A Breath of Fresh Air

Its been a long time since my last post. I've been trying to find the reason for this but still not so sure about it. But what prompted me to write this is a very timely poem sent by my English Teacher Vijayalakshmi, affectionately called Viji miss....

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul. 

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann c.1920

I'm on the very brink of another phase of my life, college. I've been busy with a couple of huge projects the keystone of which is Coders On Cloud. But I must admit that a couple of thoughts have been in and around my head and raking it pretty well. One of the latest just happens to be about my image in the eyes of my fellow beings. I know this goes against all that I've ever written on this blog or elsewhere but I guess every once in a while a rock has to give way to bring a fresh breath of life to a sleeping cavern of treasures. This poem did just that and for that I'm speechlessly grateful to her.  

To be precise, these are the words that mean the most to me

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

And I can truly and wholeheartedly vouch for the fact that those words are indeed true to the fullest. And now I'm as happy as ever to be me.

On a side note, I think it is high time for my "Most Influential" article and that will be up next.

Just Be Yourself

"jz b urself..!!..no more an no less!!"

 (Just be Yourself..!! no more and no less!!)

So wrote a close friend of mine while chatting and over the past few days the same message came up over many media. Each time I put them aside but this time I Write!

Remember  Ratatouille ? That movie about a cute little mouse that wanted to be a chef and finally rose up to be one?

Remember Po? That Big Fat Panda who fought the strong and most feared tiger to save the whole Valley ?

None of them were anything above the rest and they were certainly not 'born' to be the 'one' and yet by just being themselves , not by their race, caste, creed, or relatives, but just themselves, they did what they dreamed to.

Why would being yourself serve you better than trying to be someone else like some great hero form the past? For a very simple reason which we often forget. "You are what you are." You are best equipped to be yourself and only yourself. Trying to be someone else is like living the rest of your lives behind a mask of shame.

Did anybody watch Narnia:The voyage of the Dawn Treader? Well, in it Lucy wishes to be more like her sister Susan and the 'Lion' Aslan shows her how important she (Lucy) is as she is. Aslan reminds her that it was because of Lucy that the four of them found Narnia and hence is extremely important and reminds her to be , in effect, be herself.

Now, I wish to take you on a journey (not much of  a journey but still for namesakes let it be called so) to an incident from my English class.

One day our English teacher asked us to name our role models/ favourites. Most of them named either a movie star or a national leader or their parents or someone of that sort. As it happened I was to say mine almost to the end and when I got my chance all I had to say was "None". I told her that I take something from everyone. When you think about it , no one is perfect. Then how can you have a single 'Role model' . As I find it, the best thing one can do is learn what seems apt from everyone that you meet. What you learn and imbibe  from someone will always be in tune with what you really are. It will be always be you.

Also, don't think that if your are 'different' in any way, people would not accept you. Always keep in mind, there will always be some who accept you for who you are and love you just because you are you. I believe that only such friendships and relations have the ability to be happy and last a long time. If you are a 'geek', don't think that you wont get friends or that people wouldn't 'hang out' with you. Never, I repeat, Never Ever change yourself with such ideas in mind. Those who are with you when you are 'you' will be the only ones who will be there when you are in need the most.

If there is one resolution that I take on every birthday of mine, its " I'll not change in any way just because I'm an year older " (and probably not even a day wiser). Over the years, as soon as I started realising 'things' I decided I'll always try to keep the 'child' in me alive. The curiosity, and inexhaustible inquisitiveness of a child are the most valuable things that everyone has to retain throughout life. I bet that It's going to be your key to success.

Above all , Keep in mind, 

You are what you Believe You are, not what others say or think you are. 
Destiny Is what You make of it, so don't sulk around about 'circumstances'.

Adieu for now ..




PS. I have started a new Photo Blog . Do check it out at ThinkabtBeauty.

PPS (PS after a PS ;) ) Here's what Sky mentioned. (BTW, she's my one and only sister. And if you are wondering if she is as crazy, maybe this will help.) But I can assure you, I'm not "that" small...