Tickets To Life On Sale?

Garima Bahl

I believe questioning society for the right reasons is more important than questioning it at all. There are acts that can be perceived like a black blot on white sheet but then there are these abstract aspects that move us from our very core. It’s funny how people we essentially share the external environment with are capable of toggling our cognition.

Do you realize that the intensity of your emotional outbursts is directly proportional to the listener's intensity of reactions you've ‘assumed’? Let that sink in. The mind seeks validation. In your introspective phases, you'll be shocked to learn about the number of times you tweak your opinions, emotions, appearance, lifestyle, and even the tone of your voice in a day as per your assumption of their perceptions.

Sometimes, we wear a mask to look unbothered. At other times, our carefree selves hide under the garb of painful emotions. Latter is worse. In order to 'depict' the normalcy of a job loss, breakup, or any event that is commonly heard of, some of us mourn - because that's what is expected of us. Maybe you feel joyful because that relationship was hard; maybe the job only left you dissatisfied after all the toil. But since these are common incidents, a common reaction is awaited, thereby showcased. The audience looks for a dramatic performance. You've got to cry to justify. Your life is a play they're excited (or curious?) to watch.

Fanning these expectations not only gives the onlookers a right to demand more but these expectations find a home in your subconscious - you're not even aware that you've become a stranger to your own self. A stranger justifying the normal, the common, gratifying the watchers. This excitement makes them look like close cousins to paparazzi, strangling the throat of your hope and power to outgrow your own tendencies. They place your life parallel to their or her or his limited selves/self - “I would cry if I were you. It’s quite common in this situation”.

It’s high time you stood up and took the first step to change the ‘common’. You are you maybe because you weren’t supposed to be a part of this black hole. Why are you afraid to be raw? Acceptance?