my.world.com
Thirty.
There, I threw a number at you. Tell me what is the first thing you thought of - honestly.
Thirty is the age at which you start to look back upon the years - for it is just now that you have accumulated enough years to look back upon. This is also when you start to think just a little bit more about the implications of your actions - for there's a sudden realization that those implications affect more than your own personal atmosphere. But more than anything else, this is the age that makes you noticeably humbler for the first time.
Growing up in India taught me how to dream. There are the movie stars and socialites with their glamorous lives, the people in the papers who have been newsmakers overseas, relatives who I never saw but heard of as having broken past the strata of that society to the land of promise. You look at them and you dream of the perfect world that can be yours.
Ten years ago, as I stepped out of student life into the professional world, there were possibilities. There were goals to set, goals to achieve and no time to rest. Nothing was impossible. There was the world to conquer.
I have nothing to complain of the goals that I set, the goals that I achieved and the piece of the world that I conquered (okay, so maybe all I conquered is 1140 square feet with an 80% backing from a bank, but I'm sure that's my fair share). But now, I can't help but feel a bit of humility at the vastness of this world, and all that it offers that's much beyond the goals and targets that eclipse our vision. There's still so much more to see, so much more to experience, and so much more to own.
Living in America has taught me the significance of chasing your dreams. Your life is what you, and mostly you, make of it. Turning thirty, however, has taught me that one must dream in order to live well, but one cannot live a dream forever.
I think I've beaten this dream analogy to death, so let me just come out and say what I want to say. I've realized (it's about time) that for many of us, there's probably no perfect world, no wonderland - that we need to dream of, and slowly build, our own Utopia.
So I'm building my vision of a perfect world. In that world, I have ocean beaches, wide roads and environment friendly BMWs. I have people who smile at you when they make eye contact, open the door for you at a grocery store, but most of all, people who trust other people. I have casinos with free shows, malls with valet parking, and parks with public tennis courts.
I also have milk without hormones, cheap delicious junk food that my taste buds like, maid service seven days a week and twenty channels of my choice on TV. I have courts that handle criminals efficiently and people who don't sue other people for normal human interaction. I have clean streets, schools, libraries, and medical services for all to use.
Most of all, I have family and friends with whom I can relive the past and build a future.
What world do you dream of?
There, I threw a number at you. Tell me what is the first thing you thought of - honestly.
Thirty is the age at which you start to look back upon the years - for it is just now that you have accumulated enough years to look back upon. This is also when you start to think just a little bit more about the implications of your actions - for there's a sudden realization that those implications affect more than your own personal atmosphere. But more than anything else, this is the age that makes you noticeably humbler for the first time.
Growing up in India taught me how to dream. There are the movie stars and socialites with their glamorous lives, the people in the papers who have been newsmakers overseas, relatives who I never saw but heard of as having broken past the strata of that society to the land of promise. You look at them and you dream of the perfect world that can be yours.
Ten years ago, as I stepped out of student life into the professional world, there were possibilities. There were goals to set, goals to achieve and no time to rest. Nothing was impossible. There was the world to conquer.
I have nothing to complain of the goals that I set, the goals that I achieved and the piece of the world that I conquered (okay, so maybe all I conquered is 1140 square feet with an 80% backing from a bank, but I'm sure that's my fair share). But now, I can't help but feel a bit of humility at the vastness of this world, and all that it offers that's much beyond the goals and targets that eclipse our vision. There's still so much more to see, so much more to experience, and so much more to own.
Living in America has taught me the significance of chasing your dreams. Your life is what you, and mostly you, make of it. Turning thirty, however, has taught me that one must dream in order to live well, but one cannot live a dream forever.
I think I've beaten this dream analogy to death, so let me just come out and say what I want to say. I've realized (it's about time) that for many of us, there's probably no perfect world, no wonderland - that we need to dream of, and slowly build, our own Utopia.
So I'm building my vision of a perfect world. In that world, I have ocean beaches, wide roads and environment friendly BMWs. I have people who smile at you when they make eye contact, open the door for you at a grocery store, but most of all, people who trust other people. I have casinos with free shows, malls with valet parking, and parks with public tennis courts.
I also have milk without hormones, cheap delicious junk food that my taste buds like, maid service seven days a week and twenty channels of my choice on TV. I have courts that handle criminals efficiently and people who don't sue other people for normal human interaction. I have clean streets, schools, libraries, and medical services for all to use.
Most of all, I have family and friends with whom I can relive the past and build a future.
What world do you dream of?
posted by Anurag Batra at 4:31 PM
1 Comments:
Come see.
http://whitebuffalowomangoessinging.blogspot.com/
You may find your world in mine...
One of my best friends comes from India.
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