While reading a book that delves into understanding happiness (more importantly how we prevent ourselves from being happy) – more on that book later, I learnt about two 50+ year old conjoined twins -Lori and Reba (now George). If you get a chance, read up about them in http://www.keepmywords.com/2011/01/11/lori-george-schappell/

Now here is the crazy thing….
They are very very happy!!! Look at their picture and tell me honestly how many of us can place ourselves in that situation and say we are happy? But they are.

When asked about separating them, their response” “Our point of view is no, straight out no. Why would you want to do that? For all the money in China, why? You’d be ruining two lives in the process”.
Lori added “Don’t assume our life is difficult till we tell you it is so”

This befuddles all psychologists. And gives a lie to all current medical opinion from doctors (none of whom have been born conjoined twins) that all such twins should be separated out at birth.

Oh! How we project our own definition and concept of happiness onto hapless others!!!
Just watch how we behave with our kids, spouses, friends, colleagues….

Last evening, during my indepth discussions with Tathagata about life, the conversation somehow veered towards human being’s fascination towards how they dress up.

I think we were talking about Shakespeare – specifically, Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 3. Polonius gave some memorable advice to his son Laertes before he left home at the age of 21 (or was it 25?). A couple of great examples:

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be // For loan oft loses both itself and friend”

“Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice // Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.”

But as I explained to Tathagata, there was a particular advice that vexed me no end since I cannot, even to this day, align my values to that advice. It ran thus…

“For the apparel oft proclaims the man,”

That means you reconcile yourself to a world where you will be judged by how you look. That bothers me a lot. Mostly because I do not look good or dress good 😉 Seriously though, I have been deeply conflicted on that advice.

Tathagata, with his vast knowledge of literature, reminded me of a quote from Tagore

“Juta ki manushke boRo korite pare?”

Roughly translated to Shakespearean English it would be

“Shoes maketh nary a man, nobler”

I was absolutely delighted by his quick quip from a different language, different poet, different times.

Maybe I like him so much because he is my friend from elementary school.
Maybe I like him so much because he knows so much about literature and poetry.
I think though I like him mostly because he comes up with quotes that I can agree with better than the ones I come up with myself I 😉

Later driving back home, I remembered a Mark Twain funny quote on this topic I wish I had told him.

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little to no influence on society” 🙂