Nothing as it Seems

It’s all about pretensions. As the author of a "self-help" book says "You can fake anything" so why be anything?

The concept of personality getting molded by the prevailing social setup is as old as your neighborhood aunt, archaic but un-admitted. Touch back to the times when we were really our own selves and not acting it out to be pleasant to some and agreeable to others. Someone, who used to dope beyond sanity, once said that "trying to be someone else is a waste of the person you are”. I know quoting Curt Cobain wouldn’t exactly sway opinions but what I want to emphasize is that although his life may have been a mess (surely not the songs), he said these words of wisdom when he probably had just one fifth of his senses alive.

We were innocent when we were kids, when we were still coming to terms with our sensibilities, when all that we cared for was being inquisitive even at the cost of a few laughs at our expense. In fact we laughed with the world when it laughed at us and hence changed that laughter to love .Do you think it happens now? If it did you wouldn’t have thought twice before raising your hand to ask that seemingly innocuous question in class. This is the only reason why we have been reduced to students who ask only those questions whose answers we already know. We have stopped putting out our finger to the fire not for the fear of being burnt but for the fear of being laughed at.

We created an image for ourselves as we grew up but since then we have not been able to extricate ourselves out of it. At some point in life, we refused to portray what we were and instead superimposed on us the tag of what we would always have wanted to be. We refused to identify us with us .We judged ourselves on the basis of the evaluations, sometimes demanding, of others but missed something that was so obvious i.e. the limitation of the evaluation to be better than the evaluator. So ,in this way we shaped ourselves not on thoughts but on thinkers and ended being the oh-so-confused that we are today. No wonder we have always felt on the leash, in a cage, made by us and in front of an audience chosen by us and we have been performing the same old acts and trying to elicit the same old applause to the extent that now everything has become predictable even to our minds benumbed as they have always been.
Those who have been able to realize it have tried to break open the self imposed shackles. They are the ones who have been enlightened. As for the rest they are still competing to get more applause than the person in the next cage and are busy laughing at the attempts of those who want to get away from this "happy world”.

Even as I write this, I realize I am in more than countable ways one among those inside the cages. Just knowing that I am in a predictable existence doesn’t make me different till I make a sincere attempt to get out of it. Try and get out of this painted-rosy world of yours. Try and be your real self, try to break free. If you get time help others escape too from this artificiality, after all you too would want to increase your number.

Do meet me when you escape.We all strived for like-minded people all our lives .It would therefore be the greatest travesty if we flee to a brave new world and still don't meet.

Till we meet, as they say "Keep up the 'Good Act' ".

him,her and rgc

Her : It is the third day it has happened
him:I know. . . the third day
her-. . . and u don’t even feel wretched abt it
him:Oh I do. . its pretty frustrating just trying things out without success.
her:It wont be if u try well and I am smirking if u cant notice
rgc:I hv been noticing for quite some time now
him:Oh but why. . . I should be doing that. . it’s the third day my bike failed.
her:Bike ??
him:Bike !!
her:You don’t know wat I am talking about
him:I do of course My bike I thought
her:No you are late for the third day running
rgc: I feel like running
him: Oh, I thot you were more concerned than irritated about it
her: High hopes
rgc: I know
her: . . . and we haven’t eaten out in ages
rgc: 5 days back is not ages
him: I know I know
her: You know. . . that’s it
Him: See, I hv been beset with problems lately plus this darned bikeI guess I will hv to take an auto to see you tomorrow
her: I am not coming tomorrow
rgc: cool. . . some dough saved there
Him: Why
her: Just like that I thought u might need some time to reflect on things
rgc: How could you be so sensible all of a sudden
her: Actually I don’t want to tire you outWe have a big day coming up day after
rgc: Are we breaking up
him: What
her: Don’t say u forgot already
him: no I hvnt . . . I mean. . . . .. . . yes I hv I guess
her: It’s my bday. . . how cud u
rgc: Darn she remembers
him: Oh I wanted to surprise you that day
her: By actually remembering ??
rgc: She is getting caustic
her: So wat am I getting this year
him to him: Boy I love that smile of hers
rgc: You will get one more when u burn another hole in ur pocket
her: I am looking fwd to an extremely secluded and quiet dinner
rgc: GOSH Five Star this time!!!
him: Could we not postpone it to some other day. . . . you know wat day it is. . . 5 days to salary
her: We cud postpone for ever if u want
rgc: Say yes say yes you bugger
him: No of course not. . its just that I am a bit hard up
her: Its not about money. . its about the intent
rgc: Ok I hv the intent. . . so shall we drop it now?


...excerpts from evesdropping...to be continued