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Rini, my post on questioning was an extrapolation of Kicha's earlier post, precisely these lines

These people became eminent because they had the guts to reject eminent people of their times. The bottomline is.. Of course, listen to your elders, teachers, sacred books, philosophy or the deemed eminent personalities.. but do remember, its not in reading sacred books or listening to 'eminent' people, that one gains wisdom...

It was to show that if you accept everything as it happens (some call it Fate), you might find yourself in a doldrum, with no place to go. I was suggesting that a person has the right to question and that should not be encumbered by anyone or anything. I guess you have misunderstood the meaning of a few portions of my post. I am not asking everyone to start questioning everything. I was speaking about questioning about things you don't understand and feel it's not right. In fact, the last para of my post summarised my entire post.

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but the too-squeaky wheel gets replaced."

Elders might have various suggestions. But it doesn't always mean that you have to follow everything they say. Some things have to be followed. I understand them and will follow them. But things which make no sense in the modern world have either to be modified or rejected. We have been doing it in the past and will possibly continue to do so in the future. reg. you recent post, I guess Kicha was speaking in general about religion and superstitions. I don't think he was trying to bring literature under the purview of his post. Well, you echoed my points in saying that reading is not as easy as it may seem to be. I think you are trying to tell Kicha that a man without a past will soon be a man without a future. I remember reading a similar statement by Wilbur Smith. Critical awareness is a very important tool that a person can possess. I have experienced it. Before I read "Foucault's Pendulum" way back in the early 90's, books were just meant for passing my time. I used to take a book from the library in the morning, return the book back to the library by early evening. That was it. Another book added to the library in my mind. But two books provided me the enlightment, Foucault's Pendulum and Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. They were the first books where I ran into difficulties. I couldn't understand a single word of what they were trying to tell me. But I was young then, maybe thirteen or fourteen. It took me several weeks to go through them. At the end, I was still confused. I had this strange feeling of having left the book unread. It felt similar to sitting in front of a wonderful buffet, but eating only the dessert. After that, I made a vow to understand each book. Since then, I take pains to understand the context in which a book has been written. I found that books make a greater sense when you understand the context and the frame of mind that author had been while writing. Every book has been a bundle of joy since then. It is good to hear that you are trying to develop an outlook on life. Could you expand more on that later? It is sad to hear that you've got to wear specs. Send me a photo with your new haircut and specs. It is good to hear your garden is growing and it is sad to hear that you've got pets, sorry, pests. I feel that "Elite Essays" could benefit from a discussion board or a comments module. Hope you could set one up. Ram, why are there no updates to "Thoughts"? Any reasons... More later...