Times....contd

Dear God,

About a week ago, I chanced upon this forward. I am not usually BIG on ‘forwards’ but this one truly caught my attention. It goes…

”Here I am sitting in my office at night...Thinking hard about life.
How tiny pocket money changed to huge monthly paychecks, but then why it gives less happiness…
How a “2 Re. ka Mirchi bhajji” has changed to eat outs at KFC, Subway and yet why there is less hunger…
How a bike always on “Paanch point” (Hyderabadi for 0.5ltrs of Petrol) changed to a car with a full tank, but then why there are less places to go on…
How calls at the PCO changed to a flashy mobile, and yet why there are fewer calls & more messages…
How an old assembled desktop changed to new branded laptop, but then why there is less time to put it on…

Here I am sitting in my office at night… Thinking hard about life…How it changed…. "

There are bigger things in life than the sight of crisp currency notes…”

Unbelievably true, isn’t it? I was thinking that I have absolutely everything, everything a bachelor could ask for; a great family to go back home to, a fully loaded house, two A/Cs, a laptop and a desktop, a music system, a home Video with a decent collection of movies, books; all this and more. I do not mean to say that these are the only things that bring about happiness or content in life. But, since every bit at home is self-made, to me it holds a lot of significance.

And yet, there is a void in life – an inexplicable vacuum, certain emptiness. What happened to days when I could have four “Bhajjis” and feel elated about having eaten-out? What happened to the times when a first-day, first-“Chiranjeevi”-show at the movies gave me a sense of conquest? Whatever happened to those “Holis, Diwalis, Dussehras and New Year’s” that ushered in festivities, a feeling of gaiety all around?

All I do these days is finish work, watch TV before retiring, watch TV in the morning, watch TV over the weekends and that is it – appears the TV is my Bobo Doll. And what on TV – the stupid, irritating reality shows, beaten up and repetitive news, talk shows on which film star is dating whom, what is the current fashion statement, stand-ups that endlessly ridicule the system, the people and almost everything else in this world.

Sometimes, it makes me wonder if you had a purpose in mind when you bought me in your creation. Where God, where have the good days all gone? Is this what it means to grow up, to be mature – that you sacrifice the little joys, the excitement, and the content in life? That you give up on friends, those bus rides (on footboard!!), the visits to the parks, the movies – is that what it takes to be known as a “successfully settled boy” in society?

I know a lost hour is a lost hour – it never comes back. However, I earnestly want to start afresh – get out of this everyday “rat-race”, run-of-the-mill issues/concerns at work, mundane Mondays and absolutely insipid, drab folks to deal with.

I want to start simple, enjoy little moments of happiness, give to the society, spend time with you, talk to you, have a loyal set of friends to enjoy evenings with and come back home to a nice, quiet drink before retiring.

Dear God, some of my friends think that that way of life is too idealistic, too hard to live. I can’t believe I thought the same way about all the luxuries I enjoy (materialistic, really!) today. So tell me God is a simpler life too much to ask for?

I’ll sign off today with a few lines from one of my favorite songs…

So baby, let’s sell your diamond rings,
Buy some boots and faded jeans,
And go away….
This coat and tie is choking me, in your high society,
You cry all day…
We’ve been so busy keepin’ up with the Jones,
Four car garage and we’re still building homes,
Maybe it’s time; we got back to the basics of love….