Life As We Know It

My first blog post. I am thrilled to hit the publish button. I’d like to thank the people in my life who always believed in me.
 
Life holds several lessons as you begin your journey. Whether it’s a new city, a new country or even a new job. You meet different kinds of people from all walks of life. You may not like all of them, but there are some individuals that cross your path and leave a lasting impact. They completely alter the way you perceive things. These are the keepers.
These people will make you cherish being yourself, will pull you out of your comfortable shell, helping you reach full potential.
The more I try to understand life, it gives me beautiful reasons for being alive. There are numerous lessons and coincidences that have transpired and when you look back at them, everything seems different. Experiences starkly different than the way you thought about them.
As I sit at Bandstand, Bandra, facing the sea, I wonder how some events completely alter your perception towards life. There are moments that will make you feel more alive that you have ever felt. Then there are others that will strip you from the will to live.
Here is the grand takeaway in either case; Life is never constant. If we were happy all the time, the feeling itself would lose its pleasure. This is the reason that we face the good and bad in varying 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 bad times when something good happens. This is one of the best ways to stay grounded in life.
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 waking hours without the certainty that you will be blessed with everlasting bliss.

We can plan out each and every minute aspect of our lives but it seldom happens that events transpire exactly as we had envisioned it.

How petty and meek we are as humans. We pride ourselves on being the only intelligent species of our planet. We can modify thought-patterns and exercise control over emotions to completely alter our reality. Not being 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 lives in a way that can be best described as animalistic. It’s all a life choice that each of us has been blessed with the freedom to choose.
Having said that, why is it that we find it so difficult to express how we feel? When it comes to speaking our mind, our highly developed brains stand in the way. 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?
Why is it that we are wired to fall head over heels for a person who is more likely to not reciprocate? Why is it deeply ingrained in our nature to run after things or people that we can’t have? Is it too 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 have learned my lessons, being misunderstood at times. I have tried to practice not being straightforward and keeping my feelings to myself. Ignoring one’s natural instincts is incredibly difficult to master. However, the question still stands, why should we?

Is this a universal thing that all of us need to un-learn?

I guess the reason we are drawn to movies so much is because it gives us an escape to live our fantasy through fictional stories consisting of make-believe characters who seem to almost always have happy endings; In real life, a happy ending is usually found in massage parlors, 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, shaping them as time goes by, I think of how this represents our lives. The rocks represent people, being consistently hit by oncoming waves of experiences that shape us as a unique individual. There is so much turbulence in our lives while in the end, all of us yearn for stillness.
The emerging waves from of the endless sea, cease to be visible at the horizon where the sky and the salty water unite. It’s the same way we can only forecast 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 answers will come when the time is due. 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.

All is not lost

Cherish the small things that you have. Celebrate tiny achievements with people who are genuinely happy for you. Time flies, 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 favor. Do not hold grudges, tell people that you love them and have a little faith that everything will turn out okay.
This is the way of living which has potential to bring meaning to your life. Be kind. When you are being served 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. Be open, understanding and mindful.
-Karan