Thinking Out Loud.

All we want in this life is to know the answer to our “Why?”. I call it the ultimate truth.

Will wandering penniless and renouncing the worldly pleasures get us an inch closer to the truth?

That’s what Buddha did. That’s what Mahavira did. That’s what all the Hindu sages did. But I did not want to follow the crowd .

*cue Dr.DRE* .

Instead I decided to ask people these questions:

“What is life? Why are we here? Is it all a meaningless repetition ? Has all the mindless tedium become notoriously fascinating?”

I recommend you don’t do that. They tend to get very annoyed.

Entering into yet another year, I am once again plagued by the endless responsibilities of life. I cannot help but wonder : Have we complicated everything for us?

For example, Shouldn’t it be simple to find a person you like? Why did we divide our entire species into subgroups and made it harder on ourselves to find someone we like in a select small group of people? Why did we have to run behind constant advancement that is actually not at all helping us? Why are all of us running behind some kind of validation from others? Why are countries still fighting to expand territories in 2023? Honestly, what even are we celebrating another year for when we know that it will all be the same again?

If you think that I sound a bit negative, you are right. I do sound like that. It is a bit hard for me to sound like a classic Christmas movie wherein a couple almost exclusively ends up together after randomly bumping into each other .

But you are right. My rather sad soliloquy ends here. I am about to write some inspiring sh*t now.

Plato and Aristotle believed in a concept called Eudaimonia. It basically centers around the idea of living happy the right way. That the highest goal in anyone’s life to attain a state of happiness. I was intrigued by this concept. Am I be a bit closer to finding the path that helps me answer my questions?

Attaining that state requires you to be beyond yourself. You cannot constantly think of “you” and be happy. As humans we exist to also help others in need. It is important to bridge the gap between what we do and what we can do.

I felt that the first stop in attaining such a state was to tell people I love them. That was by far the most fulfilling thing I had ever done.

Isn’t it beautiful that every ambition, every drive, every long trip that you take traversing across the globe in a cramped chair for 18 hours sandwiched uncomfortably between two people, every subway trip to work at 5:30, all of this and more, all of this is for love?

Valentine’s day is looming the week and every commercial is asking us to acknowledge the love we have for our beloved with gifts and roses. You might think, “Why do I have to do all of this? This is such a western concept? Why profess love when they already know you love them?”. While I agree with you that the day has now lost some of it’s meaning with over-commercialization, I also agree that you have to acknowledge your feelings once in a while. It helps.

One of my friends asked me a few days back, “Why do only men have to do all of this?”

That’s when I noticed something.

All throughout my life, I have never seen men around me express their feelings once without peer pressure. I have never seen a man say all that was on his mind. The thought of expression was such a foreign concept to them. While women around me would constantly say all that was on their mind and then feel free.

I now sit in my desk at 5:30 in the morning thinking out loud about “Soi Patano”.

A Brief History of Soi Patano:

Many Many years ago, when men still waged wars and the women were forced to marry for peace, the only thing that protected both of them was friendship. Ironically, not each other’s. The blind trust and love women had on their female friends was something men longed for.

So, my friends, I am asking you to go tell them. Tell your parents you love them. Tell your siblings that you will let them use your stuff and tell your friends that we are definitely going on that Goa trip. Call your toxic relatives and ask them how life has been. Very politely tell your crush that you like them. Go on that date!

And while doing all of this, keep consent on your mind. Understand what a “NO” means.

[Because nowadays you have to apparently teach them that *sigh*]

Hype everyone up.

Because what else are we living for?!