Goofyspeak

Years have passed, yet I cannot forget the poem I read in my 7th grade. Back then, it held only academic significance, aimed at affecting my grades. Subconsciously, it deeply touched my mind, body, and soul. Now, with a 3-year-old child and having lost my father at 62, its relevance has dawned on me. As my father lay on his deathbed, my child's visits sparked a twinkle in his eyes, an innocence matching that in my child's gaze, both unaware of life's impermanence. In his final days, my father became as frail and vulnerable as an infant, signalling the last of man's seven ages. I, too, am traversing these stages, anticipating the transitions that complete life's full circle.

Life is akin to a 100-meter sprint; it's brief, so let's make it sweet. When you think about it, what's so serious about life? Whether it's the seven ages of man or our Hindu philosophy of ashramas, the journey is swift and decisive. Life has its own design, with the beginning and the end being remarkably similar, like two ends of a rope. You are born a child and die almost as one. You arrive with nothing and leave with nothing for your final destination. Yet, everyone must play their part in this rope trick—let life ascend to its highest level. It's not about money or fame. It's about being a good son, daughter, father, mother, friend, brother, sister... What's more pleasurable than being with your loved ones, sharing joy, laughter, sorrows, and even money and fame? Home is where the heart is, and my heart is with those I love. What use is money and fame if it can't be shared with them? This rope is uneven, filled with knots that must be untied together...

What I feel about myself isn't necessarily how you would feel about me. Who I truly am is a completely different question. I was astonished when an associate remarked that I have an attitude. An attitude, me? Upon further introspection, I realized it might be true. Attitude is open to various interpretations, which lead to perceptions. My sense of independence, liberation, and freedom is an expression of my self-belief. If this is perceived as attitude, then it's merely a perception. Ultimately, you are the game changer. You make decisions and are responsible for them. The world will perceive you in its own unique ways. The bottom line is who you are and what you aspire to be. If you aim to be good in life and feel you're not there yet, it's all about your self-perception, which manifests as your attitude in the real world. Drawing from Neo's experience in The Matrix, if you can decipher the codes, you can reach a level where your aspirations and reality merge. You ...

For nearly a decade, I resided in what one might call a Utopian realm, if such a place truly exists... where people cherished virtue, where perfection was the norm, where speaking the truth was a sign of strength, where candor was celebrated, where honesty earned rewards, where humility was honored, where kindness was expected, where humanity was the only faith, where integrity was esteemed, where ethics ran deep in our veins, where life was about generosity, where friendship meant sharing, where love was abundant and free, where every citizen was kin, where words like war, enemy, and hatred were absent from our vocabulary... This is where I lived for nine years... until I awoke to a world that taught me survival of the fittest... and so, I emerged from my slumber.