August 7, 2011

Give your 'self' a chance...

Saee and her friends were running all over the parking…after scolding them to be quiet and stand at one place till the school van comes…but no avail…they just don’t listen….and even if they do…they forgot what they don’t want to remember in a flash…with minimum of efforts…. and maximum of irritation on our part….

We were wondering…how simple their lives are…..sure they have their share of problems….and worries….but they do well to always remain in the present….so even if we daily admonish them for running around when in our view they should be standing still right next to us (a downright unfair demand they say)….they forgot all of that and start running the moment they step out of the lift….the routine never changes… ….

Have you ever wondered why our childhood memories never cease to make us happy? Why they always bring a smile to our face…because those were the days defined solely by ‘present’….the past and the future tense weren’t their ubiquitous counterparts…..we had an open heart then…and we welcomed the good and the bad and the ugly enthusiastically with both the arms…friends were always friends…and enemies….yes…always the enemies…we had our priorities sorted out…we were blessed with ‘short-term’ and ‘selective’ memory…..and ‘tension’, ‘stress’ were something we learnt only as ‘English’ words….the life without ‘prejudices’…..the life which was truly a ‘present’….a gift…

though yes….these children do tend to get bored very fast…..like all the other things….they like all of it…’fast’….life must always move in the fast lane….and they have certainly better understanding of their surroundings….so at the age of five…my daughter has discovered ‘boredom’ already….and she also knows that ‘its very boring to get bored’ all the time….and they all are downright candid about it….they don’t try to run away, they don’t try to hide…they just declare ‘we are bored’….

Do we face the boredom in the same way? When we feel stagnant, and bored for no reason….well the boredom with the reason is a different case altogether…u had a better idea how to deal with it….but boredom sans reason is a harrowing experience…particularly when it visits you quite frequently….and doesn’t let you go like an unwanted guest….

But unlike children….we choose to ignore it…we try to act as if nothing has happened…we in general try to kill the boredom with the ‘indifference’….some of us try to do something different…try to change the routine….go for a vacation, arrange a get-together and things like that….but after a while…even that ‘change’ becomes the routine…and you start to feel ‘bored’ yet again…do you know why we are so hesitant to accept the fact that ‘we are bored’?....because admitting the same means…now you have to do something about it…and the human race in general is averse to moving out of their comfort zone…why act when a little bit of waiting will do the trick….’no change’ is our lifelong policy….

I know boredom can be a dual sword….it can be constructive or destructive….all depends how you choose to deal with it…. we must learn to make ‘boredom’ fashionable….and it will work wonders for you….but the moment we choose to deal with it as an intruder…..it will be hell bent to make our lives miserable….

I was thinking….are we scared of ‘nothing to do’ phase? Then when it happens…we try to fill whatever void we find in our life with a number of activities…we surround ourselves with people, we surround ourselves with activities….and in general turn a blind eye towards that ‘sinking boredom’ feeling…..but we refuse to accept this restlessness, we refuse to stop and think…we refuse to use the ‘pause’ button in our life…and do the next best thing on the list….’make yourself so busy that these thoughts do not find a way to enter your mind’….is that why we are scared of ‘old age’….i believe the death and the life after that has very little to do with it…we are scared of our life in the later stage ‘when we have nothing to do’….is that we are so afraid to be in our own company….movie…we need someone to accompany….shopping…we want someone to join….decision…we need an opinion….

.the emptiness scares us….its as if we are afraid to be with our own thoughts…lest it will throw up something new that we aren’t familiar with….its as if we are afraid to be with our own ‘self’…..we just aren’t ready to give ur own 'self’ a chance….give 'silence' a chance...

1 comment:

  1. Very true that people do not give chance to be with them i.e. self. Here is the crucks of all your problems and sorrows which vanish one day if you do so. But ................ only few can udnerstand its importance.!!!!

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