When your cat doesn't want you to leave

The Dilemma of an Expat

It had been a difficult decision to leave everyone and everything behind. 

But he had no other option. 

He had enough of all the negativities surrounding him. 

A broken city with a dilapidated system. 

A city that had left all the memories of progress far behind. 

A city in a hurry to go back in time whilst every one hastened to pick up the pieces. Before it was gone. Everyone seems to be rushing in different directions. 

And on top of all that, every other person here seems to be angry. Like you were responsible for their misery. 

Peace was a truly a luxury. A luxury that no one seemed to be able to afford. 

It was frustrating, extremely frustrating. 

The sense of helplessness that wraps you in its arm and then, drowns you in your own sorrows.

True, he had his family here in the same city. But they were not immune from the curse. They were affected, just like him, just like everyone else. 

Sometimes he wondered what kept everyone from tearing apart each other. Was it religion, the spirit of human nature, the good deeds of a few? 

What?

He had been dreaming of running away for a long time. A long time. He had been just waiting for the right time. 

And when the time came, he left everything behind. Just like that. And went away.

Struggles of an Introvert

“Solitude matters, and for some people, it's the air they breathe” 

― Susan Cain 

What people don't realize is that introverts find engagement in the smallest of life experiences. They don't need to be surrounded by a crowd. They don't want to go out just for the sake of going out. They simply do not crave the spot light. Their loyalties, mostly, lie with themselves and this can be the biggest trouble spot. 

They are content with themselves and may very well, end up offending others with their apparent lack of interest or disregard. Hence, a conscious  effort is required on their part in order to ensure that they don't end up neglecting others or worse, being the party poppers. 

Therefore, for the sake of courtesy, they have to comply with decisions that may not seem to be optimal to them. And don't get me wrong. Most times, the outcome of these decisions will turn out to be quite memorable, one way or the another. In fact, these are essential to force the introverts out of their comfort zone. On the flip side, being surrounded by people for too long ends up draining them mentally.  They can very easily go home thinking, "oh man, I totally wasted my day. No way am I doing this again. I hope I am able to salvage the day, somehow".

It is a double-edged sword for sure. You can't live without it while can't having too much of it, either.

However, from another perspective, the fact that it matters little what the other person is doing can be quite blissful. The introverts end up focusing on themselves and treating them as their own competition. In this way, they can filter out the noise of the world and truly excel. 

But, on the flip side, their self-content can work against them here. If they just don't see themselves as lacking somewhere, they will not make an effort to move forward. In extreme cases, they will even fail to remedy an ill, even when it is glaringly obvious to everyone around them.

Therefore,  it is crucial that introverts do not confine themselves in a bubble. They do need the occasional reality check and for that, they need the outside world to drag them out of their comfort zone.

Oh, it is not easy being an introvert. You have to walk a tightrope, wherein it is critical to keep the balance in order to keep your sanity intact.

It is not the critic who counts

It is not the critic who counts; 

not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, 
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, 
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly;
who errs, who comes short again and again, 
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; 

but who does actually strive to do the deeds; 
who knows great enthusiasms, 
the great devotions; 
who spends himself in a worthy cause; 

who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, 
and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, 
so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls 
who neither know victory nor defeat.

 (April 23, 1910, Citizenship In A Republic speech)

When one teaches, two learn. One more than the other!

At times, I wonder.

I wonder about the things that have conspired to bring me at this stage in life;
my mistakes haunt me, and the lost opportunities taunt me.

And I wonder.

Was it all worth it?

I think about this over and over again. Second guessing all my decisions.
There are days when I look down upon me with such disdain. And other times, I can't help but wonder what did I do to deserve all these blessings in life?

However, despite everything, one thing remains crystal clear in all the madness.

Life is not worth living for yourself.

All the money, gadgets, instant gratifications; they don't mean much after the moment has passed by.

The true happiness. The moments you look back and smile upon are the one where you have reached beyond yourself and made the world a little better place for someone. This is the time in your life when you actually did something worthwhile, when you really mattered.

It was during this moment that you were the world to someone. Not the romantic dialogue. You literally pushed a person out of apathy and ignited the spark within him/her. You gave that person belief. You restored the faith.

That person still thinks about that moment a lot and each time, that person feels an intense gratefulness towards you.

This was not a fleeting moment. This was an investment in time.
And the best thing is that you can make it perpetual.

How?

Teach a thing of value to someone. Firstly, you will learn much more than the person that you are actually trying to teach. Secondly, that person will forever be indebted to you, whether he/she admits it or not. Furthermore, each time that knowledge is passed on, you will be a reason that the world became a little better.

Plunge further down this road and you will realize that in essence is all a trickle down effect. Someone taught you the same thing that you went on to teach. So on and so forth.