Tit for tat!
Tick, tack, toe!
Scrabble!
Ever wondered how these seemingly innocuous games instill a sense of stiff competition amongst us? At 5, I barely knew what 'outdoing your competitor' meant. But somehow, my daily pastime of playing mundane indoor games, apart from the usual outdoor ones, made me realise the first lesson in life- There's only one place at the top. And everyone is in the race.
Prima facie, I wonder what a terrible thing it was for these table plays to spoil and corrupt young minds. How could anything make a toddler aware of the detestable facts of life? Wasn't it a crime to manipulate a child's psyche and make him think of the 'big, bad world' at such a premature age?
On second thoughts, the induction into the rigmaroles of life has to start at an early stage. If you make a kid believe that the world is all good and that people are there to help you, the child may face gargantuan adjustment issues at a later stage. The make-believe world is a dangerous concept. We have the liberty to dream of fish flying, without realising that all practical knowledge indicate otherwise.
I presume every li'l act, every li'l preaching and every li'l advice is meant to make us that tad bit better at facing the non-conducive situations in life. Tragic as it may seem, my post here would also be categorised as one of those didactic sermons at making you realise the shady intricacies of life.
They say, "Learn from your own mistakes." I wish we could. I wish we were untold those sayings. I wish we never played those competitive games. I wish we played to be on the same team. I wish our only competitor was competition.
But things will go on, as they always do. And I know this is what nurturing demands. If I had my way, I'd go back a decade or more and play those games all over again. Only this time, the rules would be completely different.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
A new day, year and Decade!
Yours truly is 20 today.
That's 2 decades or 7300 days or 175200 hours, if not less. In these score years, I have learned, unlearned and relearned a whole plethora of things. But one thing remains with me to this day, and that is my foot-in-mouth syndrome! And THAT shall never leave me, I am sure of that!
Growing up was fun. I made friends - some much more close than the others- and fell out with them eventually. I learned to question the question, and in many cases, blindly followed the leader. I have seen almost half of the world and can proudly proclaim that each culture has influenced my being a to considerable extent.
At 20, I feel different. I think it's the Ready-To-Be-An-Adult? Syndrome (As I like to call it)! I mean I want to transit from the Big-Boy tag to the 'Responsible Young Man' domain, but at the same time, I feel anxious as to how would I cope with failures when I encounter them. I know they're a part and parcel of this journey, but nevertheless, I am petrified.
On the other side, I am looking forward to my Twenties. I'll finish with school in about two years and then who knows where I might be. But a li'l something tells me, all will be good.
I'd take this chance to thank everyone who have contributed to me being the way I am today. To my mother, first and foremost, for bearing the pain of existence for these torturous 20 years. Thanks Ma! And to all the other people - some of them are still with me today, and the others who have moved on to different platforms. I wish all of you the very best in life. Hope to see you right at the top!
Bidding adieu to the teens is painful, but I have this sinking feeling that the party has just begun!
That's 2 decades or 7300 days or 175200 hours, if not less. In these score years, I have learned, unlearned and relearned a whole plethora of things. But one thing remains with me to this day, and that is my foot-in-mouth syndrome! And THAT shall never leave me, I am sure of that!
Growing up was fun. I made friends - some much more close than the others- and fell out with them eventually. I learned to question the question, and in many cases, blindly followed the leader. I have seen almost half of the world and can proudly proclaim that each culture has influenced my being a to considerable extent.
At 20, I feel different. I think it's the Ready-To-Be-An-Adult? Syndrome (As I like to call it)! I mean I want to transit from the Big-Boy tag to the 'Responsible Young Man' domain, but at the same time, I feel anxious as to how would I cope with failures when I encounter them. I know they're a part and parcel of this journey, but nevertheless, I am petrified.
On the other side, I am looking forward to my Twenties. I'll finish with school in about two years and then who knows where I might be. But a li'l something tells me, all will be good.
I'd take this chance to thank everyone who have contributed to me being the way I am today. To my mother, first and foremost, for bearing the pain of existence for these torturous 20 years. Thanks Ma! And to all the other people - some of them are still with me today, and the others who have moved on to different platforms. I wish all of you the very best in life. Hope to see you right at the top!
Bidding adieu to the teens is painful, but I have this sinking feeling that the party has just begun!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Good, and the not-so-Good!
Conditioning makes us aware of the fact that there are two kinds of people in this world – the good, and if you call it that, the bad! However, having lived almost a score odd years, yours truly has inferred that people are not bad. They just tend to sway from the good path.
Moral Science preaches that no matter how bad the other person is, the good in you should never be suppressed. ‘Be good to others.’ ‘Never let hatred overpower you’. These are some of the didactic sermons that I, and I believe most of us, have received since the infantile stage of our lives. I have to agree that such utopian behaviour is seldom observed in everyday life, but if you can really muster enough strength to make it happen, the world is yours. You will have nothing to lose in any situation, and will be the role model for posterity.
Everyone has his moments of weakness. Everyone feels cheated sometime or the other. It’s not wrong to feel thus. But if you let this feeling sink in you and make you averse to the people who really care for you, now THAT, is wrong. It so happens in life that we get caught up in the web of discontentment and deceit and fail to acknowledge the good that there is in others. To be able to do the impossible, start looking at yourself, and your actions, dispassionately. You have to let go of the feeling of ‘I am right – always!’ Learn to be honest with yourself. Then only, can one be honest with others.
I consider myself to be morally strong. And I also believe that same is the case with everyone around. If we are essentially ‘good’ human beings, let us not delve majorly in the petty issues of today which in the long run would seem outstandingly juvenile and inconsequent.
Let the good, always and always, prevail over the bad, and the ugly!
Moral Science preaches that no matter how bad the other person is, the good in you should never be suppressed. ‘Be good to others.’ ‘Never let hatred overpower you’. These are some of the didactic sermons that I, and I believe most of us, have received since the infantile stage of our lives. I have to agree that such utopian behaviour is seldom observed in everyday life, but if you can really muster enough strength to make it happen, the world is yours. You will have nothing to lose in any situation, and will be the role model for posterity.
Everyone has his moments of weakness. Everyone feels cheated sometime or the other. It’s not wrong to feel thus. But if you let this feeling sink in you and make you averse to the people who really care for you, now THAT, is wrong. It so happens in life that we get caught up in the web of discontentment and deceit and fail to acknowledge the good that there is in others. To be able to do the impossible, start looking at yourself, and your actions, dispassionately. You have to let go of the feeling of ‘I am right – always!’ Learn to be honest with yourself. Then only, can one be honest with others.
I consider myself to be morally strong. And I also believe that same is the case with everyone around. If we are essentially ‘good’ human beings, let us not delve majorly in the petty issues of today which in the long run would seem outstandingly juvenile and inconsequent.
Let the good, always and always, prevail over the bad, and the ugly!
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