Embracing Embarrassment :)

So many times we end up doing or saying something in a fit of rage, only to repent it immediately afterward. If done in a one off manner then our very old friend ‘sorry’ rescues us from the resulting embarrassment but if we keep getting into tricky situations with the same set of people way too frequently then even that sorry becomes meaningless.

Why do we behave like this? Why do we sometimes lose control? Why do we have to face that embarrassment – something that makes it difficult for us to even make eye contact with another person?

Even second hand embarrassment is very real – how many of you have cringed after seeing a mortifying scene on TV or in a movie? I, for one, have!

The best way to get past this instant feeling of awkwardness in real life is to face it head on. Use your own or borrowed wisdom. Make amends even if that just means maintaining self control. Sometimes silence & positive action from our side makes for greater atonement than spoken words (like sorry).

Blood Is Thicker Than Water…Or Is It?

Okay, let’s count as to how many families we see around us being broken & destroyed forever on materialistic issues like property & money.. Nah, never mind, we don’t have so many fingers!

This trend of ‘siblings’ & ‘relatives’ fighting each other like cats & dogs in order to have the ‘upper hand’ and ‘bigger share’ in financial matters within the household is eating up close knit families apart, thread-by-thread.

Yes, disagreements among family members have been a given since time immemorial – for that matter, you put a bunch of homo sapiens together in one house for more than a week & some sort of conflict is bound to happen(eg : the reality show Big Brother) because that’s how human nature is but those disagreements in the past didn’t turn relatives into ‘enemies’ battling court cases & passing nasty glares, as they do today. Life is a result of all kinds of experiences but turning those bad moments into fierce, acrimonious battles,which last forever, is just unfortunate. Apocalypse is here, friends.

All of us are on lease on this planet. A lease that can be renewed, at max, for approx 100 years. If we are all temporary residents then why are we so concerned about grabbing possessions instead of positive experiences & happy memories? At least be civil with each other, if you can’t always see eye-to-eye. By all means, aspire, inspire & be ambitious but not ruthless.

“Oh You Are So Pretty!” :P

”Oh you are so good looking”, said X to Y. Y blushed & said “oh, thank you! “

I have never understood why people say ‘thank you’ when someone compliments them for their looks. Did they customize their face & skin color in the factory of the Universe? Of course not. They were just born with their physical features so then why should they be taking credit by saying ‘thanks’? They should just say, “well, yeah, nature made me like that”.

Same goes for those who are brandished ‘ugly’ by these so called societal standards. They didn’t choose their features but the people looking down on them are certainly choosing their words. By being mean, these bullies only expose how shallow they are from within. Now, whose the ‘ugly’ one here?

Embrace yourself the way YOU are. Real beauty lies WITHIN. It manifests itself in our WILL POWER, DETERMINATION & POSITIVE ATTITUDE. This is not a cliche but the truth.

Improve as a person not as a ‘body’. Don’t be so obsessed with physical features because they don’t define who you are – your thoughts & actions do. A monochrome life on this planet would have been dull therefore the Universe decided to put in variety of all sorts – cherish them. Value them. After all, there is a sense of harmony in diversity.

Realising Your Worth..

People tend to live in a bubble when they are in school/college. Life seems to be wearing rose tinted glasses. Studies, friends, hang outs seem to make them feel content, trendy & important. Unfortunately, the bubble bursts the moment they step out into the big, bad competitive world as young adults where they end up feeling reduced to nothing but a number – one in so many.

Earlier, they had been a part of an institution/system (school/college) which at max had a few thousand students but now suddenly they find themselves competing for jobs/place in ‘society’ with people from all kinds of varied backgrounds. All have their own stories to tell.

One thing to be told at the Convocation Ceremony to all the new graduates should be that YOU are VALUED. Period. Doesn’t matter when you will land that ‘dream’ job or that ‘fat’pay check or how quickly you’ll ‘settle down’ (I abhor this term BTW..seriously, are we dust particles that we will ‘settle down‘ !), what matters is that YOU are ONE of a KIND.

Individual differences are a part of human existence & that should be celebrated instead of painting everyone with the same brush & expecting conformity in the name of ‘success’. This straitjacket approach to life has resulted in increasing cases of mental & emotional breakdowns. They are WORSE than physical ailments, any day..

Success is of various kinds. Truly successful people are those who are kind, purposeful humans who are full of empathy & strive to make this world a better, more accepting place to be in. After all, as Keynes had rightly said, “in the long run we are all dead” so why bother to run after societal definitions of success? Carve your OWN path. Be YOUR OWN PERSON 🙂

Being Your Own Best Friend

Many a times when we face challenges in life, we end up looking for support from our near & dear ones. We do get that support for some time but if our misery gets prolonged then after a point even our close ones stop cheering us up every single day. Fair enough, after all even they are human. For how long will they keep repeating the same dialogues.

In such a scenario & in life in general, we should learn to be our own cheerleaders. We should always have our own back. We should always believe in our own self, doesn’t matter if others do or not.

Never look down on yourself. Fall. Learn. Improve. Never give up. Be happy from within, happiness attracts peace & serenity. You are not powerless in front of a challenge, you have the courage, you just need to find it from within you 🙂

Rising Above The Imperfections

Happiness is a choice. We are happy not because everything is perfect but because we need to look at the larger picture & accept the imperfections while chasing our North Star. Our ‘Dhruva’ Tara maybe a passion, a career or maybe just a desire to live a more meaningful & fulfilling life every single day.

Imperfections are part and parcel of life. Sometimes things are not in our control. We get engrossed in situations which are unnecessary & energy sapping. Say for instance getting into an argument with a colleague or a random co passenger. They may irritate us & bring out the worst in us but it is up to our own good sense to reflect on our behavior and refine our personalities after the storm has passed. Reflection is extremely crucial for it helps us become better persons.

We can’t guide others but we can learn to manage ourselves by being conscious of our words & actions. All humans should strive towards inner peace, something most seem to be missing in the daily hustle bustle of life. Seriously, look around you, how many people do you see laughing or smiling for no apparent reason? Next to zilch. Those who do, tend to stand out from the crowd, don’t they? 🙂

Primeval Instincts

Aggression is such a basal trait which humans possess. What purpose does it serve apart from disturbing others and our own peace of mind? NOTHING whatsoever.

When people are angry, their reality comes to the fore. They expose themselves as their mask gives way to their reality. Id surpasses the ego. Humans can be crude. Yes, that’s true.

All of us are taught to be ‘civilised’ and ‘how to behave’ but most often than not, that’s not our true self. Animals like dogs & horses have unconditional love & loyalty as their prized traits but most humans, sadly don’t have them. Animals are better off than us in so many respects.

Judging Foodies

Food gives happiness & comfort to so many people. The kind of optimism it generates, the dopamine rush, seems to be quite exhilarating for foodies.

Those who live to eat are sometimes looked down by those who eat to live, I wonder why. Like others have hobbies like singing, painting, dancing etc which make them happy & help them to put their best foot forward, why can’t they understand that food makes foodies joyful..

Judgment comes so easily to humans, more like a heuristic but the thought of being empathetic doesn’t. Empathy would prevent so much of chaos in this world & make this place a better one to live in.

Psychics

Have you ever met a psychic ? Anxiety about the future is something all of us grapple with. The fear of the unknown is real & oh-so-how & psychics are apparently able to see what life has in store. Now, that’s a superpower everyone wants! Having a GPS for navigating through life would reduce the mental & physical agony of humans to a great extent.Maybe someday, someone would develop an app for that, you never know! I haven’t met a psychic in real life, do you think they actually exist?