of darkness called night. I can sense a battle between my body and brain and also inside my brain itself.

Yes. One part of the brain says, ' I am tired. Go to sleep and f..k your writings and your thought processes. ' The other part says, ' No. Get up and get going, doing what you feel like doing. I feel the need to write, pen my thoughts, express myself and scream at the top of the world, ' Hey, people. Look here and see what I have found, discovered, and understood.'

Why that is and why do I feel thus, I knew not once but I know now who it is that is fighting inside me. Up there in that white jelly-like mass which we call the brain.

" Who is fighting?" you may ask and my answer is " Me. Myself. My lizard and my Mammal brain."

The lizard part of our brain is also called the Limbic system. It is the part of the brain that is phylogenetically very primitive. Many people call it the "Lizard Brain,” because the limbic system is about all a lizard has for brain function. It is in charge of fight, flight, feeding, fear, freezing up, and fornication.

“The lizard brain is hungry, scared, angry, and horny. The lizard brain only wants to eat and be safe. The lizard brain will fight (to the death) if it has to, but would rather run away. It likes a vendetta and has no trouble getting angry. The lizard brain is not merely a concept. It's real, and it's living on the top of your spine, fighting for your survival. But, of course, survival and success are not the same things. The lizard brain is the reason you're afraid, the reason you don't do all the art you can, the reason you don't ship when you can. The lizard brain is the source of the resistance.” ― Seth Godin, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Lizards and humans share similar brain parts, which they inherited from fish. These parts handle basic body functions like breathing, balance, and coordination, and simple survival urges like feeding, mating, and defense. Together, these parts--the brain stem, cerebellum, and basal ganglia--are casually referred to as your "lizard brain." So how are mammals different from lizards?

One big difference between mammals and lizards is that mammals have more complex emotions. Our emotions are processed in several regions that together are loosely called the "limbic system." They form a ring around our "lizard brain" regions, which evolved earlier. Mammal brains also have an outer layer called a cortex, which helps us control our emotions and make complex decisions.

 A monkey's cortex is more than twice the size of a comparable mammal's, and in humans, it is bigger still. All mammals have some version of basic emotions like fear and anger since our limbic systems are very similar. But humans are also especially sensitive to social emotions like shame, guilt, and pride, which require understanding what other people think and feel about us--a specialty of our advanced prefrontal cortex.

The human brain includes many regions that evolved long ago. Our older "lizard brain" parts keep our bodies working and provide basic survival motivations, while our newer "mammal brain" regions improve our emotions and memory. Our "primate brain," with its large, wrinkly cortex, helps us plan, predict, and use language. All these regions work together. So while ancient urges still drive our behavior, we constantly think up new strategies for achieving these goals.

Lizard Brain Rules Us

There’s a tiny section of our brain called the amygdala. It’s about the size of an almond, and it’s lodged deep in the section of our brain that handles our memory, speech, and visual cues.

The amygdala’s job is to provide us with our most primal instincts: fear, hunger, and arousal. It drives us to fend off predators and protect ourselves from harm.

You know that tiny voice inside your head that says, “C’mon, a clothing boutique? That’s too risky. You’ll never make it. You’ll lose all your money. You won’t be able to pay the rent. Your employees will steal from you. You won’t have health benefits. You’ll starve. Your children will suffer. You’ll miss out on retirement benefits. No one will buy your airfare to conferences. And you’ll miss the company Christmas party.”

That’s your amygdala talking. It’s the creator of the fear response in your brain. Its job is to keep you safe from shark attacks, but its side effects include talking you out of your dreams.

The amygdala gets priority in the brain. Sensory input reaches hits the amygdala first, triggering a fear (or pleasure) reaction long before that same data gets a chance to reach the slower, more reasonable portion of your brain, called your frontal lobe.

If a grizzly bear is chasing you, this is a great advantage. Chances are you’ll start sprinting before you can even process why. But when you’re trying to overcome your fears and anxieties, it means you’re – quite literally – trying to re-wire the deepest instincts nestled at the center of your mind.

The U.S. Navy SEALS know they need to select new SEAL candidates who are skilled at overcoming their brain’s powerful fear response. The human brain is hardwired to hightail away from danger, and a Navy SEAL’s job is to rush into danger and stay there.

So the Navy developed the Underwater Pool Competency Test, which is designed to see if a SEALS applicant can resist their most visceral fear response.

Here’s how they do it:

First, they put a SEAL applicant underwater for 20 minutes. The candidate breathes through SCUBA equipment.

Then they send someone to trigger the candidate’s fear response. The instructor shuts off the candidate’s breathing regulator and ties the candidate’s breathing gear into knots. The applicant can’t breathe.

Human instinct says that this is the moment you should swim to the surface of the water. Our brain is hardwired to want oxygen. Without it, we’ll be dead in minutes. Cue the fear. Cue the panic. This is the moment the amygdala is shrieking.

Many candidates fail the test at this point. They give in to their fears. They swim to the surface and gasp a nice, crisp gulp of air.

But the candidates who pass the test using one powerful mechanism in order to resist their amygdala and stay underwater: they focus on their goals.

“My goal is to untie this knot.” They focus on this thought single-mindedly. “My goal is to turn the breathing regulator back on.” No matter how loud the amygdala yells, they focus on their goal.

Then they break their goal down further. “Step one to untying the knot is —.” They execute. “Step two to untying the knot is —.” They execute.

Their amygdala is screaming, “breathe! Push to the surface and breathe! Get away from this predator who’s trying to kill you!” But the ones who pass the test are the ones who let their frontal lobe – their rational, thinking brain – take command.

They still feel fear. But they don’t focus on it. Their goals are the antidote to their fear.

A long time ago and hundreds of years or maybe even thousands of years before the two world wars that took place in the first half of the 20th century, a mighty war was fought between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. It is called the Kurukshetra war.

On the eve of that battle, Arjuna and Duryodhana went to meet Lord Krishna to ask for his support for the coming war between them.

Duryodhana went to Dwarka and reached Krishna's palace, who he found was taking a nap. So Duryodhana took a seat beside his head and waited for him to wake up. Arjuna who had come there at the same time sat down near Krishna's feet.

When Krishna woke up, he saw Arjuna first because Duryodhana was sitting behind him. Duryodhana said, " I have come to ask for your support in the coming war." Arjuna also made the same request. Duryodhana said, "I came before Arjuna, so you should help me and not him." Krishna said, "Due to your pride you sat beside my head so I saw Arjuna first. But you are both dear to me so I will help you both. To one of you, I will give my army (Narayani Sena) and to the other, I will give my moral support because I will not fight in the war. Arjuna is younger so I will ask him to choose."

Arjuna, without wasting a second, chose Krishna's moral support. He knew that with his support and guidance, the Pandavas would certainly win the war.

When Duryodhana heard Arjuna's choice, he was very happy. He was foolish enough to think that Krishna, who wouldn't even fight in the war, would be of no use to him; Krishna's huge army would certainly be of help.

But, we know today what happened then.

Now, tell me clearly who acted with the help of his Lizard brain and who acted with the help of his mammalian pre-cortex brain.

Both, I tell you.

WTF will be your reaction.

Lizard brain -Duryodhana

But, Arjuna used both his lizard brain and his evolved mammalian brain, and again, we know who won the war.