Here's what I strongly believe in Be comfortable about yourself but put yourself in uncomfortable situations. I am writing this post as I pack my things to move to a new apartment. I have stayed in the current apartment for more than 4 years now. It was almost perfect home with all the amenities and comfort. But as things in life go, change hits you sooner than later. Right from the day I was born, I have moved to a different city ever three years. My father's job required us to constantly be on the move. Sometimes, we moved to different states in India which meant new languages, new environment, new set of friends and totally different culture. It was never easy to adapt. I have tried to resist change for a long time now. Humans, I learn, prefer status quo. It makes us uncomfortable to accept change as it brings a range of negative emotions from anxiety to fear. Ironically, our ancestors have lived nomadic way of life up until the revolution in agriculture. So, I assume this
As I was passing by on a tram, I noticed a fountain that was elegant and pleasing to my eyes. It was on private land and maintained by a private individual or an organization. It made me ponder - what's the ROI of a fountain? Let's break it down into details of the costs involved. Land needed to place it. You need money to build and install it. Electricity needed to pump water throughout the day. Water itself. Regular cleaning and maintenance: motor replacement, cleaning etc. So, it is not cheap and what makes it worse is that there is no way to measure the return on investment. Unlike building a house or buying a car, it offers no real benefits. It is beautiful to look at and lets you spend a few minutes of the day staring at it. That leads me to a deeper question - are fountains a way to get us closer to nature - water sources in particular? Do they meet some kind of inherent need for a human being to be closer to the sound, the smell and the feeling of running water