It’s 2014. Somewhere in Jaipur, on a cold breezy night.

I’m in the balcony with my earphones plugged in. Listening to my trance playlist. My eyes are closed. I can feel the wind. I’m in the moment. The music slowly building to a crescendo. There is a surge of energy in my body. A state of transcendence. A moment, when you lose all track of time.

The wind is getting stronger. It’s trying to communicate with me. I feel this weird pull towards the universe. I look at the stars and it feels home. A strange feeling of belonging. Something inside of me, belongs there.

You see, trance music doesn’t have any lyrics. It’s pure music. A rhythm of beats. And when you listen to trance long enough, you start deriving meaning out of those rhythm of beats. And that’s what happened that day.

In the music, I could sense something being relayed to me. Not words, but a feeling. A feeling, that I could do anything that I set my mind to. A feeling of endless possibilities. A feeling that I was unstoppable.

How could a rhythm of beats carry a message that could make me feel so amazing?

More importantly, who was sending this message?

In an instance, I knew the answer. It was me. I was communicating with myself.

Fast forward to the year 2020. Mumbai.

Post workout, I sit down to wind down. I meditate for 10 minutes, listening to trance music. My mind wanders, taking wild turns with every beat. Unbridled. Free. The music, trying to talk to me. Again.

A strange feeling overcomes me. A feeling of being connected. With all the versions of me — past & future. And all of a sudden, I am talking to these versions, transmitting a feeling across all wave-lengths to all the versions of me. A feeling which says something like:

‘Hey man. I don’t know what you’re going through right now. But if I could tell you one thing, it would be this.

You can do anything. You’re unstoppable. You’ve got unlimited potential. A path filled with exponential growth. With love. With freedom. With endless possibilities. So you go out there, and you conquer the world. Because that’s who you are.’

Every-time I sit down to meditate, I communicate with all the versions of myself. Sometimes the connection is strong. Sometimes, I don’t feel anything. But regardless of that, I still do it. Because, for the mind, there is no time. Whatever I say (or think) can travel backwards, forwards, sideways, in all directions.

My message, is embedded in music. Music, which can transcend the boundaries of time. Instead of words, I communicate in feelings. Because that’s the purest form of communication.

In my day to day life, I forget about these messages. I get distracted. I get busy chasing my dreams. But when I slow down, when I let the music flow within me — the messages reappear. I am re-minded of who I am. And I am exposed to a world without time. Because, time is an illusion.

The universe, is always talking to us. The question is, are you listening?

1. Where do I want to be in 10 years?

2. Does life exists elsewhere in the Universe?

3. Why do humans keep killing humans? How much time does Humanity have left?

4. What’s the next big technology? Is it Quantum Computing? Or synthetic biology? Gene editing?

But the biggest question I grapple with is my purpose here on Earth. What is my destiny? And, do I really have any control over it?

A hypothesis

I recently watched a show on Apple TV called ‘Dark Matter’ which is centered around a physics professor ‘Jason’ who is kidnapped and sent to an alternative reality. In the show we find out that the person who kidnapped Jason — is himself, albeit from another reality. A multiverse.

This other Jason (the kidnapper) in his alternative reality has built a box which can put people in a state of ‘superposition’ which enables them to travel across the Multiverse into infinite alternative realities.

Reality #1 — Jason is a physics professor in a sub-par university in Chicago. He’s married and has a kid. He is living a normal life and you can see he is probably not very thrilled with it. He could have achieved more, he feels.

Reality #2 — Jason is a big shot scientist who has developed a way for people to travel the multiverse. However, he’s not married. Doesn’t have a kid. It is BECAUSE he chose not to get married and pursue his dream, that he became such a great scientist. But, he’s not really happy. And he wonders, what his life could’ve been if he had married the woman of his dreams.

A simple decision — not to get married and pursue science — completely changed Jason’s life in another reality.

And that’s how I think destiny works.

• At the micro level, every decision you take shapes your life. All possibilities exist. If you decide to start a newsletter and you keep pursuing it, you might become a great writer. Or you could start a business and invent a disruptive technology. Or you could pursue sports. Or become an astronaut. Or start a NGO to help the underprivileged. Or you could just keep watching memes.

• At the macro level, decisions that the collective humanity takes, shapes our life on Earth. If we decide to do something about global warming, we could still save the planet. If all of us decide to use cryptocurrencies, you’d not need physical money anymore. If we decide not to kill each other over religion / caste, we could live a more peaceful life.

The macro level decides how you experience life externally while the micro level decides how you experience life internally.

And so, you’re one decision away from completely changing your life.

I want to leave you with this wonderful exchange between Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe in ‘The Last Samurai’ — a movie that got me thinking about the concept of destiny in the first place.

Katsumoto: You believe, a man can change his destiny?

Algren: I think a man does what he can, until his destiny is revealed.

Plus, you get some holidays to take a break.

My diwali is extra sweet this year — because of you. Every single person who has subscribed to ‘Investing in India’ — I want you to know that I am grateful for your presence in my life. You keep my passion alive. You are the reason why I look forward to the weekends. To engage in research and discover new businesses. Without your support, all of this becomes less fun.

So, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for placing your trust in me. In reading the content that I write. I will continue to search for new opportunities in the market and strive to serve you the best I can.

I wish you and your families a very HAPPY DIWALI 🪔

Diwali wishes are quite generic. You get a standard greeting, wishing you lots of success and happiness. Most of it is forwarded, so you know that the person has not really made an effort while sending the message. And that’s okay.

That’s how the world works.

But I don’t believe in forwarding messages or greeting someone, without any effort. I want you, to become the best version of yourself. Happiness. Success. These are all by-products.

One of the movies, that has greatly influenced the way I think is The Dark Knight Trilogy. And there’s a particular scene, that really stuck in my mind.

It’s from the first movie in the franchise ‘Batman Begins’ — when Bruce Wayne is in a prison, trying to learn about how the criminal world works. He has had a fight with a group of prisoners [as practice] and is locked in solitary confinement, when Ducard — a member of the League of Shadows visits him. What he tells Bruce Wayne, changes his life forever.

Ducard: Are you so desperate to fight criminals that you lock yourself in to take them on one at a time?

Bruce: Actually, there were seven of them.

Ducard: I counted six, Mr. Wayne.

Bruce: How do you know my name?

Ducard: The world is too small for someone like Bruce Wayne to disappear, no matter how deep he chooses to sink.

Bruce: Who are you?

Ducard: My name is merely Ducard, but I speak for Ra's al Ghul, a man greatly feared by the criminal underworld. A man who could offer you a path.

Bruce: What makes you think I need a path?

Ducard: Someone like you is here only by choice. You have been exploring the criminal fraternity but, whatever your original intentions — you have become truly lost.

Bruce: And what path can Ra’s al Ghul offer?

Ducard: The path of a man who shares his hatred of evil and wishes to serve true justice. The path of the League of Shadows.

Bruce [laughing] : You’re vigilantes.

Ducard: A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed or locked up. But, if you make yourself more than just a man. If you devote yourself to an ideal and if they can’t stop you — then you become something else entirely.

Bruce: Which is?

Ducard: Legend, Mr. Wayne.

What I’m trying to tell you here, is that each of you — has unlimited potential. You have no limits. There’s a fire within you. A drive, to achieve great things.

So, try new things. Engage in new experiences. Dive into new perspectives. Embrace failure and use it to propel yourself higher. Become a beast. Chase excellence. Write your own story. Rewire your subconscious. Uplift other people around you. You create your own destiny.

I’m rooting for you 💕

Here’s my take on it.

Monday morning 10 a.m.

You’re working on a super critical project that needs to be submitted tomorrow. You require unparalleled focus to generate lots of creative ideas. While you’re busy with the project, a thought surfaces from your subconscious mind:

Check your phone. See if anyone has liked that photo you just posted on Instagram.

You take a quick look at the phone beside your laptop — but resist the urge internally. You re-direct your mind to the task at hand. You need to f*ckin’ concentrate!

Just once. Just open the app. It will take only a few seconds. Then you can go back to work.

You look at the phone again. Without any awareness, you tap on it. You unlock it and you open the app to see how many likes you’ve got. ‘Ah, only 32 likes’. You check out a few reels. A few memes. After 5 minutes, it hits you. Got to work on the project! You lock the phone and you start working again.

A few minutes later, the same thought surfaces from the subconscious:

Sub-c: Check your phone. See if anyone has liked your photo.

Consciously: No, no. I got to focus on this project.

Sub-c: Come on, just a small peek. You’re not hurting anybody.

Consciously: But I need to focus.

Sub-c: But we need to get to XXX likes. And you love checking Instagram don’t you remember? Such a beautiful app. So goddamn aesthetic.

Consciously: Ah, what the hell.

(this conversation happens so quickly inside your brain (in < a second), that you’re not even aware that you’ve had these thoughts)

Result: Your hand slowly creeps to your phone, without any conscious awareness. You click it open. You check the likes on your pic. ‘Ah yes, Shanaya liked my pic 💕’

You watch something funny. You get a minor chuckle. You send a few DMs. All subconsciously. It is effortless. Automatic. You don’t even have to think about it anymore.

And that is how, my friend — most of us (me included) are caught in this vicious loop.

A new form of slavery

While you’re reading this article, take a second and look around you. Chances are most people are immersed in their phones. Or their laptops. Or the TV.

Your mind now only takes a break when you’re sleeping. When you’re awake, you’re surrounded by electronics. Your mind is constantly engaged. You’re spending hours watching reels. Memes. YT videos. Reading news. Online meetings. Online games.

Constant consumption. Not a single second to waste. And this takes a toll on your mind. Especially your subconscious mind, which is the mind that controls your thoughts — and in effect majority of your routine actions / habits.

The subconscious mind follows patterns. When you do something over and over again, it becomes effortless. For eg. the habit of checking your phone every minute, or worse — every few seconds.

And while majority of the world is now free from physical forms of slavery — a new form of slavery is taking root at a fundamental level. Slavery, of the mind.

Attention is the new currency. Corporations. Content creators. Everyone is fighting for your attention — which keeps getting shorter every year.

You wonder why you can’t focus properly? Why do you waste so much of your time? The digital system is built, to enslave your mind. To keep it occupied into watching mindless reels for that mini-dopamine kick. To make impulse purchases. And ultimately, to influence the way you think.

And that’s how slavery begins, when your thoughts are not your thoughts anymore — but influenced by some external party.

Before you know it, you are so used to using all these electronics that you cannot live without it. You’re addicted. You’d literally go crazy if you were sitting in a cafe, all alone without your phone or your laptop. How would time go by?

Can we solve this?

Ofcourse. The first step to solve any problem in life, is awareness. You need to first become aware [and accept], that this is a problem that you’re suffering with — which is a difficult thing to do, because it feels so normal right?

Its not really a problem if everyone is doing it.

But take a pause. I want you to think about this really hard. Can you spend a day without your phone? Can you spend an hour without checking Instagram / Whatsapp / other social media apps? Can you spend 10 minutes without seeing your phone constantly?

If the answer is NO — and you know the truth about your thoughts — you’ve got a problem.

And you can only solve it, by creating new habits. That’s the only way you can re-wire your subconscious mind. So it doesn’t tell you to keep checking your phone. Because, you can’t fight with your mind. It always wins.

What can you do?

Reduce your screen time. Immerse yourself in the act of creation, instead of constant consumption. Practice mindfulness. Be more aware of your thoughts. Spend more time thinking about why you think the way you do.

It is time, to take control of your mind [and your life] 🚀

[P.S. I keep my phone in a separate room while writing articles, so that I don’t get that constant nag in my brain to check it. But just after completing this article, I did watch a movie reel. Long way to go!]

One of the most important things to grow in life, I believe — is the ability to keep an open mind about various concepts. You could believe a certain way to be true, but if you can keep an open mind, you start to truly learn.

So, all of this GYAAN aside — there’s something that was written in that book, that stuck with me, a particular sentence which made me question (and change) my behaviour towards others.

It goes — ‘What you give to others, you give to yourself’

Basically, the law of Karma. What goes around comes around. You should treat others with kindness. You shouldn’t wish bad on others. Or, it will catch up with you. We all know this, but this doesn’t really help to change our behaviour.

We shout at our loved ones. We want that successful friend to fail. We get jealous of the celebrities on the internet. We do NOT stop to help people who need us. Humans keep killing humans. The knowledge of the law of karma, it doesn’t help. It doesn’t alter our behaviour in any significant way — because we don’t see any immediate effects of it.

What if, there was a way to visualize this — a more interesting way that could actually stop you in your tracks and make you re-think all your actions going forward?

I spent some time thinking and I have developed an interesting hypothesis.

Everything is happening instantaneously

The universe is a mysterious place. In the past few centuries, our understanding of the universe has greatly increased but what we have also understood is how much we DON’T know about the universe.

As per estimates by the scientific community — 95% of our universe consists of dark matter and dark energy (which we know nothing about, because we can’t even see it and we haven’t been able to detect it) and only 5% consists of ordinary matter (what we can actually see)

A lot of talk has also happened that we have multiple universes a.k.a the multi-verse. Obviously, the movies were the first to catch on this concept. And although there’s no way to prove that multiple-universes exist — it makes for one interesting thought experiment.

So, here’s how I think Karma works.

THE HYPOTHESIS

Let’s say that you’re in a burger joint called PapaDonalds’. You order a jumbo sized burger (because you’re quite hangry for some reason) and some fries on the side.

Your arch enemy — Kevin — is sitting two tables away from you. Forgot to tell you, but you’ve made some enemies in your college. You’re very famous. You’re gifted academically. People are jealous of how good you look. But Kevin — he tries to provoke you. He tries to pull you down. And you’ve ignored him for so long, but the truth is, he gets on your nerves.

But today, Kevin took things a little too far. And you fell for his prank. He had planted a shit filled baloon under your seat waiting to explode as soon as you sit on your chair. Unaware, as you sat down with your delicious looking burger — shit went down, literally. And your pants and your shoes were the victims of this prank.

This was it. This was the moment you lost your composure. You really wanted to eat your burger with peace. And Kevin, didn’t let you. So, you did the unexpected. You surprised everyone in the college canteen.

You took the burger and you wiped it with the shit lying on the floor. You’ve got a great aim and you looked for Kevin’s face. And boom, you threw that burger across the tables and you hit the bulls eye. The fate of that burger was sealed. Kevin wouldn’t dare play a prank on you again OR you would make him eat his own shit. Mission accomplished.

Now, obviously Kevin paid for his misdeeds — rather instantaneously. But what about you? You threw a shit filled burger at someone’s face & your aim was absolutely spot on. Surely, karma will get to you at some point?

Here’s what I think happened — that you couldn’t comprehend when you threw that burger.

In an alternative universe, you switched places. You’re the Kevin in that universe. And, as you begin to throw that burger in your current reality — a burger is also flying towards you in that alternative universe. And, it’s happening instantaneously.

In that way, the next time you slap someone — you’re also getting slapped in some other universe. When you help someone, you’re also getting help at the same time. When you save someone’s life, someone is also savings yours. When you inspire others, you’re also getting inspired.

It’s all happening at the same time. Your soul is broken into countless pieces and you’re living countless lives in countless universes. Our consciousness isn’t developed enough to see all those other lives all at once. But if we could, maybe we’d act differently?

It is all connected in a mysterious way that we can’t yet fathom.

And so, what you give to others — you give to yourself.

Obviously, this is just an imagination cooked up by my mind. I have no idea if multiple universes exist. Or if we live countless lives. Or if soul exists. But, it is a thought experiment designed with a sole objective — to change the way you behave. To be more kind. More compassionate. And it has helped me rewire my subconscious to certain extent.

Maybe — me writing this article means that I am getting this knowledge from someone else in another universe. Who knows? But wouldn’t it be something if it were true?

According to research, an average human being has around 60 THOUSAND thoughts in a single day. Out of this, 75% are negative thoughts. But, that’s something for another day.

What is really interesting, is that 99.99% of your thoughts are not your own. They’re planted by external agencies. You are constantly consuming content. And everything is leaving an imprint on your subconscious mind, which then shapes your mindset. Ads. YT videos. Instagram reels. Movies. Books. Conversations with people. Podcasts. Your mindset, changes everyday.

Someone said in a video that Paris is the most romantic city in the world. And your mind believed it. Someone then asks you what you think is the most romantic city in this world — Well, Paris isn’t it?

You’ve never been there in person. But, someone implanted this thought in your mind. And so you’re implanting this thought in other people’s mind. The chain continues.

How is a thought generated?

Thoughts are generated through triggers. Triggers can be internal or external. And one thought triggers another thought, it works like a chain reaction. A train of thoughts to be precise.

Let’s say you’re watching a video of a travel blogger. This person has recently visited the Bahamas. Blue serene waters. Clear sky. Surrounded by beautiful people. Amazing watersports.

This is how the train of thoughts could look like in your mind:

T1: Wow, what a beautiful island. I love how blue the ocean is.

T2: Damn, wish I could be there. Everyone looks so happy. I love beaches.

T3: It’s been so long since I took a break. Actually, I don’t get any breaks. What kind of a job am I doing?

T4: Will I ever be able to achieve this? Like Bahamas is quite expensive, will I be able to make enough money to afford such a trip?

T5: What can I do to make more money? Why does it feel like I am stuck?

T6: Why am I not progressing in my life? What can I do better? What is wrong with me?

T7: Probably should’ve worked harder. Taken bolder decisions. Stood up to the boss in that quarterly meeting.

T8: Oh damn, the quarterly meeting. I need to prepare that presentation. I’m screwed. Let me get back to work.

You’ve had 8 thoughts in a matter of seconds, and you’re completely unaware of it. It is happening effortlessly in the background. It is happening subconsciously. Which is WHY — what you feed your mind daily is SO important.

Can you delete a thought?

I think you already know the answer to that question. Your mind is not capable of deleting anything. You cannot forget anything. Yes, that’s right.

YOU CANNOT FORGET ANYTHING.

If I were to hypnotize you right now and ask you about every single thing that has happened in your life, you’ll have no problem remembering. You just can’t recall everything. We can only recall those things on which we pay significant attention towards.

You remember every single thought you’ve had in your mind. You remember all the events that have transpired in your life. All the people you’ve met. All the places you’ve visited. But, at any given moment — you can only recall what really matters to you.

And what matters to you keeps changing. So your ability to recall something also might change with time. You’d remember that first date that you had with your first girlfriend for a very long time, until you’re dating someone else and you don’t allocate the same importance to that memory.

Therefore, if you DON’T want to recall something — allocate your consciousness somewhere else. Create new memories. With time, the memories that don’t matter to you anymore will sink beneath the surface of your subconscious.

You’ll feel like you’ve completely forgotten about it, until you see something that triggers that memory. And then it resurfaces again.

I write about the stock markets, but I also occasionally dive into how the mind works — especially the subconscious mind. If you’re interested in either of the topics, you can subscribe to this blog!

I stopped writing — till the time I opened Quora again today and someone requested me to answer this question. Before I could do anything, the voice in my mind was clear.

You need to answer this question. You can start writing on Quora again. You can start concocting wild stories again.

And, at the same time — why not publish it on your own blog?

So, that’s exactly what I am going to do.

The Answer

Let me break this answer in two parts.

First, what is the subconscious mind?

In the simplest terms, it is that part of your mind that you are not consciously aware of.

For e.g. at this moment, you’re surrounded by a thousand things — but you’re aren’t aware of them. A few kids are playing a game of football in your society. Your mom is cooking something delicious. Your sister is dancing to her favorite song. While you were reading this sentence, you probably checked your phone. The sun is gradually setting. It starts to get a little chilly.

These things would keep happening around you and you’d never know unless you paid attention to these things consciously.

You probably also missed the grammatical error I made in my example above. Why? Because you are used to reading very quickly, and you don’t consciously read every word!

But, your subconscious mind is taking everything in. And there’s a reason why this happens.

When you think consciously, you consume energy. Every day, you wake up with limited energy. If you were to pay attention to everything around you — you’d be mentally exhausted. Your body and your brain is not capable of doing that. That’s where the subconscious mind comes into play. Once you do something consciously enough times, it sinks into the subconscious. And that saves energy.

Fun Fact: You’re not consciously driving your car. Maybe when you were learning how to drive, you were paying close attention. But once you learnt how to drive — it felt effortless. The skill of driving a car, was transferred from your conscious mind to your subconscious mind. When you do something enough times, it becomes a habit remember?

A habit, is nothing but something that you’ve taught your mind to do subconsciously.

Now — let’s come to the core of the question.

If we think anything negative, will it happen?

See, the thing is — your subconscious mind is taking everything in, every moment. Everything influences the subconscious mind. The content you consume. The songs that you listen to. The people that you talk to. Your internal thoughts about your own life. The subconscious is listening. These things shape your thought process — and your thought process changes every moment. [that’s why I don’t watch any reels!]

Let’s understand this with an example.

Let’s say you’re working in a very toxic environment. Your boss piles you with immense work. The pressure is intense. When you’re unable to complete a task, he verbally abuses you.

Boss: ‘You’re good for nothing. You can’t do a simple thing. You not going to achieve anything in your life’

You [internally, consciously]: Why am I like this? Why am I not able to do simple things? Others are able to excel so easily. Maybe he’s right, I am good for nothing. I am not going to achieve anything in my life.

You [internally, while watching a successful person on Instagram]: Look at this guy. He’s so famous. So powerful. Got such a great body. Killing it everyday. Why am I not able to do this? Why am I such a bum? I am not going to achieve anything in my life.

Now, if YOU have this conversation over and over again — this thought will sink into your subconscious. Because honestly, you just can’t do it consciously. You’d be exhausted. And so, it will become a habit. It will become effortless. You will NOT EVEN HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT.

Boss: Look, I am placing my faith on you this time. I know I’ve been hard on you — but I am trusting you with this crucial project. I know you can do it!

You [subconsciously]: WHAAAAAT? No, I can’t do it. I am not going to achieve anything in my life!

You [consciously, after a few moments]: Why am I so negative all the time? I’m feeling a little nervous about this project, but let me give it a try.

You [subconsciously, after a few moments]: Nah, don’t even try. You can’t do it. You said so yourself. You can’t achieve anything.

You [consciously]: God, I can’t do it. It feels so difficult. I am going to f*ck it up. I want to try but I don’t know what happens.

You [subconsciously]: Exactly, that’s what I told you. You’re a F*CK UP.

And, chances are you’d mess up the project because you weren’t feeling confident > followed with your Boss verbally abusing you again > followed up with you consciously pulling yourself down again. You get caught in a loop.

A loop which you can break very easily. Because your subconscious mind is listening to everything. Change your content. Surround yourself with positive people. Be aware of your thoughts. Change your internal conversation. Watch something that would inspire you. That would change your perspective.

What do you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section!

My school was an hours’ drive from my place. Located on the outskirts of Bangkok, it was quite spacious. Two large buildings for students/faculty. A tennis court. Swimming pool. An enormous football ground covered by a 400 meter racetrack.

Summer holidays were going on and a group of friends had planned a football showdown between us & our seniors at school. It was intense rivalry. And we were the underdogs.

The D-day came soon and I was on the way to school, ready to give the seniors a run for the money. Little did I know, that my life would change forever.

Matchday

Scorching heat. No clouds in the skies. The harsh conditions had little effect on us and we were ready to sweat our hearts out on the ground.

The two teams assembled on the field. The captains of the teams were also the referees. Aaaaand it was kickoff!

I have a blurry memory of the match itself, but I think right from the start our seniors were dominating us. Wave after wave of attacking crosses inside our penalty area. And they managed to score one goal within the first 10 minutes.

We were on the backfoot, but we kept pressing hard for the equalizer. We made some decent attempts but weren’t able to score. At half-time, we were talking about strategy, about substitutions and how to break their defense.

5 minutes into the second half, something extraordinary happened on that football field. It’s been so long, but I still remember that moment clearly. As I write this, I am transported back to that moment. Every tiny detail, forever etched into my brain.

Because….while we were busy playing football — A BOLT OF LIGHTNING came crashing down from the sky and exploded on the ground. Just 20 meters away from me. It felt like a bomb had gone off.

We ran. We ran for our lives because I think every single person on that field felt that this was going to be the last day of their lives. I had never felt so close to death before. It’s a feeling you cannot describe in words.

The porch area was covered and was 100 meters away from us, but it felt like an eternity until we got indoors. Time, is a mysterious thing indeed.

Once back inside, we were catching our breath. Still absorbing the gravity of what happened out there. One of my friends turned back and pointed towards the football field. Someone was still out there.

We saw a body lying on the ground, and it was extremely still. He wasn’t moving. Without any thought, we ran back to the field. WE HAD TO SAVE HIM. But it was too late. He was dead on the spot, half of his face burnt.

Apparently the bolt of lightning had directly struck him on his neck. He was a Sikh and Sikh guys have a thin silver metallic tool which they use to push hair into their turbans. That silver metal was completely burnt.

We called for help. Took him to the nearby hospital where the doctors tried to revive him but failed. And just like that — we lost a friend.

I think of myself as a logical thinker, but what happened that day made no sense. There were no clouds in the sky. It didn’t even rain. A single bolt of lightning came from nowhere & took a life.

The goalposts were made of metal, why did the lightning not strike them? Why only that particular person? Is the moment of our death already decided?

What’s more surprising is that one of the other Sikh guys was also wearing that silver metallic tool — but for some reason just seconds before the lightning strike, it fell on the ground.

For a few days, everyone was shellshocked. The parents of the person who died were absolutely devastated. We were grieving. Didn’t play football for a week after that I think.

My key takeaway from the whole thing was that you don’t know which day is going to be your last. Why worry about the future then? Why not live every moment in the grandest way possible? Why not make the most out of every single day that we are alive?

Maximus [from the movie ‘The Gladiator] : I knew a man once who said ‘Death smiles at us all. All a man can do, is smile back’

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I’m standing in my balcony, with my eyes to the sky. Everyone’s asleep in the house. A cold breeze sweeps across my face. I take out my phone, plug in my fake iPhone earphones that I bought from Amazon for 300 bucks, and I close my eyes.

And that’s how it started. My connection to music.

I started listening to Electronic Music a decade back. No lyrics. No words. Only pure energy. I don’t know what it was about EDM, but I was instantly hooked. Each track had a feeling to it. A deeper meaning. A puzzle waiting for you to solve. To understand the mysteries of the universe. To understand the purpose of life.

It is how I understood that most beautiful things in this world, cannot be expressed in words.

It would elevate me to a state of mind I had not known. It’s not something you can express in words, but listening to trance standing on that balcony at night - I felt true freedom.

A feeling that anything was possible. That there was unlimited energy that I could harness from the Universe and send it to my loved ones. That I could talk to my future self. That maybe time was an illusion and that everything was happening all at once.

That maybe, just maybe - music could save this world & all of humanity.

Religion. Caste. Nationalism. Politics. Race. Money.

These are the tools that we’ve used over the years to create a massive divide between human beings and all other living things. The idea that we’re separate is so deeply rooted in our subconscious, you won’t believe me when I tell you that we’re all part of the same energy source.

The original purpose of religion [I believe] was to bring people together. To remind us that God resides within each one of us. To love each other. To becomes the grandest version of ourself. I’m not sure if that is what’s happening right now.

People are divided more than ever. Clamoring over gods. Killing each other. Destroying sacred places. We’ve lost the plot.

And that’s why music is so important.

It brings people together. It’s a gateway to UNLIMITED ENERGY. It helps you reconnect with your highest version. Gives you a glimpse of who you really are. Of the magic that vibrates within each one us.

So, make the most of this gift that we have received from the Universe. Let it inspire you. Let it set your soul on fire. Let it take you places where you could only imagine going.

Let it set you free.