RISE!

Why did we begin in the first place to complete something?

Always go back to the reasons we started doing something we liked. Very straightforward, isn't it? We are what we think! My many musings these days apart from the random chaos that plagues my mind found me reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Joan Didion, simultaneously. As I went through Marquez's words, it dawned upon me of the many vices that reside within us, which have a better hold than we think they do. It's all part of our making and our inner being the way it is. I once read somewhere that "Your mind will always believe everything you tell it. Feed it faith. Feed it truth. Feed it with love." How then do we still end up belittling ourselves to such an extent that it harms us? Words have the potent power of endangering minds and souls into a deep abyss of destruction. I am filled with a mad rage at the world. We give ourselves to the world, its avarices and end up empty handed, figuratively speaking. Suffices to say that we must never ever give our all only to one person, one cause or one emotion. Friendships, camaraderie while are noble pursuits as individuals, also deserve a fine line, a limit on giving. Material pinning is out of question too. Afterall, we are human. We have our greed, our weaknesses, our ambitions, pride and expectations. We are creatures of habit. We could swing past the darkness as easily as we could switch of the lights and choose to dwell in the mayhem. My need to express here is not based on any other greater need than spewing out emotions that bottle up and cage me in the daily grind of life. The very need to get past the chainholds of misery, disappointment, failure and all the black emotions that marr the technicolor happiness emerges and grows stronger each passing day. 

It saddens me awfully when an activity ceases to hold its interest in me especially after I have dug mountains to be able to participate in it. Material being leads to nothing but unhappiness. If that is true indeed then why are our lives constantly jeopardised with finance and economy? I poured all my anxieties unto a friend, who gave me a very simple mantra to overcome my misery and self doubt. The mantra is: Whatever you do, do it for happiness. There is nothing better or worse than that. Incidentally, I also came across a motivating dialog between two strangers. It says that there are no last chances. Only second last ones. Same way, my Dad used to cheer me up with his saying- There's always a next time. I haven't heard him say this to me in a long time now, ever since I graduated. Perhaps our entire focus is always pivoted on academic accomplishments. As May comes to an end every year, I get a sinking feeling in my stomach with the exam results of various academic boards being declared. The number of suicides that are committed, the happy faces of students, their parents, coaching instructors and the endless monologues organised on news channels about studying for success and such. It miffs me greatly at this blatant display of smartness which is construed as academic intelligence that awards 99.2, 99.4, 99.6 percent marks to students. Honestly, how do we measure someone's intelligence quotient with this kind of statistic stereotyping? Why should students score these absurd numbers and get declared as the smartest in the country? It doesn't make sense at all. I hate to see the inferiority complex this pseudo numbering system is creating among so many children and youngsters. We don't live for marks although we are drummed with attaining the perfect numbers in school. This keeps on repeating and looping itself in higher education as well. Each person has their own capabilities, be they academic or professional. We are living this rut of a life measured in numbers, by numbers and solely judged by numbers. Who created all of this? We did. Excellence is great but not at the cost of our people's well being. Nowadays, every single person in academics is stressed with results. It's not about learning or education, anymore. All about getting top grades that lead to better job opportunities, better work prospects, better lifestyle which is desirable, yes, but why? Our own selfish creed of corporations is destroying our lives and yet we don't realise it. 

Sometimes I really wish to escape this egocentric world we've built. If we go down in a couple of centuries, we wouldn't want to be alone. It's tragic how our many opportunities of happy living are projected as a myth today in this cynical world. Our living prognosis is a hypothetical webcast of superficial successes and achievements. There are those who are unhappy with all their material possessions and others who don't have enough. The bridge between these two is forever broken. Could we ever stop and see this destructed habitat with empathy? Rise and help others rise for our collective benefit? Only time will tell. Amen.