The Age of Loneliness

Who do you turn to when the ones you call your own, fail to understand you? Who do you turn to, when it hasn't happened for the first time? A conversation did you say? What if it's because you didn't live up to someone's expectations? What if despite not living upto their expectations you discovered your calling to be elsewhere and found tremendous success there?To not expect from people is easier said than done. Why are conditions applied to everything? Why is unconditional love and acceptance a thing of the past?

It is inevitable to expect. If not from others, atleast your own. But at times, it so happens that you are just meant to be someone else. You are just meant to do something else. Which is not what they wanted. Which at times, is something, that even you didn't think of at one point in time. But destiny got you there and will take you places in the future too. Reprimanding a child for not running fast enough, when walking alone is a feat is unthinkable. But it happens. It's as real as anything real! Does it have anything to do with living out your dreams through others, or does it have more to do with finding a place in society? 

It's also said that when you really really care about someone, you understand. His/her face reveals all and words are seldom necessary. Is that again a concept as defunct as the fairytales? With a mindset like that, you sail through your daily life with as much composure as you can muster. And then comes along someone, oblivious to what's happening within you. There is seriously a limit to human endurace. And we've seriously no clue what's happening with someone else. So if we can't give them happiness, we've no right to give them sorrow either. Just listening works wonders.  It doesn't take anything from you, other than your time. It's the most cost effective way of making someone's day. At times it just might be all that someone needs to bring the cheer back.

The moment calls for loads of understanding, which many of us seldom have the time for. It calls for unconditional love and support. Even if it is for someone you've only known for a month. It might not mean much to you, but the person at the receiving end will remember you for a long time to come. Through a simple act of kindness, you might just end up making a friend for life. Who without you expecting it, will be there for you, when you need him/her. When everyone else fails you. When everything seems to be going against you.Let's take the time to go out of our way every once in a while. At times, the best reward is just a smile on a face that has forgotten to do it offlate.

Live another life

We know that our life stories are staged, yet we struggle to flow against the current to make last minute improvisations. We are attracted to people who are on the same wavelength as us. We just know that we will bond well with them. Certain others are complete repellents. The more you try to shield yourself from them, the more in your face they will come. No matter how hard you try to befriend them, the vibes refuse to change. And I really wonder why! With friends you have the freedom to be yourself. To express yourself. To agree to disagree without any hard feelings. With them, it's difficult being yourself. You don't want to step on their toes and get an all expense paid trip to hell and back. But at the same time, why lead another life? Big deal if they criticize and you don't see the truth in it. Big deal if they mock and you don't see the humor. Big deal if they snigger and you wonder why. It's said that a dog's barking makes no difference to the sun who shines in all it's brilliance. Why be someone else for people you can't call your own! 

It is those little quirks that make us uniquely us. There can be no one like us. No one can substitute us. Why try to be someone else and loose our identities?Life is really short to be hung up about things and people you dislike. You keep cribbing and in no time, you will have run out of time. Why not enjoy your time here and make the journey for others equally pleasurable? All that remains with people are memories. Why create bad ones for ourselves and others. You can please some people all the time, all people some of the time, but not all people all the time. No matter how hard you try. Yes we have plenty of imperfections. But if they don't harm someone or wreck his/her peace of mind, we'd rather stick to them than loose ourselves in the crowd. We have no competition but with ourselves. Who are we trying to please anyways? 

Have you ever noticed how when you are happy, everyone wants to be with you, so a little bit rubs on them as well. Life gives us plenty of reasons to cry, but it also gives us many reasons to smile. The choice is finally ours to make. If you wait for someone to come by and set things right for you, it's not happening. If someone can do that for us, it's us alone. Same goes with happiness. You choose to be happy. No one or nothing can bring us permanent happiness. They are all means for temporary gratification. Real bliss lies within us. Time to start living, than just stayin alive !

Relationships

Again, nothing that you haven't read or heard or experienced before. Just my thoughts on something this fragile. It takes years to build it- brick by brick, layer by layer. But try resting on your laurels after having achieved this feat and watch it crumble before your eyes. This is another such something which once broken cannot be mended. No matter how hard you try. If you've invested your life and blood into this, you won't let it fall. No matter what. Problems arise when one of you built it half heartedly or because one of you had nothing better to do. It might mean nothing to you, or God forbid, just be "good riddance", but for the other, it could just be that his/her world crashed before his or her own eyes. The after effects are devastating to say the least. Just another case of unequal investments. One party puts in their all, and you contribute nothing. 

At one point in time it used to be unconditional. Today only parents' love is unconditional. For everything else there is a " Conditions Apply". There was a time when commitment meant something. When you meant what you said. When you would not lie to or betray your beloved. When you'd do anything for his/her happiness. When your beloved meant the world to you. Today commitment sadly means being together until you set your eyes on something more fascinating. We are so spoilt for choice these days that we find it hard to remain satisfied with what we have. Everyone and everything has become "use and throw".It's an age of instant love, heady highs, deathly lows and instant breakups. Won't even get into the higher than ever before divorce rates here. Being committed today is akin to being "trapped" (As if you got into it at gunpoint!). We live amidst a bunch of hypocrites.People who might decry the outdated and orthodox views that their elders hold, but don't possess the spine to stand up against them. People who expect you to move with the times, yet be the take home to mom varieties. Like someone said in Hindi, which roughly in English translates to- "Even if the guy is dark as a ghost, the bride he needs must be an Aishwarya Rai". Yeah right. 

Then comes the need for space. I swear I don't understand what they mean by this. Diabolically whenever I think of space I am reminded of "Baby you want space!?Get into NASA". Yes you can't breathe down some one's neck. But who does that anyways these days. We don't even have the time to be together! If someone cannot like you the way you are, there are chances he or she may not like you even when you change. Because then there will be other areas of improvement. (Interesting trivia: "If you can't handle me at my best, you don't deserve me at my best")

Yes it makes no sense to remain in a dysfunctional relationship. If someone cannot see your worth, it's not worth trying to showcase your what-a-helluva-nice-person-I-am skills. They are just not worth your time and effort. It's said that there is a reason why someone from your past didn't make it to your present. Postmortems don't help either. You learn your lessons and move on. It's pointless being hung up about a certified moron! (Am I angry or what!!)

When a child is learning how to walk,he falls so many times before he gets it right. Bruised knees don't deter him from attempting to walk again. The world does not come to an end with his first fall. When he learns how to drive an automobile, his first collision does not make him pledge to never drive anything again. When he learns how to draw, his initial attempts are what people today call "Abstract Art" ( Art enthusiasts I don't understand nothing of it, so excuse my ignorance). Several drafts later is when he comes up with his masterpiece.

Some people teach you patience, some teach you love, some teach you kindness. Each one helps in giving the diamond a perfect cut so that when it reaches the hands of the worthy, the diamond shines in all it's brilliance.