Life

World is full of sufferings. Sufferings are caused by human desires and human expectations. One of my voluble colleagues rightly points out the definition of satisfaction quotient as - desires fulfilled by desires harbored. More the number of desires harbored, more the person has to stretch that extra mile to fulfill the desires and to achieve the so called contentment. Striving for success has been a prerequisite and it has never been a cake walk especially for the younger lot these days. This is delineated by the fact that the number of children committing suicide has phenomenally increased of late in India. I wonder from where do school kids of tender age gather courage to make a loop of the string with the tiny hands they have barely been using to tie the tie knot, to kick the stool they have been using to kick the football. Life isn't a bed of roses but it seems there are way too many challenges at a very young age which some children are unable to cope up with. I believe emotional quotient of children has drastically declined these days. The cut-throat competition has crossed all limits, a popular newspaper had an article whose headline were like "Last Day for Nursery Admissions". Having mentioned the vulnerability of depression to kids, i would not shy away from bringing into light the rising depression levels among youngsters these days. Youngsters find it easy giving up than dealing with the situation. Talking about the reasons would be like opening up a Pandora box. I myself have been an intrepidal competitor all my life, rarely has anything been offered to me on a silver platter. But there are certain situations which are unavoidable and by experience i believe that there are certain things that are destined and there is very little we can do about it. At this point in time I say this not as a pessimist or as a struggler striving for success but as a person trying to have pragmatic approach at life. When in doldrums i tend to think of the people who are devoid of all luxuries that i easily have access to, this doesn't help improve the situation but one gathers strength to deal with the problem as situation demands. I believe there are a lot of things that could have happened to an individual but did not happen, only to realize that whatever happened, happened for good. An instance to support this is : Popular MNC "Infosys Technologies" came to my college for campus recruitment. I couldn't make it despite clearing the written exam. I was disgruntled, down and out but barely one week down the line i got recruited by an MNC which paid a hefty amount (close to thrice the amount Infosys was paying). It is later on that people come to know that whatever happened, happened for good. Having grabbed a job in a dream company right after graduation was quite satisfying after achieving the feat but in due course of time realized that success is a never ending journey. The thrill to reach at the top is the best part and not the actual outcome. This is what keeps me going once I am down. or I achieve something significant. For some Secret of success in life is keeping oneself busy till one reaches the top, for others it is maintaining good relations with our kins and friends, I believe it is a middle path, a blend of both. I have been dealing with all sorts of people. Sometimes learned people behave with utter stupidity, The office cafeteria has come to a standstill in the wake of Solar Eclipse today. I could hardly see 12-13 people having lunch in the cafeteria. Everybody wants to efface the ill effects of superstitions. Highly educated people around me behave with such sheepish docility that they are willing to see large quantity of food getting wasted just to fulfill their needless superstitions. Then there are Superstitions above superstitions, Otherwise bustling Maha kumbh in the City of Haridwar, today has hardly seen anybody taking a dip in the holy waters of Ganges. Saints and Gurus claim all sufferrings and evil deeds done are washed away by the holy waters. Instead I believe the holy Ganges would be vitiated trying to wash away all evils. Interestingly a recent study conducted by an NGO shows that Ganga water quality are below standards set by Central Pollution Control for bathing. Ganges water at Haridwar poses major health hazards for people bathing there. Such is the Irony, nobody would refrain from polluting it despite knowing what it is leading to and if at all anybody tries hell would break lose. Most of our politicians thrive under such situations claiming to be devours. The bitter truth is that we have become so inured to orthodox social customs that we refuse to learn from our mistakes and refrain from raising voice against all such issues. Life isn't as complicated as it seems to be. Life is full of surprises, you never know what is in store for you. The flavor of unpredictability is its beauty. We may find thousands of definitions of life from our spiritual gurus. For me key to living a prosperous life is to find out what makes one happy and to decide and act upon priorities of life. A simple truth though but that very difficult to digest it. Steve Jobs in a guest lecture at Harvard University explained that we should keep looking for what would make us happy. "Stay Hungry, Stay foolish!!" is what he believes in and rightly so. It might mean changing professions, switching jobs, helping the needy or whatever it takes to give you contentment. Having said all this I'm still trying to find out what can actually make me happy. Life is like stuffed capsicum! Tough outside but bluff inside. You don't know where exactly will you land up. Hope for the best. Keep looking for what you ought to be doing. Stay hungry, Stay foolish :)