NetSujit World

Recently after hanging out with a friend they turned to me and said “thanks for hanging out.” Which is a seemingly harmless statement, which, for some reason, provoked a firework display of thoughts in my brain. The main thing it reminded me of was of myself a year ago when I said that very same phrase to a friend. Her response was quite enlightening: “Sujit, you know you shouldn’t have to thank me each time we hang out, I hang out with you because I want to not because I have to.”

I could just over thinking this comment, but after this response I have stopped thanking people for hanging out with me. Yet, should we thank people for hanging out? They are taking their time, energy and often resources to invest time in our lives. Is this “thank you” just an implied non-verbal thing that we never say but we should assume people are saying to us? Shouldn’t we show gratitude for the people we have in your lives?

I may just be bias as I think that we have become an over grateful society. Apologizes and thanks run so rapid they seem to mean nothing. I am thankful for each and everyone of my friends if I say it or not. The key is finding the balance between fake and genuine .

This poem doesn’t rhyme
This song is out of tune
And this story won’t ever be published

Sometimes it doesn’t need to rhyme to be said
Sometimes it doesn’t need to be on tune to be heard
And sometimes it doesn’t need to be published to be true

Maybe it doesn’t need to rhyme
Maybe it doesn’t need to be in harmony
And maybe it doesn’t need to be punctuated perfectly

Say the words as they are meant to be spoken
Listen to the music as it is
And read the words as they are written

My poem will still be written
My song will still be sung
And my story will still be told

As I was walking through a mall today (07/06/09),  I saw and heard something that took me by surprise. Maybe this was something that shouldn’t have taken me by surprise. Perhaps I’m just over reacting. Then again, maybe I’m right.

Of course, now you’re probably thinking to yourself “what did he see?” Well I saw a young girl (probably 4-6) walking through and entering the automatic sliding door as I was exiting and as the door opened she said “thank you door.” I smiled and sort of laughed at this looking at the gentleman she was with who simply gave me a slight smile like I was crazy and we all went on our ways.

If you are like me you like to take things for granted, we live in a society where everything is fast, fast food, fast news, and fast communication. I often forget to “slow down and smell the roses.” It’s funny how often time it’s the children that we turn to when we need to be reminded of life’s little lessons.

In our society, especially among the younger generation,  it is very common to be greeted with a “how are you?” This has to be one of my biggest startup points. I think it has to do with the fact that 95.7% of the time when people ask me how I am, all they are doing is just asking… hoping I’ll respond with a “I’m good, thanks”. I can’t help to think to myself though…. why do we say we are good, fine, great, or ekdum mast, rapchik, bas chal raha hai. Instead why don’t we tell the truth. Now, maybe the truth is you are fine but i suppose maybe it’s my want for more information that makes me wonder WHY are you fine, WHAT makes you good. What i always wonder is that y dont people answer to that question honestly… and in another dimension, why I am unable to answer that question honestly? And for this very reason, i have decided not to use this phrase frequently. Wait… not just frequently, I am taking an oath not to use this phrase anymore to anyone or with anyone.

So How are you?

Lost.

lost in my thoughts.

Confused.

confused about my desires.

Selfish.

Selfish for what I want.

Lonely.

lonely in this world.

We all want to be heard,

But no one wants to listen.

We all want respect,

But don’t want to respect others.

We all want to be loved,

But don’t want to love.

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As soft winds sweep away the days
I look back on life through a haze.
Remembering the playgrounds, parks and friends,
In childlike gaze that never ends.
The laughter in a game of cricket match,
Will remain the memory ever attach…
To innocence in youthful eyes,
Catching the ball to his surprise.

I recall my first cycle, and first wreck,
Who picked me up, said, “What the heck?”
He convinced me to give one more try,
While knees skinned, I forgot to cry.
With just the joy knowing he was there,
Making him proud was my only care.
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For those of you who don’t know, I take the bus pretty much everywhere I go. In Mumbai, buses is kind of the cheapest mode of transportation. Am a student and i do need to conserve money so that i can spend it somewhere else. Meaning, I spend a lot of my time with sweaty, smelly, intoxicated, old, interesting and otherwise weird  people, but I’m not going to talk about that. I am however going to talk about a certain incident on a bus ride to college someday, that i remembered now, that really opened my eyes to the way I view the world and the kind of person I am.

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Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about one of life’s little mysteries. Why is it the less you talk to someone the less you have to talk about? This also seems to be true for friends, family members, co-workers pretty much everyone I have in my life. I feel that it’s the day-to-day interactions that bring people together, without these we seem to have superficial conversations. This isn’t to say that the love and care doesn’t exist, however, often times the commonalities in life that are often the topic of conversation seem to be what’s missing .

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