“Z”ERO

My itchy fingers couldn’t zero in on a theme for today’s article and then they suddenly realised that what they had been searching for was right in front of their eyes: “Z”ERO. Voila!

Dictionary defines Zero as “No quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.”

Mathematics defines it as the smallest non-negative integer.

The only natural number which is not positive.

However, I see this Mathematical wonder to be a beauty. A paradox in itself.

Courtesy: Google Images

When it means nought, then how come everybody becomes incredible and willing to do the incredulous when the mid-term or year-end appraisal approaches just to insert some more Zeros to their paychecks? Of course, at the end!

How come anything divided by Zero, a practically insignificant term; becomes infinite, the undefined?

How come the whole nation or a bunch of scientists enveloped in an atmosphere of anticipation and frenzy hold their breath as the Zero hour approaches?

I wonder how something with virtually no value could turn out to be so valuable that everyone would run after it.

To think of it on a broader level, maybe not everybody is running after Zero, not students at the very least!

Isn’t it ironical that something we tried to drive away from our Report Cards all our educational journey becomes the driving force of our lives as soon as we step into the professional arena?

Mathematics states Zero to be an identity element.

In layman terms, it’s a neutral element.

If you add something to Zero or subtract Zero from something, multiply something to Zero or divide it by any number, the result is always the number itself or Zero. It has always been!

I think we can learn how to be true to ourselves and others and not changing our colours from Zero.

Can you see the firm will and pure determination of this small number which signifies practically nothing?

I pity the contemporary generation fighting the battle of Intelligence Quotient as it has achieved Zero when it comes to Emotional Quotient!

When the technology is on an all-time high, different types of content is literally flying at us from all the directions, the contentment level is going down to Zero.

Don’t you think that we are taking lessons of life from Zero but are implementing it in the wrong dimensions?

We have to understand that there is a huge difference between 1000/0 and 0/1000 and the tables can turn any time.

We have to be extremely careful enough at all the times hence.

Sometimes, I feel envious of Zero because it’s a clear demarcation between the positive and the negative.

Such an easy life. Isn’t it?

When you know what’s black and what’s white; when there are no surprises and one doesn’t have to deal with the so called grey area or set sail in unchartered territories.

I am bitter at the fact that Zero, nothing, is given the due respect and treated at par with the other numbers if not less despite being the “smallest” non-negative number, the “smallest” even number.

Then how come our generous society attaches a social stigma to the so-called “small” things in life?

Again, a lesson learnt wrong. Isn’t it?

But as they say grass is always greener on the other side.

You will understand the same when you will try to focus on the precarious position Zero is in, being the clear dividing point between the positives and the negatives?

I wonder how it might feel.

Maybe just like how the whistle-blowers might feel. Or maybe those who take up the responsibility and always get the work done while simultaneously being termed as zero, nothing or taken for granted.

Maybe the life of Zero is not as simple as it sounds.

It may have its own demons to deal with and own sunshine to bask in even though it’s neither positive nor negative.

But we as the only “intelligent creations” might want to learn from this Mathematical gift and apply it in the right direction lest we want the output to be Zero.

My itchy fingers would like to leave you at this note with the hope that whatever they wrote forced you to stop, to think even though for a duration.

They would feel blessed indeed to know that their effort did not create Zero impact on their readers.

This is the 26th post and the final entry in the series #AtoZChallenge.

This post is also for #BlogchatterA2Z ------> 'Z'.