Long time has passed, since I had written my last post. Was it during the time of dinosaurs? I don’t remember exactly. Reason is , I write only when something comes naturally to me. Not to forget the other advantage; that if I write more you will read less!

Recently, I noticed that people around me get unhappy very easily. Sometimes I feel that they don’t even need a reason to be unhappy. Unhappiness has taken over their lives. It has become a kind of obsession for them. To give a better understanding, I list few examples. One man I know keeps on opposing someone just because he has been doing so since a long time and now it has become inherent to him. Similarly another friend of mine has developed certain paranoia against a particular community and treats everyone as a devil in it. In contrast, I have another friend, who time and again keeps on blasting his own, as intolerant and prejudiced. This blog is all about such people. Why are they slaves of their own opinions and ideas? Can these ideas not be changed, once they have been formed?

I have noticed people taking a side in ideology and getting obsessed to it. They keep on adhering themselves to a single idea and go on opposing anything which comes in contradiction to it. The early opinions are formed and the adhesion continues till the end of their lives. This imbibes stubbornness in their thinking and creates a sense of unease and discontentment leading to overall decrease in their happiness index.

During these times, life is not easy and the hardships we face are unknowingly training us to look at the things in a single perspective. Most of the time, It is the dimension that suits us the most. It is the perspective which has been embedded in us by our family, our upbringing and our present surroundings. I am talking about the predators of humanity existing within the human self. It is about the division, it is about our difference and the most important aspect of all, it is about our intolerance for a particular idea which does not match ours.

The problem is that we associate all miseries in life with the decision making capabilities of our opinion- adversary. The idea of blaming comes very easily and our tendency to justify our actions and our ideology seems as a normal and an easier reaction, against the responsibility of accepting our wrongdoings and mistakes.

Today what we need is a more happy life for each and every individual on the planet. Bigotry is never going to make anyone happy and certainly not you. Especially the bigotry which is present in your opinion. So don’t be a slave of your own perceptions. Look for the ‘positive’ and make that ‘positive’ a reason for your higher happiness index. At the end of it all, when you close your eyes forever, this happiness will be the thing which will matter to you the most.

Most of the times we see the black and the white. In simpler terms ‘the good’ or ‘the bad’. The black and white don’t exist, neither scientifically nor logically. Look for grey, because that is the colour in abundance.

How do I know this? Am I great enough to peep into the minds of people and read them? Certainly not. It is the interaction with the person or the reflection in the electronic media which unveils the innermost thoughts to anybody who is looking for it. And I am one of those, who glides over your spoken comments, your written messages and try to peep inside you, searching for your true self. This voyeuristic nature of mine is not unique; in fact it is in all.

So next time when you come across someone or some entity like political party, or a religion whom you hate or in lesser terms ‘don’t like’ then simply don’t discard it, try to adjust or adapt or simply neglect their perspective in the new situation. Don’t let this affect your personal mental well-being. Never support or oppose a person, a religion, a country or a political party, instead support or oppose the idea which germinates in these entities. Again remember the basic ‘idea’ never remains constant, it is very dynamic. It just keeps on changing as per the equations in relationships. So don’t base your relationships and your general perception on these ideas. After some time the idea will change and so your perception should change too.

To sum up all, value your own life and take it easily. Learn to fight your own demons. The demons of bigotry and superlative complex in you. Live a day at a time, with the dual purpose of fulfilling your responsibilities and to raise your happiness index. Don’t stop living your life and certainly don’t sacrifice your personal happiness on the altar of your ideologies. Take care, be happy and stay healthy. Remember it’s corona time….