Being kind

I chanced upon watching this movie the other day called 'That's what I Am' , it had mostly to do with bullying and tolerance in schools, but what caught in my head was this quote which makes this school teacher win a flashy car in a contest for a '25 or less words' solution to world peace. He said "Human dignity + compassion = peace". How true is that!

The natural tendency of a child is to be happy, smile and be kind. Where then do we learn to be sad and frown and be mean? Somewhere along the way, the world gets to us, bad experiences, sad thoughts and generally some mean people around make us a mean person. I have often had instances when I have wanted to hit some people outright for being mean, and I have in certain instances listened to my impulse and let it lead me but I will always feel guilty for those times. Not guilt perhaps, because you don't learn unless you make mistakes, but perhaps disappointment on succumbing to the pressure.

Far far less times , I have been able to hold myself back and smile at them. When you do that, you see them in a different light. You don't feel above them, you just start to love them for being different people. We do not live in a perfect world but being kind to each other can probably help. Its true you never forget people who mock at you without reason but its also true that nobody wants to be remembered as that person. So why even try? And what good is a great wardrobe, money or charity when you can't be nice to people around you, because often, you don't even have to 'find time' to do that.

The easiest thing to do is to smile and it beats me why people don't do it enough. Like not smiling makes them elite?? A smile can turn around somebody's day and yours. Lets do it more often, and not only for the camera! And be kind because its easy! :)

Pensive

Sometimes life tells you that all people are not meant to be together. And you fight it, knowing you can't change a thing. But life doesn't change, you can't fight people to be with you.

And it is all right because nothings permanent, there'll always be people coming and leaving from your life, there can't be parallel routes forever. Hopefully with time you begin to live without them, picture life without them, but it is most difficult when you can't shut them away from your life. You know they exist and you still can't do a thing about it. Sometimes I feel like I am the worst person in this world, I could be, who knows. But then when you have to explain yourself to people who have been with you forever, it is so not worth it. Probably people who want will stay.

 I am going to let go of some people today.  I hope I'll not be hurting like I am today after sometime, I hope this is just a bad day, and I hope more won't come. I wish people could let go of grudges and be together.. just plain happy, without being philosophical and diplomatic about it. But until then, I am just wishing for a better day.

A Real world?

Why is it so important to look good in a picture, to look thin, fair, stylish, a superstar? Especially when its 2D and it can't fathom what person you are, what you think, and how you really live.
Why do we give so much importance on looking good for the whole world. Why is there that underlying competition about being a Greek God or this hot babe. Why has a good day become directly proportional to a hundred likes on a random picture on Facebook.

An uncle, a family friend was telling me few days back 'You know nowadays you can't just look at pictures and go see a girl for arranged marriages, they don't look anywhere close to what they actually look like in real, the world has become so fake.' It's so true, we all want to look like film stars! I am glad I escaped the ill-effects of this fad, and wasn't disappointed when I met my husband. :)

I wonder why life has become about posing and pouting for the camera, and why camera has really become such a big deal. Its like every other person you meet claims to be a photographer...duh?? Like all other hobbies in this universe have suddenly vanished. I never had a dslr probably because I still don't get it, why do I have to be either a great photographer or photogenic, at least as long as it's not my profession. Well but peer pressure caves in on everybody I guess. Probably if I was some model I would think differently, but now.. here I don't see how the quality of my photograph is going to change my life.

Capturing a moment, mobile cams can do that much better, at least if the point is not about having this great picture, but really the moment. And I don't think you are going to run and find a dslr when you propose to your lover and he/she accepts, when you whisper to each other during your wedding, when you tease your friends over a reunion, when your baby talks for the first time, those beautiful moments nothing can capture but your heart. I always tell my husband, I wish we didn't have any photographers at our wedding, only because I don't want to get married to be seen or captured by some photographers, but I want to share that moment with people who truly love me, but sadly I'm not sure how many people at my wedding even saw me getting married!! I know for sure that in my life the best moments no camera has captured, I can only share those thoughts with somebody, cannot share a picture for proof.

A friend was telling me recently a little depressed, 'Wow, you know people have such interesting lives, so many events,they are always putting pictures on fb, it's like I have nothing to do.' And it suddenly hit me what this could be doing to the many people who don't share their lives in public. I told him' Don't let anyone make you feel you have an uninteresting life.. Some people talk about stuff they do, probably much more than they actually do, some don't but trust me every person's life in this world is equally interesting and unique. I am glad you are not in this club'

I remember how a few years back, we would genuinely have much more fun and pretend much less. How people were content in their closely guarded lives, how we weren't a slave to being liked by everybody or the attention.I hope that time comes back. Where your number of friends on Facebook doesn't make you more liked, number of followers on twitter doesn't make you some idol, and LinkedIn contacts don't make you a reliable employee, employer.
 I hope this world becomes more real, because honestly I would rather have an interesting life in real than one for the camera(defined public), and I would rather be liked or hated for my qualities than be judged on how some camera makes me look. Lets toast to the real world!