it takes a lot to actually confess that you are afraid. but what-the-hell, you put me anywhere near a firecracker that goes *boom/kaboom/bang* and i'd rather exchange places with Pheidippides and run all the way from Marathon to Athens! somethings are better left for others to indulge in, and firecrackers for me are on top of that list. i'm not a pyrophobic, acousticophobic or something of that sort. i mean, i do like the ones that are less noisy, light up and are pretty to watch. i do really!
anyways, yesterday i kind of saw something that i thought i'd never get to see again in this capitalist world. i saw a woman who was walking around my Ba's house peddling utensils. the novel part about her was that she wasn't selling the utensils for money, instead she bartered them for old used clothes...
...and then i realized, this was means of exchange that existed long before Adam Smith, Ricardo and Keynes. and it will continue to last long after we have answered most major economic fundas. after all this just goes on to prove that money is not everything. it's just a means of exchange and it is supposed to facilitate our lives since as specialized producers of commodities we humans cannot provide for all of our needs by ourselves. but that should not make money paramount. after all, one may survive just as well even in the absence of such a medium if there are alternate means...maybe they should teach us more about all this in all the Business Schools!!
in other things, my allergies are acting up again. i have been cleaning the house at Camp and the dust accumulated over the months is enough to kill me. plus the onset of winter has announced itself in the usual 'cough and cold' that has really gelled well with my allergies. being sick, especially with a runny nose and continuous sneezing makes me irritable and crabby on an on-off basis.
in matters of random banter, i like the Surf Exel advert...it says, "अगर कुछ अच्छा करने में दाग लगे तो दाग अछे है।" but the part i like best is when the kid tells the other kid "अबे चड्डी छोड़।"
...and Anu didi, for your information (even though its like 15 years since the incident), "it was the cow! really it was. i swear".
;)
anyways, yesterday i kind of saw something that i thought i'd never get to see again in this capitalist world. i saw a woman who was walking around my Ba's house peddling utensils. the novel part about her was that she wasn't selling the utensils for money, instead she bartered them for old used clothes...
it really was like a blast from the past observing a form of human ingenuity and exchange that is as old as maybe the time when the first ape-predecessor of humans decided to give the fellow tribe/troop member an apple in return for the orange he/she held....(although my bet is that for them it was more likely to be "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours"). anyways, its a wonder that certain things manage to find ways to retain their existentialism in a world where most things are going for a toss. my economic theory trained mind couldn't help spurt out questions such as; how does she even manage to break even bartering old clothes for brand new utensils? what does she do with the old clothes? where does she sell them, if indeed she does sell them?
...and then i realized, this was means of exchange that existed long before Adam Smith, Ricardo and Keynes. and it will continue to last long after we have answered most major economic fundas. after all this just goes on to prove that money is not everything. it's just a means of exchange and it is supposed to facilitate our lives since as specialized producers of commodities we humans cannot provide for all of our needs by ourselves. but that should not make money paramount. after all, one may survive just as well even in the absence of such a medium if there are alternate means...maybe they should teach us more about all this in all the Business Schools!!
in other things, my allergies are acting up again. i have been cleaning the house at Camp and the dust accumulated over the months is enough to kill me. plus the onset of winter has announced itself in the usual 'cough and cold' that has really gelled well with my allergies. being sick, especially with a runny nose and continuous sneezing makes me irritable and crabby on an on-off basis.
in matters of random banter, i like the Surf Exel advert...it says, "अगर कुछ अच्छा करने में दाग लगे तो दाग अछे है।" but the part i like best is when the kid tells the other kid "अबे चड्डी छोड़।"
...and Anu didi, for your information (even though its like 15 years since the incident), "it was the cow! really it was. i swear".
;)
No comments:
Post a Comment