On my own

Standing on your own feet and tasting the fruits of your labour is the most cherished aspiration of human life. It would surely be an ecstatic moment when the emptiness of solitude will be replaced by the fulfilment of achievement. I am also desperate to proclaim that I exist in this world “on my own.” Oh! What a joy would it be to feel self-dependent! Flight of thoughts would take-off in form of actions. I will be able to paint the canvas of this world with my own colours. A life lived below its potential is nothing less than a sin, even if it is materially fulfilling.

Boundless possibilities exist for each one of us in this enormous scheme of existence. Uniqueness must guide us, but we often fall prey to the security of homogeneity. We wish to make our lives safe and secure by taking refuge in uniformity of actions and existence. We forget that diversity is the innate characteristic of nature. Why can’t we be guided by mutualism rather than competition? It is not wrong to become a climber if you cannot become an imposing tree!

Normalcy is not when you follow others senselessly. Normalcy is being yourself. Why can’t I be myself in my own way without replicating deeds of yore? As a society, why do we nip every possibility in the bud itself by questioning rather than nurturing instinctive queries of the mind? Especially for Allahabadis who have seen Ganges flow for centuries, who have inherited the way of life more as a meme than genetic inheritance, nothing but the flow of life must inspire their actions. Anything that causes stagnation must not hold sway in the free air of Allahabad that flows over that majestic river. How can anyone not be moved by the beauty of the glimmering Ganges in the moonlight! Not all moonwalks need to be imported to be enjoyed. We can create our own moonwalks- pristine and anodyne.

I want to be on my own not because I have anything to prove to this world. I wish to be on my own so that I can live the essence of the city that lives and shall keep on living within me. I want to feel that exuberance of inclusive love which is capable of soothing the invisible wounds of the consumerist souls that we all have inadvertently turned out to be. The water of Ganges has been available for all for centuries. Why should I confine myself within me or those in my milieu only? There is a possibility of endless expression in each and every individual. Let us enable each other in such a manner that nondescript becomes a non-entity.

There is only one way of celebrating life and that is living a life full of contentment. That is possible only when each and every person will realise her worth and swear that  I shall, henceforth, live my life “on my own!”

– Prashant