The Accumulated Works of A Bored Genius

"I remember those days. We used to go to the park nearby and feed the birds while people were strolling or chatting at benches and eating at the roadside stalls," said thatha, re-tying his lungi as he stared out at the empty skies. He had gotten into one of his reminiscent moods again. I guess age does that - pining for a past that was supposedly better and happier. "Kids these days don't even know what a sparrow is. It's very unfortunate." "Yes thatha sparrows were awesome we all miss those birds," I said sardonically as I shrugged and walked away, leaving his coffee at the foot of his chair. I'd heard this story too many times and my friends were waiting for me to start another game of Overwatch. I could hear thatha get into another one of his coughing fits as I shut my bedroom door and put my headphones on. He'd had a bad cold and fever for a few days now. Some people from the corporation came and did some tests. He didn't test po

Who or what is an individual? Am I a sum of my parts or are we jigsaw puzzle pieces of a larger whole? As a species we have often battled between individualistic and communal ways of life - which is better? Or rather, which is more suitable? Are individual needs more important or must importance be accorded to the larger scheme of things, of which we are all a part? This can mean different things in different contexts and despite the inclination towards the individualistic school of thought for many of us, the current pandemic purportedly caused by the novel (thus far) coronavirus COVID-19 has got me to thinking that we are prone to switching between the two, picking and choosing when to place the interests of what we consider "ours" over the rest, or vice versa. The question of self has bothered humans for as long as sentience has been a thing. The "I" of it being distinct from the externalities, "us vs. them", this is mine, that is yours. But we h