What is it that drives a human being, is it the things that a person experiences, is it the things that are heard, told, seen, felt which give structure to the persons actions or is it something else. We are so busy trying to live our lives that we sometimes forget that we have to “live life”. Is survival all about just staying alive or is it something else, is it just about the place we want to be, rather than how we want to be at the place we want to be, is everything fair in love, war and life.
When does ethics, principles, ideals come into the picture, is it just some words we learn in our infancy and which eventually gets obscured when we move on and start the struggle for existence. Can we think of these as just buzzwords which get thrown around when we need to impress someone or when we try to come up with reasons for our own shortcomings, “I can’t do it because my ethics don’t allow me to do it”. What is this ethics anyways, is it a rule, is it a way, is it a compulsion, what is it all about. Who decides what is good, what is not good, who decides the priorities. Who decides that to be selfish is bad, who decides it is wrong of us to live and want the best for our self. What is our identity, is it “I” or “ME”. What is it that differentiates “I” and “ME”, are these just two ways of representing ourselves or is it something more. Isn’t it the “I” and “ME” in us which define who we are, where do we stand, what are our ethics, principles, way of life. Isn’t life made up of two types, “I want” and “I will” and why is it that we somehow tend to land up on the “I want” territory. We always get to hear “I do not like the way things happen”, ok, but given a chance how will you change it, “no idea but I do not like the way it runs”. Why is it that we are a complaining kind, a kind where ideals and ethics are frowned upon, where life starts and ends with a bribe, why is it that we favor false gods like money, power, clout. Why is it that we are like a pond where the biggest of stones will create the biggest of ripples which eventually settle down to the calm self again, why is it that we cant be the ocean which is always in motion, throwing out the muck and sand and keeping the pearls for itself. Why is it that we tolerate and give it the name of patience, why is it that we are taught to have patience when what is needed is action, patience is a good trait but isn’t too much patience as good as cowardice. Yes, with patience even the hardest of rocks will crack but does that mean we wait and watch for the rock to crack just because it got bored sitting out there in a sun and rain and wanted a change of scene.
Isn’t patience mistaken for inaction and inaction a spillover from pretense of everything being alright? Why it is that mediocrity is not only accepted it is actually treated on par with meritocracy. Why is it that we let things be just the way they are because of lack of drive or want on our part to change things, why are we the kind who will always look out for someone else to do our work for us, just because of our fear of failure. Inertia is a bad thing for a stone, it gathers moss but it is worse for a human as it leads to a loss of identity, who are we to question the wrongs in others when we ourselves are not perfect, when we ourselves run away from taking responsibility, who are we to expect others to pick up the burden for us. What do we stand for if we are shy away from accepting our part in running our lives, how independent are we if we live our lives according to the rules and priorities set by others. Will I live my life according to what others want, if no, then what is it that makes me set guidelines for others to follow?
Isn’t accepting responsibility for our shortcomings and mistakes a matter of principle, why is it that we always need to have a scapegoat for things that do not work, why is it that, if something is not right, the fault is always due to someone else. When will we learn to stand by our words and treat our commitments as a reflection of our own, our identity is what we stand for, if our stand itself changes with time, isn’t that a direct reflection on we as a whole instead of a situation. Mistakes happen, every person commits mistakes, what someone learns from the mistakes, is what will make or break the person.
Are we ready to accept our image in the mirror, the way the world sees it. It’s when we will stand before the mirror and see what we see with eyes of another person is when “I” and “ME” in us will be known. Can I accept the real me and live life accordingly or am I content living the life which I am supposed to live.
When does ethics, principles, ideals come into the picture, is it just some words we learn in our infancy and which eventually gets obscured when we move on and start the struggle for existence. Can we think of these as just buzzwords which get thrown around when we need to impress someone or when we try to come up with reasons for our own shortcomings, “I can’t do it because my ethics don’t allow me to do it”. What is this ethics anyways, is it a rule, is it a way, is it a compulsion, what is it all about. Who decides what is good, what is not good, who decides the priorities. Who decides that to be selfish is bad, who decides it is wrong of us to live and want the best for our self. What is our identity, is it “I” or “ME”. What is it that differentiates “I” and “ME”, are these just two ways of representing ourselves or is it something more. Isn’t it the “I” and “ME” in us which define who we are, where do we stand, what are our ethics, principles, way of life. Isn’t life made up of two types, “I want” and “I will” and why is it that we somehow tend to land up on the “I want” territory. We always get to hear “I do not like the way things happen”, ok, but given a chance how will you change it, “no idea but I do not like the way it runs”. Why is it that we are a complaining kind, a kind where ideals and ethics are frowned upon, where life starts and ends with a bribe, why is it that we favor false gods like money, power, clout. Why is it that we are like a pond where the biggest of stones will create the biggest of ripples which eventually settle down to the calm self again, why is it that we cant be the ocean which is always in motion, throwing out the muck and sand and keeping the pearls for itself. Why is it that we tolerate and give it the name of patience, why is it that we are taught to have patience when what is needed is action, patience is a good trait but isn’t too much patience as good as cowardice. Yes, with patience even the hardest of rocks will crack but does that mean we wait and watch for the rock to crack just because it got bored sitting out there in a sun and rain and wanted a change of scene.
Isn’t patience mistaken for inaction and inaction a spillover from pretense of everything being alright? Why it is that mediocrity is not only accepted it is actually treated on par with meritocracy. Why is it that we let things be just the way they are because of lack of drive or want on our part to change things, why are we the kind who will always look out for someone else to do our work for us, just because of our fear of failure. Inertia is a bad thing for a stone, it gathers moss but it is worse for a human as it leads to a loss of identity, who are we to question the wrongs in others when we ourselves are not perfect, when we ourselves run away from taking responsibility, who are we to expect others to pick up the burden for us. What do we stand for if we are shy away from accepting our part in running our lives, how independent are we if we live our lives according to the rules and priorities set by others. Will I live my life according to what others want, if no, then what is it that makes me set guidelines for others to follow?
Isn’t accepting responsibility for our shortcomings and mistakes a matter of principle, why is it that we always need to have a scapegoat for things that do not work, why is it that, if something is not right, the fault is always due to someone else. When will we learn to stand by our words and treat our commitments as a reflection of our own, our identity is what we stand for, if our stand itself changes with time, isn’t that a direct reflection on we as a whole instead of a situation. Mistakes happen, every person commits mistakes, what someone learns from the mistakes, is what will make or break the person.
Are we ready to accept our image in the mirror, the way the world sees it. It’s when we will stand before the mirror and see what we see with eyes of another person is when “I” and “ME” in us will be known. Can I accept the real me and live life accordingly or am I content living the life which I am supposed to live.
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