Monday, July 28, 2008

Power of One

Change is always refreshing. How many times have you thought on similar lines?? I have this habit of changing every 5 seconds and every time I realize that what I was five seconds earlier deserved some introspection. A constant process of revaluation of oneself sometimes can be very frustrating while at times it can be very rewarding. The process of change is a primary characteristic of the phenomenon of adaptation. Today we live in a world that constantly presents different scripts on which we have to scribble with the pen of adaptation, our course of action.

Our actions become the yardstick for acceptance by the society in which we live. We always have a set of people who may or may not have a genuine concern for us but nonetheless deem it to be their right to measure our actions on a secret moral scale that they possess. We have to bear the constant gaze of curious eyes. We have to bear with people as they are a part of the society we live in. And how much adaptation and sacrifice is necessary to be an acceptable part of a society which exists only in the realms of belief? If you are to believe that no society exists you would be happier than what you are at present. Globalizing economies, formation of communities and fraternities have saw to it that the expression of being an individual par excellence has become redundant in reality only to find refuge with ‘want’ in texts.

We don’t command today the strength to survive alone as our ancestors had. We have been so weakened by our dependence on one another that today we can’t muster enough courage to see the world with a different perspective and more importantly alone. We all like the idea of standing up to our beliefs but how many of us have the courage to do so? The sole purpose of creation of communities and societies was to create a fear in us that it is only united that we stand. I am however also not advocating that we should stand divided but what I wish to urge you all to do is to stand alone once and hence see, with no blindfold, what the world has to offer to you and what you have to offer to it. We must stand alone unbiased to see how people stand in front of you naked and see their bare fangs and at the same time also see their qualities and virtues. As being part of a society blinds us to the evils within our friends and virtues in others there is an immediate need to stand alone someday for our sake as well as other’s. And we shall all see that day sooner or later so it would be better to voluntarily choose that day as soon as possible.

It would be mockery of self esteem to constantly adapt. If I am being offered a world that does not seek me the way I am, I had rather not be a part of that world. Whether people accept you or not, it is your prerogative to judge yourself not theirs. Their acceptance will not be a testimonial of your quality nor will their disapproval be a stigma to your name. It is your right to choose the path which will lead to your objective, be it alone. If you make friends on your way trust them with your life but if you make enemies along your path it doesn’t mean the path was wrong. Have respect even if you can’t show it for there is no man in this world who is worthy of only contempt. The path you take should be well reasoned because once we have our beliefs in order we always possess the inner strength to work towards their ends. So choose with caution and discretion your ideals and beliefs as it is not entirely impossible that a slight mistake can ruin an otherwise wonderful soul.

Stand up and see for yourself the world. If you show others exemplary strength of character in times of hardship while standing alone against all odds, they will seek a similar path, A path of enlightenment , and hence you would have then proved that there exists individualism in its purest form as an answer to the ‘blindfold’ in front of us. This way you can not only cleanse your soul and find wisdom but also be the savior of thousands of other helpless people, drifting aimlessly.

So don’t change to adapt but adapt to change the world around you.

If you wish to be the first person to see the dawn then don’t sit back and wait for the night to be over, pick up your belongings and head east.

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