The Great Ganesha

Was reading the news this morning and I came across the following quote:

?It?s just the most fantastic thing to be free. It was an appalling experience…occasionally quite terrifying.?

?It became hard to imagine normal life. I dreamed several times of being free, but always woke up in that room.? [link]

It’s from BBC journalist Alan Johnston who was recently released by terrorists after being kidnapped in Gaza and held for nearly four months.

If you are one of those souls who’s “nearly done” (this could mean up to two years before your defense) with his doctoral research, then no other phrase sums it up better. You lose track of normalcy. Day in and day out, all you think about is your research, which has now slowed down to a crawl because you’re almost at the end. There’s mounting pressure, both internal and external to get out. And you actually begin to believe -quite strongly, I should add- that it’s never going to end. This last thing, I think, can only be understood if you go through something similar yourself.

Let me tell you – when it finally happens, it’s like you’ve been released from captivity and can now experience life as you should. Of course, you’re permanently screwed up in the head, but it’s great to be free!

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