Sentry Tower

In the grip of road rage, I have often thought of violent solutions to my problems. Just today I was thinking how much traffic would be improved if there were no pedestrians crossing the road. Even in places with Foot Over Bridges (FOB) people tend to cross the road; often a high-speed high-traffic speedway; right in the shadow of an FOB. How simple it would be, I mused, to simply pass a mandate that absolved the driver if he/she ran over a pedestrian jay-walking within 250 meters of a FOB. It would rapidly solve all problems and the road would become smooth and hassle free. Now I've wondered at how many people would actually run over the pedestrians crossing. I don't think anyone would be able to resist the reflex braking when they see someone running right in front of them. I have often witnessed car pile-ups due to one driver braking to avoid hitting (even a) dog. But that was beside the point. The chief flaw in this system is that it loses sight of the objective of a FO...

It is night. J walks the intermittently lit streets of the city. He is not thinking anything in particular. Thoughts flit randomly across the landscape of his weary mind. It has been a tough day. Not so much tiring as wearying. He is searching for the answer to a very important question. It is a logic-altering question. One that has plagued perhaps every mind since the dawn of time: identity. What is it? Does something like a true identity exist? However, he is not really thinking. The thought is running in a constant rhythm through his mind, much as the drone of a machine. A few steps ahead. A streetlight is flickering on and off. Each state endures for a few seconds and is accompanied by an unusual rustling noise. J is intrigued. He walks until he is directly beneath the light. There is an alleyway leading off to the right. By the light of the flickering lamp he is able to discern a human shape seated on a pile of nondescript boxes. He stands still and waits for the next flash of i...

Friendship is hard to come by in the real world. Yes. I've said it. Before you wonder whether I'm making epigrammatic statements just for sheer impact, let us concur upon an agreeable definition for friendship. What is friendship? 'A friend in need is a friend indeed' is one of those irritating sayings that everyone parrots without understanding or even trying to understand the theme or connotation behind it. Adding that fact to the already limited scope of the aforementioned homily and one has a very big misconception about the entire concept of 'friendship' in general and 'friends' in particular. Let my essay now take the form of a dialogue for the sake of ease of comprehension and brevity: WHO IS A FRIEND? Q: Someone whom I meet everyday and work/study with? A: No, that is a colleague. Q: Someone whose number I possess and contact for information. I may chit-chat with and greet them when I come across them, depending upon the time and circums...