Young people these days..

We hear a lot about the youth of today going to waste. But at the same time there is also talk about youth doing wonderful things. We are growing up in a world full of such ironies. How many parents would like their children to take up the career as a social activist or social worker?? You want engineers and doctors, but you also want youth who care about everything else happening in the world, and believe it or not, these days , it is possible. All you elders were young too, at some point of time, and i am sure you can identify with our lives and our problems, but there is only a certain limit to which you can really feel what we feel. There is only a certain point upto which all the wise and experienced people can claim to have been there and done that.

I never thought I would quote Alanis Morissette on my blog, but here is something from her that I actually liked. And though it doesn’t actually represent how I personally feel or what i see among my friends, I think it pretty much sums up the so called problem we have with youth today.

Hand in my pocket – by Alanis Morissette

I’m broke but I’m happy
I’m poor but I’m kind
I’m short but I’m healthy, yeah
I’m high but I’m grounded
I’m sane but I’m overwhelmed
I’m lost but I’m hopeful baby

What it all comes down to
Is that everything’s gonna be fine fine fine
I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving a high five

I feel drunk but I’m sober
I’m young and I’m underpaid
I’m tired but I’m working, yeah
I care but I’m worthless
I’m here but I’m really gone
I’m wrong and I’m sorry baby

What it all comes down to
Is that everything’s gonna be quite alright
I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is flicking a cigarette

What it all comes down to
Is that I haven’t got it all figured out just yet
I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving the peace sign

I’m free but I’m focused
I’m green but I’m wise
I’m shy but I’m friendly baby
I’m sad but I’m laughing
I’m brave but I’m chicken shit
I’m sick but I’m pretty baby

And what it all boils down to
Is that no one’s really got it figured out just yet
I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is playing the piano

What it all comes down to my dear friends
Is that everything’s just fine fine fine
I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is hailing a taxicab…

What I learned from my 2 year old friend.

Ethan! My darling neighbor. The best thing to do when I am bored of studying is to go and talk to (or rather communicate with) Ethan. This cute and adventurous boy has the most innocent and mischievous grin that I have seen. I especially like the way he scrambles up the marble seat in their balcony and enjoys the view. And when he is done with his stunts, he says one of his favorite words from his ever expanding vocabulary.. Down! And then somebody has to rush into the balcony to help him down. Hats off to his mummy for having the stamina and patience to keep up with him, because when he goes on an exploring spree, there is no telling what he will do!. There are, however, quite a few things that I have learned from this dude:

• The best way to win someones heart is to give them a flying kiss.
• When you need help, ask for it! There are a lot of nice people in this world.
• Smile at everyone you meet. It makes you feel good, and others too!
• If you wish to, you can touch the stars, you only have to imagine
• If you don’t like something, if something is irritating or worrying you, don’t sit and ponder, just fling it out of the window!
• Constantly explore your surroundings, just because we are too busy to appreciate it, the world doesn’t stop being a beautiful place.
• Crying is not the solution to everything, although its worth giving it a shot if your sympathy factor is strong!
• Always share your toys with others, you never know when you might need theirs.
• The best way to live life is smile, laugh, sleep, eat, poop, and explore all day. If possible throw in some driving around in a tricycle listening to music.
• Overcome illness with not as much as a squeak! And return with full enthusiasm to continue living the great life as explained above.

I think all of us forget these basic things very often. No trouble, no situation is too big a deal to let you hamper your enthusiasm if only you have the simple wish to have a good time. Thanks Ethan! God bless you!

What holds you together?

With exams drawing closer, my rate of watching TV increases in direct proportion. What with IPL matches and nice movies, studies seem the most boring option as usual. Anyways, was watching In Her Shoes. Its not really a classic, or something you would like to watch many times, but I liked it. One dialog made me think (There i go again……) A guy asks his friend whether she misses her job; she used to be, after all, the first to come to office and the last to leave. And she replies that it was not the work that she loved, it was just the thing that was holding her together, she would fall apart without having something to do.

What holds people together? Here are some options that I have seen..
Some people do live off work. Not workaholics, although they are a valid category too, but these are people who like the respect, the responsibility. People who like the position of importance that they are given, even if it means suffering on other fronts. What holds these people together? Respect.

Some people thrive on academic success. Given a choice to do something fun in the holidays, they would open a book and prepare for the next semester. Topping the class in exams, being the first to submit files, being the first to complete assignments, being the first to shoot upright when a professor enters the classroom. What holds these people together? Knowledge that they are ahead of others…even if it is by half a mark.

Some people need drama. They need to be told they are needed and loved all the time. They need attention. They need to live life like a movie, writing poems, holding conversations complete with sighs and giggles. They need to forget the so-called ties of society and enjoy their lives without caring for right or wrong, good or bad. It is happiness for them, not running away from responsibilities. What holds them together? The wild pleasure of doing something non-traditional, of going against the rules, and standing up proud having done so.

Some people need security. The knowledge that someone will be there to hold them when they falter in life. The build their lives, anchored around other people. They live their life through them, unaware, that others have their own lives to look after. These people clutch and grab at every relationship that they have, forever afraid that something will go wrong. What holds them together? Finding someone, who needs them as much as they need them.

Some people live off their contacts. The fact that 20 people will say hi to them on the roads int he city seems to give them a high. They gain lot of pleasure in flicking their cells on and calling XYZ to have your problem fixed, and give that knowing smile that says….there…its so easy for me to solve problems. What holds them together? Knowing that there is always some way in which they are useful, that they have a purpose.

Some people live for others. They spend their lives sacrificing and enduring, hoping that they are giving back enough of what they are getting. They find things to do, favours to extend, always ready to give, whatever it takes. What hold them together? The knowledge that their actions, somehow make them worthy of others’ love.

Whatever it maybe, there needs to be an object, or a person that makes life worth living. Everyone needs some source of satisfaction, of knowing that each moment is leading to some clear goal, some clear destination. I think thats the common factor that all human beings need. On that note, a beautiful quote:

“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think.  Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.  ~A.A. Milne