Childhood and Now

At times I wonder whether it’s such a big deal to live by set patterns.

As a kid, I believed what I was told –

• Study well, score well and be in the top rankers because that’s what takes you places.
• They day is always planned and has defined hours – 6 hrs of school, 1 hr of television, 2 hrs of tuition, 1 hr of play, 3 hrs of study. This would be on loop day in, day out and I followed it to the tee.
• There is always a certain ‘kind’ of people one should hang out with or else you are considered to be in bad company. I restricted myself to the so-called ‘right company’
• The only form of discipline is punishment, to get shouted at or maybe slapped once in a while
• There is always an ideal age for everything – studies, career, marriage, family etc and absolutely in that particular order
• And the list goes on with ‘the right way or the wrong way’ of doing things and how one is “ideally” supposed be

Looking back, I question did I actually spend my childhood my way? Because as you grow old, you realise a few things:

• Did good marks help? Maybe to get admission in the first list of college (remember, there are people who score lesser and make it to the same college in the 2^nd/3^rd of 4^th list
• The day doesn’t have to be defined...who cares if you stay up late and watch television or take a 10 min break after every half-n-hour at work as long as you get done with what you’re supposed to do
• The choice of friends or the kind of company you keep does not define you (alright maybe a little) but no one can make you good or bad, you are an individual and you know what’s best for you
• Best way to discipline is to try and be a friend or a mentor...not a tormentor!
• There is no ideal age for anything – you can marry first, then pursue your career or have a career and choose not to marry at all
• And whoever said there is a right way or wrong way of doing things? Well, you always have 2 options in life: to do or not to do and whichever you choose, you learn something from it

So here goes, I’m lucky to have found some people in life who helped me understand the above. People who say – the world doesn’t care so stop thinking! Society doesn’t change and people don’t stop judging but as long as you are happy and content with yourself, you are GOOD!

Well won’t say I completely live by ‘to hell with the society’ but hey, i have enough food for thought!