There are few reasons for a man to remain civilized in a city such as ours. Incessantly rising prices, rampant corruption, unbalanced legal system, traffic, people's lack of consideration, rude neighbours, annoying kids, I could go on with this for a lot longer, but I shall not. Belligerent TV news anchors and Arun Lal. Right, enough of that. In all this, a meek and 'by-the-rules' person just cannot survive... or so we convince ourselves. I used to be a meek, and 'by-the-rules' kinda guy. A long time ago. Somehow, somewhere along the way, I changed. Whether because of circumstances, peer influence, or just my own damn evolution, I do not know, nor can I reasonably guess. I am now, no longer, what you may call a timid person. But that's not entirely true. At least not all of the time. There are times when there is no need for force, intimidation, abrasive behaviour, and at such times, I am the very image of the smiling buddha. As serene as a placid lake in the gardens of Eden. But when faced with a confrontation, the facade drops, and things start changing.
Its all very primal, almost animalistic... all the major muscles tense, the body threatening to explode into violent action. Volume levels rise, vocabulary range gives way to semi-coherent grunts and roars... Eyes glare and nostrils flare, all of this a reaction to some inane provocation or perceived slight. There appears to be some proportion between the cause and the magnitude of the reaction, although it would be nearly impossible to quantify this.
Usually, this is just a brief period of insanity between states of serenity. Unless it escalates from the verbal to the physical, and that would be unfortunate, for everyone involved. When eventually the adrenaline payload stops pumping into the already raging system, the machine that is the body, goes back to a calmer and relaxed state. It is truly just as if the body was recovering from a coughing fit, or a sneeze. The mind, however, is forever altered by the experience, the sudden surge of activity, the insanity. It automatically analyses the entire incident, marking the key points, the reflexes that worked favourably, and those that did not prove advantageous. All this, while the body has slumped into inaction, or subconscious reaction. The mind rages on, demanding more, screaming out at the futility of the episode, proud, ashamed and disgusted all at once.
Strange are the workings of this human's mind.
