Most parents tell their kids not to gain satisfaction by looking at those who are behind them in the race but look ahead and make the envy motivate them to run faster and leave even more behind. And so children start running as soon as their parents teach them this lesson and sadly, most keep running for the rest of their lives. There is nothing wrong with this lesson for it motivates individuals to excel and society to grow but is it worth it to keep running all our lives? Wouldn’t it be nice if at a point in life we could just stop running, look at those we have left behind and smile with relief at our good fortune? But instead, we wait for a while, look at those misers and for the fear of them catching up, start running again. It all would be fine but what happens on the run is we can only look at a few who are close behind and forget about those millions we have left so far that they can never catch up. These few we can see make what used to be the excitement of running, the stress of keeping ahead. And the few who are still running coz it gives them a kick forget that they cant outrun everyone and the run is taking a toll on their health, their family, their life.
I have been fortunate enough to experience one of the best institutes of education in India and be friends with the brightest minds. I have learned more from the non-curricular activities (not even extra-curricular) than what they teach there. I don’t boast that I have the intelligence nor do I externalize it to good fortune which most of my friends happen to firmly believe. Maybe it’s a mixture of both but the biggest reason I got through those entrance examinations was that I kept my head cool when others panicked at the thought of all their hard work going down the drain. They thought, they panicked and thanks to them, I got ahead. So, its not just me, its them to whom I should attribute my good fortune.
Graduation was an awesome time. Most weren’t competing with anyone. Some coz they thought they were the best, some coz they thought they were the worst but most coz they thought ‘Who Cares!’
PGDM (in a more understandable term, MBA) brought with it the first winds of continuous and stiff competition which I had escaped so surprisingly during those entrance exams. A close friend called me a psycho when I didn’t submit a project worth 20% marks in one of the 34 courses I would be doing during the 2 years. Even I had changed, from that permanent absentee at lectures to the permanent sleeper in lectures, from the guy who would take voluntary Fs just so that he can go party with friends to the guy who would free-ride on most of the projects but still do the individual ones. I had gotten sincere, I had gotten committed. But this was as far as I was willing to change. The relative grading system had hit most of the students real hard. Its funny to see people act like kids, crib, cheat, get depressed, even cry for grades which won’t even matter a few years down the line. Yes, they might (not definitely) land one with a good start of the career but is this GOOD start worth ruining the two years that can be enjoyed and their memories cherished for life especially when all of the firms that come for placements are good? But as I found out, you give someone the best and the next thing he wants is ‘better than the best’. No one seems to be satisfied with the fact that the minimum starting salary from campus placements is at least more if not double than a middle-class government servant with 30 years of experience (in most cases, their father). Even most fathers want their bright young kids to push even harder and bring home even more glory.
It was amusing to witness all this but it’s always sad to see friends depressed. No amount of persuasion would help and they would still see themselves near the bottom of the 300 students and not near the top of the whole bunch of their generation.
‘Failures teach more than success’ seems the only explanation behind the attitudes of these ‘successful’ youths and call me a sadist if you want but I do want them to taste a bit of failure and the sooner the better for I would love to see them appreciate what they have got rather than seeing them RUNNING at full speed.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
Die Happy!
“Son, what do you want from life?”
“I want to die happy.”
“What! I am talking about life, its purpose, your goals, your desires and you are talking about death!”
“Father, I believe that being able to die happy is the most difficult thing to achieve in this life. Its the most difficult task. It’s the ultimate goal that I wish I can achieve.”
“And will you care to explain?”
“With pleasure. Though most of us tend to live as we will live forever, we all know that we are going to die one day. Living forever is just an illusion we create so as to not feel depressed at the thought of everything we treasure and love being snatched away without the slightest fault of ours. And when that day will come no one knows. This definitely is for the good of all or else we would become complacent, reckless, and irresponsible. The sheer fear of death makes most of us behave within the social norms and not unsustainable selfishness.
Now that we don’t know when our final hour will arrive or whether it will feel like decades or seconds or what lies beyond that frontier, what we have is this one life to, simply put, enjoy.
Because of this uncertainty associated with death I said I want to die happy coz to achieve this simple goal I would have to be happy most of the times if not always.”
“But this again might turn people into hedonists and anarchists. What about that?”
“With due respect father, I said this was my aim, my goal. I can’t be stupid enough to generalize it, for hedonists don’t stop to think of what they want at the end of their journey, they think of what they want NOW, on the way. Even I, for that matter, am not sans my sins. What I am talking about is what I want from life, I might not get it for it might require sacrifices beyond my capabilities. Sacrifices are essential as happiness is often derived from the people and things we love and are attached to. That is why I must add that to die happy, it’s not just necessary that the happiness is continuous but it should also be sustainable. What if I keep doing things that make me happy and one fine day realize that I had been wrong all this while and then am filled with remorse and regret? To avoid such a thing from happening, the only thing one can do is be responsible for those who depend on him, admit mistakes when made and never have regrets about opportunities lost and mistakes made.”
~don’t mind u hedonist bastards, am on of u. for the time being atleast J
“I want to die happy.”
“What! I am talking about life, its purpose, your goals, your desires and you are talking about death!”
“Father, I believe that being able to die happy is the most difficult thing to achieve in this life. Its the most difficult task. It’s the ultimate goal that I wish I can achieve.”
“And will you care to explain?”
“With pleasure. Though most of us tend to live as we will live forever, we all know that we are going to die one day. Living forever is just an illusion we create so as to not feel depressed at the thought of everything we treasure and love being snatched away without the slightest fault of ours. And when that day will come no one knows. This definitely is for the good of all or else we would become complacent, reckless, and irresponsible. The sheer fear of death makes most of us behave within the social norms and not unsustainable selfishness.
Now that we don’t know when our final hour will arrive or whether it will feel like decades or seconds or what lies beyond that frontier, what we have is this one life to, simply put, enjoy.
Because of this uncertainty associated with death I said I want to die happy coz to achieve this simple goal I would have to be happy most of the times if not always.”
“But this again might turn people into hedonists and anarchists. What about that?”
“With due respect father, I said this was my aim, my goal. I can’t be stupid enough to generalize it, for hedonists don’t stop to think of what they want at the end of their journey, they think of what they want NOW, on the way. Even I, for that matter, am not sans my sins. What I am talking about is what I want from life, I might not get it for it might require sacrifices beyond my capabilities. Sacrifices are essential as happiness is often derived from the people and things we love and are attached to. That is why I must add that to die happy, it’s not just necessary that the happiness is continuous but it should also be sustainable. What if I keep doing things that make me happy and one fine day realize that I had been wrong all this while and then am filled with remorse and regret? To avoid such a thing from happening, the only thing one can do is be responsible for those who depend on him, admit mistakes when made and never have regrets about opportunities lost and mistakes made.”
~don’t mind u hedonist bastards, am on of u. for the time being atleast J
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
