Hats off to all the unreasonable people!

Cheeniya · Jan 16, 2012

Dear Viji
A reasonable sister for a reasonable brother. That may be a bit boring but quite acceptable. My mum used to tell me that there would be more love and affection between quarrelsome siblings than the calm and peaceful ones!
Everyone thinks he is reasonable and what others perceive him as is more important. In your case, you seem to fall in line with your husband's perception of himself as a reasonable man. All izz well!
Sri

PriyaKat · Feb 17, 2012

I say " Yae".

 Demanding one’s rights is often condemned as “unreasonable” . In a majority of cases, the demands are really very reasonable and it’s the other party that is Unreasonable in denying / withdrawing/obstructing those rights. Case in point : your Multiplex that switched off the A.C. So what if the Gandhi-Class rowdy did not have even a fan at home ? He has paid for his ticket which promised him A.C. comfort for 3 hours , so why should he be short changed on that ? Nothing Unreasonable here. It was the Balcony Seat Gentleman , acting high and mighty, who seems unreasonable.

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man".

Reading this immediately brought to mind that quixotic genius , the late Steve Jobs. I read his official biography ( by Walter Isaacson) just two weeks ago . Two things from that book got imprinted in my mind :
1. 1. Steve’s guiding motto , a slogan he chanced upon on the back cover of an old manual called “ The Whole Earth Catalogue” during his impressionable years: “ Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish”. And Staying Foolish became his Mantra throughout his life. Because he firmly believed that “ people who are foolish enough to think they can change the world most often do !” So its reasonable to respect unreasonable people !

[FONT=&quot]2. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]2. From Steve’s most famous speech , delivered to graduating students : “Don't waste your limited time on earth living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition .”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]This sermon flies in the face of traditional advise ( at least in our part of the world ) to always toe the line of Authority ( be it the fathers in a family or the Big Bosses at the workplace.) and to never be “Unreasonable” ![/FONT]

( sorry about those fonts acting funny. )

Cheeniya · Feb 17, 2012

Dear Priya
You are absolutely right in saying that ‘demanding one’s rights is often condemned as unreasonable’. We know that the crying child invariably gets the milk but our hearts go out to the child that looks longingly at the triumphant child hoping he will get the spillover milk! This is true of not only the child-milk scenario but the entire gamut of gratification of human needs. I often wonder where do I stand in this scheme of things. I am not equipped to make a big hue and cry about what I need. I do have a tendency to get easily bullied.

When I wrote this piece, Steve Jobs was making Apple a worldwide phenomenon but was yet to become an iconic figure. Most of us came to know of his passions only when it was revealed to the world that his days were being numbered. We started looking at him with great interest and post death, he had become one of the greatest technological phenomena. Had I an inkling of all this, I would have written this thread as an exclusive homage to him.

I would urge everyone to read his biography. This is an awesome insight into how human genius works. Thank you for those quotes which I am sure will generate enough interest in our members to understand his life and his mission.
Sri