Breaking Free

* Caution- Some parts of this blog post contain explicit and obscene language unsuitable for females and readers of age below 16. Please think before you start reading the blog post.

                Hello all, I am sure everyone is excited about upcoming Diwali vacations. For my pals @ DDU (DDIT), it’s almost a week since we’re enjoying our holidays. It has been quite a while since I’ve made a blog post. 3^rd semester had been worse than I expected it to be. It posed enough hurdles in my way, not giving me a room to write something. But with vacations on and some provoking issues grappling my attention, I am here sharing one. There is a lot of nuisance around, peace lacks in abundance. Inspite of being free individuals, we aren’t free. There used to be a time when the Indian society was stuck in a stigma called “Samaaj”. The targets of this samaaj were middle aged or old citizens. Now in the 21^st century with lot of modernization just round the corner, people believe this stigma to have been eradicated, but that’s certainly not the case. The stigma is still alive with a new form and new targets. This time the targets are “youngsters/collegians/teenagers” and you name the stigma as “Peer Pressure”. Read ahead as I elaborate.

Being Cool?? Definitely NOT!

                Every collegian wants be “COOL” today. The problem with today’s youth is they don’t actually understand what is cool and what is not. That is where we lose productivity. Today’s youth defines Drinking, Smoking, Drugs, Hookah, Sex, Hurling Abuses, etc. as a few activities which the so called “COOL” people do. But the fact is these are some activities losers resort to. There are people ditched by their girlfriends/boyfriends, there are people who score low academically or rather fail, ridiculed by parents they resort to nuisances as such just to prove that they aren’t losers. But the fact doesn’t change. Had it been so, every guy could be Ranbir Kapoor and every girl could be Katrina Kaif by just drinking or smoking. Your being a teenager neither gives a licence to drink or smoke nor does it imply a rule on you for mandatorily drinking/smoking else you will be thrown out of the category “Youth”. I don’t have a problem with a group of people who drink or smoke, they die of smoking and consuming alcohol I don’t care a damn. But I’ve a problem with their hampering peace in other’s life. What some people have to say is “I am cool and you’re not. I have done some of the coolest things in life. I’ve drunk, I’ve smoked …” There are stubborn people like me who don’t succumb to this pseudo definition of coolness, but what about the rest? Just to show that they’re cool enough, they start drinking and smoking. Now the question which I have to ask to people is, today so called cool ones DRINK and SMOKE, tomorrow after losing they will hang themselves. Will you too hang yourself, just to prove that you’re cool?? Don’t answer me, answer yourself.

                For the time being they do stand out as cool amongst a group of people, but they lose their coolness of lifetime. Why don’t people understand that being your original-self is the COOLEST thing on earth? Why the hell try to imitate some jerks just for the sake of being termed as “COOL” by those who aren’t cool themselves? Be it within or out of limits, smoking and drinking isn’t cool at all people. Why put a permanent blot on your character by doing that? This blot on your character cannot be blanched by any level of exalted stature in academics or finances, once the damage is done, it’s irreparable.  You stand out COOL when you’re different. And you’re different when you’re original. People respect the ORIGINALS and not the ones CREATED. The moment you realize your original self, you’re cool.

Peer Pressure – “Main Apple Tu Windows, Main Andriod Tu Symbian”

                Peer Pressure (Gujarati: “Dekha Dekhi”) exists in various forms. I don’t know about other streams, but I will talk about very evident and prevalent form of Peer Pressure in our Science and Engineering stream. Being an Engineering student that too a Computer Engineering student, I’ve been a part of various debates (amongst friends and class mates) pertaining to OS, Technology, gadgets etc. I’ve seen number of guys disrespected, bashed, pulled down, ridiculed and rendered servile just because they aren’t fans of Late Mr Steve Jobs but Bill Gates, just because they use Nokia phones (working on Symbian) and not an Android. Because somebody follows Late Steve Jobs and not Mr Gates means that he’s cool? Just because somebody finds a Nokia phone apt for him and not an Android means he’s not cool?

Let me tell such peers, everybody has an opinion. If you don’t have the manners to raise somebody, you don’t possess the moral right to prove somebody inferior. Though Late Steve Jobs have been the greatest man on the planet, I don’t differ to this, but saying that Mr Gates is nothing isn’t legitimate. You get a right to comment on somebody only when you reach or surpass his stature. First at least make an iota of what Mr Gates or Late Mr Steve Jobs did and then clinch the right to comment on them. Also let me tell peers and bullies, not everyone has the financial freedom to experience an IPhone working on iOS or a Samsung working on Android. People will share their opinion to what they’ve seen. If they’ve just seen a Nokia working on a Symbian, there’s nothing wrong in it. Why ridicule them? Just because they couldn’t afford an IPhone or Android? If you want everybody to harp in your tune, provide them some bucks to buy MAC, IPhone and Androids. (Am sure you don’t have enough, do you?)

And to people who are the victims of peer pressure, I’ve just tell one thing to them. Your appreciating an IPhone or any apple product doesn’t make you a Techno Savvy. What will raise you in people’s eyes will be your knowledge, your originality and your character. Respect everybody and respect everything, have an open mind, be original and you will find people applauding for you lifelong.

“Chutyapatti nahi Bakchodi bol. Fucking lagaya ke nahi word ke Aage?”

                Another thing which you find youngsters doing too often is hurling abuses for no reason. Unless they address somebody as “Chutya” or “Loda” they feel they won’t get salvation. And saying a “Fucking” before anything is today’s latest trend. If you don’t do all this you aren’t cool, say the peers and bullies. And one more thing even more astonishing is finding out new abuses, the more new abuses you use the cooler you stand. This is not only the case in other colleges, but this is something which happens in my college too and is grieving. Recently I came across a FB Page titled “Bakchodi” (again an abuse). People find it cool putting a “Like” on such pages. And wait, this isn’t restricted to just a “Like”, but they even spread the new abuse “Bakchodi. And it’s heard that people who previously said “Kya chutyapatti hai?” now say “Kya bakchodi hai?” Instead on cutting down on abuses (considered a bad civic manner I guess), they actually keep it thriving! Also peers say that using a “Fucking” before a word is cool, you’re modern, in tune with the world if you do that. Oh is it? So like even before a good , you hear “It’s fucking good”. Now what kind of a statement is this? If something is good, it cannot fuck you for sure. If something fucks you, you obviously would not want to call it fucking unless you’re a gigolo or a whore or may be both. So think before you use “Fucking” the next time. (I’m sure you would not want yourself fucked by something/somebody).

                Bottom line to my readers is, if the so called “COOL” people use abuses, it’s not mandatory for you to do so. They’re just devastating their repute by doing so. Am sure you love your repute a lot and wouldn’t want it to be rendered.

Summing it up:

                All said and done regarding Peer Pressure will be less. It’s immense around and will take a lot to be eradicated. Today if the target is somebody else, if today somebody else is shown a “Low Figure”, if somebody else is bashed today, it can be you too tomorrow. It requires you as a responsible youth to take an initiative for your fellow brethren and their moral respect. Oppose peers and their pressure and liberate yourself from being somebody else. You’re a free individual and therefore you possess the full right to enjoy freedom, both physically and mentally. To all readers reading this, let me request you sincerely- Please don’t be in a race to be cool. You gain absolutely nothing by that. You gain hatred of the ones whom you disrespect; you gain disappointment of you parents when they hear you’ve drunk or smoked and last but not the least a permanent blot on your clean character that you possessed once upon a time.

                Always remember, being original is the real coolness. Let the world go to hell. If you’re original you’re cool. You’re cool to God and cool to your Parents and that’s what matters the most. Let the peers go to hell. Also remember you don’t raise your social position or knowledge when you show somebody “low” in public or disrespect him. The word of God says “You raise yourself when you raise somebody else”. Spread smile, make people feel good about themselves, respect their opinion (not because they’re right or wrong, but because they’re equally special to God as you are) and you will be really cool!

Love & Regards,

Anish.

P.S.- If anybody reading this feels that the blog post targets him/her, it’s not so. As I wrote in the concluding lines, I believe in respecting everybody and nobody is an exception. If you feel the blog post targets you, you might have been a peer. Please take it as a humble request from me and be gentle and humble.