While watching a T.V. show , last night something very interesting crossed my mind and i decided it needed to be blogged about. So, am back with a thought that troubles me.
The show was a family oriented show, which had invited some orphans to be a part of their special episode. During the show, one of the cute little kids was asked what his ambition in life was. And this little thing, all of 5 years and abandoned by his parents because they had no money to raise their 1 yr old child, stand up, holds the mike with his tiny hands and proudly says in his just learnt English " I want to be Post Man".
I have no clue, but when i saw him say that with the widest smile I've ever seen, i cried. Tears rolled down my cheeks at the sheer innocence of this child, who dreams to be a post man some day. Yes, they do say children's ambitions change with the minute when they are small.One minute they want to be a pilot, the next an engineer and sometimes a doctor. But have you, today in the 21st century heard any kid proudly say he wants to be a post man? i havent.
It reminded me of how in the course of life, we forget what our passions are, our beliefs are and our value systems. Why do we fail to understand that we should use our acquired knowledge in the places that require our expertise? Why do MBA graduates end up at call centres? Why do Engineer's end up at an MNC doing administration work? Why do doctors end up being part of huge private hospitals and operating only once a week when they could do better work and fulfilling work in a small clinic or public hospital?
It all boils down to just one thing, materialistic pleasures. Its just money, isn't it? Ive always had this argument, with many people about how i truly believe that even if you lived cosily in a one room flat with the people you love and food to eat and went to a job you truly enjoy, you would be a happier soul rather than the one who lived in a pent house and went to a job he hated but paid excellently.
Why do we end up leading a materialistic life, earning a fat salary, forgetting in bargain, the small pleasures one gets from life? Have you ever sat on the corner of a footpath and had gola? That's what i call pleasure. Yes, i would get the same pleasure at a five star restaurant too. But i as a human being, should have the ability to enjoy both equally. That's what life is about, isn't it? To face whatever comes your way with respect and gratitude.
I always tell my boy friend, how i will be happy wherever we are as long as he is there with me to enjoy those moments. And i truly mean it. Its not that i feel money is nothing. Yes money is important, i know how critical it is to save and plan a secure future and do the right investments and everything. You cant be happy even if you have a job you love, a cosy small flat but no food to eat. So yes, i give the monetary benefits their due importance, but at the same time i think, its not something one should make a goal of their life.
You cant live every day wanting to increase your bank balance and wondering how much money you will make in 5 years. If you live every moment like this, you aren't living. Along the path, because of your one way perspective you miss out so much that you wont realise it, till you are 80 and crippled to a bed, introspecting.
So before, the whole world comes to a point where they talk about rupees and dollars and pounds every day, ill say wake up. Live. Smell the flowers and enjoy a swim. Run if you want and feel the wind. Eat at a bakda and forget the disease.
Live.
Remember it can end any moment.
2 comments:
Great one! I guess we have had this argument time and again over your pleasures without money and my thoughts about it. But, nonetheless i still feel its a matter of where you are and how protected you are.
I will agree with your thoughts yet again and say that you are right about the fact that life is short and can end any moment so might as well enjoy it. But, when you are in a position of managing things without anyones support you will realize that invariably you will say, "screw the beer..screw the gola..I want to say this dollar and dime for my next month's rent." At this point you have already surpassed the stage of small fun and gotten into the viscious cycle of money even if you do not wish to get into it.
Nonetheless I really loved this blog of yours and will agree with you on lot of points. :)
Brilliant post!
Isn't this an argument everybody has? And everybody, after endless arguments gets caught in the vicious circle of making money and more money...I've always found it strange that the people who say they don't care about money..or that money isn't all important are people who have the most money...!
But at the root I think is the fact that we care too much about keeping up with our relatives, our friends, our neighbours, so on and so forth. It is a threat to our self-esteem and identity if we earn less. eventually, the key to staying out of this race for more and more money, at the loss of smaller pleasures, is to learn to accept oneself as one is...unconditional self-acceptance..as Rogers and Ellis advocated...
--Vijaya
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