Originality

There are testing times in our lives and, solutions come down to staying sane and holding together the originality.

Will it be good or virtuous to become someone you are not because a doctrine, pact, or relationship requires you to be? How can you give the best of yourself after the transformation?

It is easy to follow or chase purpose, life, money, or partner by staying sane. Not by becoming who you are not, keeping originality intact.

Then there will be a few who will come chasing and telling you to understand the situation or be flexible or keep a growth mindset. All on account of having you act as who you are not. It will be fruitful in the short term but, long-term consequences will erode you.

Perfect

We chase perfection. Be it profession, possession, or relationships. This quest ends up being a curse or some burden.

The definition of perfection is governed by society or someone else and, we are chasing it. The more we fail towards achieving it, the more distracted from reality.

Humans are animals and, the hyper-competitive world is adding more fuel to fire. We have stopped counting small joys and ending up as gladiators for life.

Race

Thanks to Capitalism and society’s modern outlook. Our priorities have changed swiftly. It is all about acing in a career at any cost. The best job, best professional achievement. But at what cost? Leaving personal life, family around? Why can we not have both together? We peak at our professional prime and, personnel life gets erased. We live with pets, regular therapies, and app for finding a soulmate.

I was talking to an elderly couple last week at hills. They were like: we took care of personal life first and then sorted everything else. It would come as a surprise to most of us. We will laugh at their limited mindset and living in the past. Some others would blame them for being lazy ass living in a hut and producing babies to work in their fields.

monster

Are we humans or monsters? I don’t know. But most of us are living with an anger balloon. We carry our supreme ego. We want to be the best and correct with everything. A waiter is treated like trash for his mistake. A cab driver gets treated like a robot. We have taken our gardener or cook for granted. Our anger and rage on them do more harm to ourselves than anyone else.

What has gone wrong? Why have we turned into such a monster?

clarity

We aspire to seek clarity in life, work, relationships, in short, every sphere of our life. But is there an end to it?

How are we seeking clarity? By taking the least traveled path or society’s playbook?

Are we all not individually different? Why do we have to get into the same treadmill where actions are judged on our age, caste, color, or race? Why can we not take the brave step forward instead of sucking up to do as told by others?

Schopenhauer

Arthur Schopenhauer reminds me of a philosopher who was super pessimistic about the society around him. I am not judging on his life’s philosophy. Leaving the external world around him must have taken a lot of courage and living in solitude with his poodle named Atman. Schopenhauer read, translated, and was influenced by Bhagwad Gita.

With so many things going around us. So many things to become and acquire in a career. So many things to buy. So many places to travel. Schopenhauer must have ended up being the boring human in this era.

books

Gift books to your loved ones. Reading adds so much perspective to our life. One can swim in a wide variety of subjects: arts, science, philosophy, nature, history.

I was with Ashish in Delhi last week. One of the days, I took their kids for an outing at Khan Market for book shopping and eating. I could see their eyes glitter.

I picked up reading very late, after 30 years of my existence. I was lost or fighting, battling, or finding the purpose of my life. Starting to read earlier in life would have been better.

Krishna, my friend, keeps telling me about opening up libraries in our hometowns. Someday we will open them.

In the hyper-connected world with both working parents, a book can be a good aid for kids to cure their loneliness and convert it to solitude. Social media platforms will make them narcissists or create FOMO.

I have met folks in 17-20 years of age more mature and grounded than their counterparts in the ’30s and, one key difference is these younger folks read. The worldview, knowledge they have gathered from books make them unique.

Yadoo

Samet laye hai yadoo ko apne sang. Khatte, Mithe yadaain.
Reh zainge Zindgi bhar dil ke kisi kone mae.

Kitna kuch to hai zindgi me hamare, kitne panno ko hum yadoo se sanjo rakhte hai. Hum zee zate hai in yadoo ke sahare.

Ek alag galiyare me kilkari karte hue masoom ke maafik bhatakte rehte hai hum in yadoo ki gali mae.

Kal to kal tha, kal ne hame kuch phir bhi diya. Ache yadoo ke sahare kitno ne zindgi ji le.

actions

We take some actions in an instant. We don’t think about the repercussions of it in the future. We go with the flow. Not always, it ends up as desired. In some cases, it leaves a scar that takes ages to heal. We get into doubt and self-questioning, cursing ourselves.

What is right or wrong, nobody knows. It is our act. We have to stand by it.

trust

Trust comes with an unconditional belief that the actor involved will take care of us in good faith. It can be your partner, employer, customer, mentor, or client.

Once we get into doubt or question our alliance, we are doomed for distress. If we trust someone, we should trust unconditionally. There is no middle ground or need for a constant check.