In this blog, I will discuss some of the best as well as the worst moments in my life. I hope you as a reader can gain some perspective which helps you assess what you experience in your life on a deeper level.
It has truly been a rollercoaster ride with uncertainty lurking in every corner. You never know what lies ahead so brace yourselves and be prepared.
We start this story from Bombay, my favourite city in India. It’s true what they say, it is a living organism. You would see thousands of rupees being earned all around you within the time you go and eat a vada pav. The city never sleeps and rest assured, you can always grab a bite to eat regardless of the time and place.
It was my first week living here and I went to The Irish House, Fun Republic.
Being new to the city, I knew a finite number of people and I for one, never like spending my Saturday night at home (This would change over time, bear with me). So made my way to the entrance and asked the gentleman for a seat for one. Being from Indore, I was skeptical that I would be able to get a seat as most upscale pubs and bars usually do not grant entry to single people (read: guys), that too on the busiest night of the week.
Luckily, this was another chance to show that the city of Bombay is kind to me. I got a seat at the bar, two guys were sitting on my right. By the time I got comfortable with the ambience, I somehow mustered up the courage to spark a conversation with these strangers. Boredom played a big part in helping me make the effort.
As coincidence would have it, one of the guys turned out to be from Indore as well. They were good company. I did drink a lot that night during alcohol to my heart’s content. I had my reasons to celebrate, I was in the most cosmopolitan city in India, a single guy in his mid-twenties and I had successfully completed my first week in the city with a full-time job as a writer. Life couldn’t be better.
After some time, the guys left and I was joined on the bar by a couple on my left. Turns out, the guy was from Indore as well. What are the odds? This city taught me how to make conversation with strangers. Turns out, all you have to do is say “Hi” and the conversations will flow from there. All you have to do is somehow allow that magical greeting come to your lips and you are sorted.
The total bill that night was 3000 bucks. That too for a single person. I know it’s quite a handful but it didn’t bother me. I had just arrived in the city of dreams and I was having the time of my life.
Life holds several lessons as you begin your journey. Whether it’s a new city, a new country or even a new job. You are going to meet different kind of people from across the country. You may not like all of the, but there are bound to be some individuals who cross your path and will leave a lasting impact on you. They might completely alter the way you perceive things. These are the keepers.
These are the people who will make you cherish being yourself. Will unknowingly pull you out of your comfortable shell and help you reach your full potential.
The more I try to understand life, it gives me beautiful reasons to cherish being alive. There are numerous lesson and coincidences that are bound t transpire when you look back at them, everything seems different. There would be lessons and experiences starkly different than the way you thought about them. You will observe a huge anomaly in the way you look at things and what actually happened.
As I sit at Cafe Coffee day at Bandstand, I wonder how many things that happened to me or to people I cared about changed their whole outlook on how they perceive life. There are moments that will make you feel more alive that you have ever felt. Then there are other types of situations such as getting your heart broken, that will make you feel like you simply want to roll over and die.
Here is the grand takeaway from both kind of situations; Life is never constant. If we were happy all the. time, the feeling itself would lose it’s pleasure. This is the reason that we face the good and bad in life in varied quantities. Yin and Yang is something we see re-appear throughout our lives. It teaches us how to remember the good times when we are sad and also how to keep the bad times in our mind when something good happens. This is one of the best ways to stay grounded in life. It helps us grow as an individual.
Always remember that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react.
The more I try to fathom this, one lesson keeps on repeating itself. Happiness is a temporary state of mind. It can be pursued all. Your life but there is no guarantee that you will be blessed with sheer joy that is ever-lasting.
We can plan out each and every minute aspect of our lives but it seldom happens that events transpire based on our plans. This is true for almost everything whether it’s a trip, a change of job or even moving to a different country.
It’s not the strongest who survive, nobody has escaped the sweet kiss of death and returned back to the mortal plane to share their experiences.
Only the people who are resilient enough to handle and cross each obstacle that is presented in front of them can hope to have a fairly satisfying life.
How petty and meek we are as humans. We pride ourselves on being the only species that can take control of our thoughts and emotions to change our reality. We are not limited to basic survival instincts of eating, sleeping and locating a shelter. Now there are exceptions to this rule, there are certain people who live their life in a way that can be best described as animalistic. It’s all a life choice that each of us have the freedom to make.
Being the most intelligent species on the planet, why is it that we find it so difficult to express how we feel? How is it that when it comes to speaking our mind, our highly developed brains stand in the way of expression? Why is ‘being fake’ a second nature to people? After all, we have evolved to be social animals and not overprotective and reserved individuals. Isn’t it?
The people who do not learn from their past experiences are much more comparable to animals, specifically dogs, who only find serenity in doing the bare minimum to survive. But dogs too know how to love; to show utmost loyalty that is increasingly being unheard in humans. You may step on it’s paw by accident and apologise profusely, it would still forgive you in a heartbeat.
Why is it that we are wired to fall head over heels for a person who is more likely to not return our affection?
Why is it deeply ingrained in human nature to run after things or people that we can’t have? Is it to much to expect love in return? Why is it that we build up so many fantasies in our head that are highly likely to leave us broken? How hard is it to be honest and vocal about our feelings, to liberate the words that are brewing in our heart and minds?
I’ve been hurt and burned more times that I would like to recall. There are several instances that even I memory refuses to help me recall and relive these experiences.
I have learned my lessons, trying to practice not being straightforward and keep the blessing of self-expression that I, as a human being am learning to ignore. However, the question still stands, why shouldn’t I?
Is this a universal ting that all of us as a species need to un-learn?
I guess the reason we like movies so much is because it gives us a way to live our fantasy world through fictional stories with happy endings; while in real life, happy ending are usually found in massage parlours, a quick release which fails to add any value to your life. No wonder prostitution is the oldest profession in the world.
As I sit and admire the violent waves radiating from the Arabian Sea hitting the rocks and shaping them over time, I think of how this turbulence is a symbolism of our lives. The rocks represent people, being shaped and altered from the life that lies ahead. In the end, all of us are yearning for stillness.
The waves that emerge from the force of the endless sea, we can see them coming from far away. They cease to be visible at the horizon where the sky and the salty water seems to unite into one. It’s the same way we can predict a fraction of what lies in store for us but never know the whole story. This is a lesson that instead of seeking answers all our life, we need to live through it and the questions will be answered in due time.
We are so pre-occupied with what ‘might’ lie ahead that makes us miss all the wonderful things that we are surrounded by in the present.
Cherish the small things that you have. Celebrate tiny achievements with people who are genuinely happy for you. Time flies, people and bonds wither away even after our best efforts; this does not mean that we should stop trying.
Appreciate the present, plant seeds that will turn the future in your favour. Do not hold grudges, tell people that you love them and have a little faith that everything will turn out okay in the end.
This is the way of living which has potential to bring the most meaning to your life. There are different strategies that you can follow to make your life meaningful. However, as far as my understanding goes. This is one of the ways that will bring the most fulfilment to your life and will keep you wanting more.
Be kind to others. When you are being served ice-cream or coffee, say thank you. Smile when you see a stranger across the street. Being nice to others is free and can make someone’s day. Once you let this habit sink in, you will reach a point where the happiness and gratitude will radiate from you. You will find that when there are several people available to ask directions or to start a conversation. A stranger will often pick you over those other people. Be open, be understanding and never stop learning.
-Karan
