If Nature could talk

    With eyes closed I asked her, what do you think nature is?

She innocently closed her eyes, smiled and said, “Nature is green plants, birds in the sky and fish in the sea. That’s nature.”

“Do you really think that’s all I am?” I asked the girl curiously.

“You’re Nature?” she asked me with wide eyes.

“Of course, I am” I replied immediately.

    I always find it pretty funny when people print out labels on products claiming how ‘natural’ its ingredients are. What is unnatural really? Is there anything without me? Oh, you humans amuse me!

    People are very narrow-minded of my forms…as if I’m there in one and not in the other.

I am everything.

I am the roaring sea and the shining thunder skies. I am the quiet morning dawn and dew. I am in every birth and in every death fading into the earth. I am the chirping birds in the sky and the bubbling fishes in the sea & rivers. I am the bright warm sunshine…I am the cold depths of the ocean. I am the chaotic company of animals and the solitary nothingness of outer space. Everything you know, experience and possess is mine and you too are part of my existence. I am the universe and the universe is alive in me.

I am both death and life. I nurture and destroy…but really…who can destroy me? I am immortal, neither did you create me, nor can truly destroy me. But I can destroy you quite easily…Storms, droughts, floods, earthquakes, tornado, diseases and erupting volcanoes are some of the many weapons under my sleeve. I have more from where that came from.

Life progresses towards death. And then, from death begins new life.  That’s the circle of life that I orchestrate…and I assure you, from my view, it’s a beautiful medley.

    I will admit that humans are strange animals, never quite came across a species like it. Humans, so full of pride, fail to understand that I’m too complicated to comprehend and too strong & smart to be manipulated forever. Remember? There always has to be a balance. But your feeble and short human lifespans fail to grasp the vastness of the complexities you wish to tamper with, and thus, you’ll continuously suffer as I, time and again, try to bring about a balance in me.

    When I brought out the recent pandemic, humans stayed home and watched me take over their localities.  They looked out of their windows and imagined how beautiful this world would be without them, they wished for that world without their species. I found that strange. I sensed a sort of self-hatred in humans. They think they can’t be part of the beauty because they’re currently struggling to find a good co-existence of their species and the rest of nature. I am Nature and I realize that humans too are part of me.  

Humans are powerful and intelligent, but they should be humble enough to be at peace with not knowing everything to the degree I know myself. For its only with humility that one can learn.

Our co-existence is possible…don’t you believe it?

I looked down at the young girl near me, looking at me in awe of all that I have said. I picked her up and showed her the vastness of my existence.

    When she finally found the words to speak, she said, “You’re beautiful, Mother Nature. Can I be your friend?”

“You already are my friend, your species had just been a bad friend to me so far.”

She looked down in sorrow for a minute then looked back up at me again. She fumbled on her words when she tried to speak, but finally said the words I was looking for in every creature since the beginning of time, “I promise to do better, Mother Nature, I promise I’ll be a better friend to you.”

Just then, I remembered of all the humans who devoted their lives and energies into protecting me and the thin balance of everything. They too were my friends.

And so, we walked together hand in hand to tomorrow. We walked and talked. I told her stories of the lives that had taken shapes and forms through me. She enjoyed my company and I could say the same for her as well. Humans are strange feeble creatures who amuse me. I am fond of them. We walked into a better world where you and I were good friends to each other.

Originally posted on Syllable Soup's blog of St. Andrews College as the winning entry (1st Place) of the 2020 Creative Writing Competition.

Edited by Pearl Fernandes on the 31st, August, 2021

Changing the recipe for your life

Cooking is such a big deal and also not, at the same time. The act of eating and bringing people together motivates us to do it. We sit around the T.V. and watch shows based on it while we eat our meals...the food entertainment industry continues to fuel our addiction. And our addiction is fueled by our biological need to live and maintain our body. It doesn't even matter where you are....at any given point in time, the culture of food is a rich one and it indulges everyone who dared to partake in it. 

My own cooking journey has taken me to many situations. And no, I'm not saying this as a professional chef (cause obviously, I'm not). I'm just saying this as an ordinary non-celeb person who has had numerous experiences related to cooking. 

It all started as a child when I used to help my mother in the kitchen....cutting vegetables and fruits. Like most people, the first complete dish I made was instant noodles. Then this progressed into me trying out random dishes and enjoying the gamble of whether it would end up in something delicious or a disaster. Then I had a small break from it after a discouraging comment saying it was my duty to learn how to cook since I'm a girl. But now, I go back in the kitchen to make something new, motivated with the rumblings of my tummy and my curiosity to experiment. I've tried many dishes over the summers, this eternal lock-down and during times of random outbursts of inspiration. I've cooked with my family and friends....Especially my sister and mom during this lock down. It's a great way to bond and spend time with someone. 

I personally love the philosophy of lazy cooking. Doing the least amount of effort for making great food. 

Cooking is essentially edible chemistry. You mix things together, heat or cool it and create something amazing; that you can eat (hopefully) unlike traditional chemistry. The process can take over your senses, like an artist painting their masterpiece. The world just slips back and falls away...and it's just you, your ingredients, your cooking devices and the recipe. 

I act like a total pro when I cook. I read the recipe, evaluate what seems reasonable and what steps I can do without...add and subtract ingredients to my liking.....and use substitutes when there's an ingredient I don't have or can't buy in my country. 

Recently I realized how insightful the Indian way of cooking is, "To make do with the things you have." Of course, not everyone can improvise. But it's important to know when it is required, instead of running around 100+ stores searching for that one ingredient that could easily be substituted...Or crying in the corner, over not owning an oven. 

We all aren't born in the same place, with the same resources, tools and ingredients for our lives. We may have dreams of fine-dining dishes and expensive ingredients and equipment or...big dreams of success. But life doesn't always give us the things we most want from it. It's all so random. So rather than starving cause you can't get exactly what you want...why not improvise with the things you have? Substitute those ingredients for different ones at your disposal. It might be better than the mentioned ingredient in your recipe.

We read about the lives of others and expect the recipe to always stay the same. We push ourselves into rigid boxes and rules on how we too can achieve success. But the recipe to success is always changing. So.... Why not go out there and make your own?

Having a recipe to follow is a good guide. But food/taste preferences are so subjective. Hence, you need not frustrate yourself with the recipe, you need not live life to the standards and preferences of others...I don't care how famous they are. They are not going to sit and eat this dish you make...you are. They are not going to face the good or bad consequences of your life's decisions...you are. 

So make good decisions. Make your own dish...your own life. And to hell to anyone else who says otherwise. 

Looking back (on 2019)

It's obvious when a blogger doesn't blog as much that something is wrong.

Though, like my friends always say, most of my problems are internal, in my head. I haven't been writing cause of too many things going on, both in my head and in my life. (Yes, I know most of you'll too face this issue). But we all need to make time for the things we enjoy doing, even if there's no direct benefit.

My life is and has always been an emotional rollercoaster. I cry as often as I wholeheartedly laugh. I admit I have emotions and sometimes overindulge in them as I try to find out ways to get on with my life.

I like to put myself into crisis it seems. I like to overburden myself with plans, goals and deadlines. I like to push myself to breaking point. (And then it feels like I'm breaking apart)

But the past year, the last few....say 4 months, I've been taking it easy. Maybe I took it a little too easy.

I lost all motivation as my motivation was fueled by me being a big bully to myself. When I attempted to stop, I found that I couldn't do anything anymore. I cancelled plans, I extended deadlines. I went way past my comfort zone. I told myself it's ok. Slowly, I'm regaining my motivation by encouraging myself to be the best I can be.

I changed. There is no constant me however, that's what I learnt last year.

I also learnt the value of adjustment.

I learnt I take a lot of time to process events. I learnt that most of time when I go through a problem, I don't want solutions...I just want to be heard and seen. A lot of feelings I felt as a child, came back again, (with vengeance) and yes it was different...the situation, in health and mind...but I guess it's one of those moments where you feel helpless as a child and have to remind yourself that you're an adult now. I can make my own decisions now, I can use what I've learnt to think differently, to see life differently.

In the last few months I stopped regularly blogging, I would write a blogpost and then immediately reject  it & delete. Writing this blogpost too I've realised, that I'm not sure about a lot of things. I don't know if it will work for sure. If I use this rationale, nothing in life is for sure. 

Not everything that I became good at, I initially cared much about for the future. And yet, the things I just did, without any expectation, worked out so well. Whether it was music, friendships, journaling, drawing and so on....taking one big decision at a time, hoping for the best and being prepared for the worst has probably become my life's motto right now.

Balance is something so simple yet hard to achieve. The star sign I was born with depicted what I now aim for in my emotions and reasonings. 

A balance between self-love and constructive criticism of self is needed. A balance between always blaming yourself or others in a problem is needed. A balance between breaking irrational rules and following rational ones is needed. A balance between work, learning, social life and alone time is needed. A balance between emotion and rationality is needed.

I'm not sure what the future of 2020 holds for me. I don't know the fate of my blog either. But if I haven't already made my point clear (which I don't very often) it is that, life is unpredictable and I should accept that. Lots of changes have happened last year and will continue to happen this year, I hope the change is good as it always has been. I'm changing as I am learning. And I'm learning as I'm questioning.

I'll take a midnight walk into the dark depths of my insanity and realise, I've accepted the oblivion. And in accepting the darkness, it often times, turns into light. 

In Search for the Truth in religion

When I was thirteen I went through a phase in which I didn't believe in religion nor god. I had lots of questions and I wanted answers.
When I asked for an answer, no-one ever gave me one that completely cleared my doubts.

I'd be yelled at for asking those questions in the first place. I was encouraged to have blind faith in what my group told me to believe in.

But I was a rebellious kid. I kept questioning. My curious mind didn't leave me alone either. So I kept offending people with my questions.

People who listen and answer your questions without getting offended, are a gem. But I didn't find many of those. I love to sit down and chat respectfully regarding these things. Because I don't mind being wrong as long as you give me good reasons. 

I mostly found my answers via reading several related articles on the internet, reading the Bible for myself, researching for information on the history of Christianity and other world religions.
The key is to look for answers in both sides... Look for answers supporting your view and against your view... Then merge your findings to create a well-founded belief.

I do understand that uncomfortable feeling when we find a good argument against what we believe in.

The sentence hits you like a train. You've lived in the shadows for way too long. The sun is out now... The truth is....and you're avoiding it in the moment. You can't believe your eyes. You've forgotten what it feels like to be under the sun. The darkness is more comfortable, the darkness of ignorance and denial is. 

At times, reality is too hard of a pill to swallow. But still swallow it.... Still come out in the sun. It's alright here. It's perfectly alright. As the sun hits your skin, you feel more alive than you've ever felt before. The truth embraces you and you embrace the truth....go now, you've been made free.

There's a lot of opposing beliefs on religion out there. So go out and find the truth for yourselves. There's too many people telling too many people on what to believe in. Leaders are good. But you are the captain of your life... You should be in charge.
Researching about your beliefs only strengthens them if found to be true. And well, if it's a lie... Do you want to waste more of your time believing it? Do you want people to continue to take advantage of your ignorance?

I'm not saying believe in who or what I believe in. I'm telling you to go in search of the truth yourselves.

Besides, I don't have all the answers. My questions keep shaking my own faith and beliefs many a times still. Blind faith isn't great, knowledge is power. Knowledge is your superpower, not ignorance.

A perfect world

What if the world as you know it today....all the chaos, scandals, disasters and crime just suddenly disappear overnight?
Imagine that world of perfection. No more problems, the absolute definition of most people's perfect world... A happening reality.

Sounds beautiful, doesn't it?

But here's the flip side.... Would we be happy then? And does a perfect world ensure perfectly satisfied people? Would that finally calm our restless hearts?
 
Or would a perfect world be a problem by itself?

Does everything that we consider virtuous, beautiful and right.... Once achieved...actually produce everlasting happiness in people?

I love striving for perfection, most of us do, intentionally or unintentionally.
But if perfection was already achieved...What would our purpose on this planet be then?

Maybe we'd go into depression over not being able to improve human lives and the world.

Then again, achieving perfection in every respect is a just a dream, because as humans advance, we desire higher standards of perfection, from ourselves, others and what fate decides.

Maybe, just maybe, our problems give us reason enough to live, work and see them get solved. Our problems give us hope and purpose.

Us v/s Them

Growing up into the education system, I've come across many teachers and professors who have encouraged me to ask, think and reason everything around me that demands that I act, feel or think in a certain way.

I'm so grateful to know how to ask questions and to have the patience required to seek out their answers.

People have lots of ulterior motives for why they want to change the opinions of others....it could benefit them in ways indirectly...it would comfort their fears, destroy their enemies' reputation, give them a more followers, get themselves fame and fortunes....just if people stay gullible, passive and agreeable to just about anything that covers itself as the truth. 

I have fallen prey to many of such lies as a child and probably still have many of those lies floating around in my sub-conscious mind even today. 

But at least now I have a secret weapon which is not so secret...The gift of the Holy Spirit. And due to this, I'm certain that if there's any lie I believe right now, God will pull me out of it into the Truth. 

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." John 16:13 (NKJV)

Believing lies about myself, my community and other communities for so many years have had its damages. And I don't want anyone going through that dark sad road. 
Every time I've accepted a lie as the truth, it has always left me confused and restless.

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32 (NKJV)

"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." John 8:36 (NJKV) 

A major pattern I've seen in such lies is that they try to divide people into an "Us verses Them". Sometimes, even "Me verses Myself".

It's so easy to build walls, barriers and limit the happiness of this human life. But it takes courage and a sheer amount of confidence in what's right to tear down those boundaries.

Manipulative people thrive over ignorant ones. And as long as you're willing to go with someone else's beliefs without testing their validity, you're only going to live someone else's idea of a good life.... Not the real good life that's destined for you. 

Only you can set yourself free. 

Do not FORCE people

Now most of the time, people like us have the liberty of making the choices in our lives.  
But not always.

Cause sometimes (even as an adult), the people around you, make the choice for you, like as if you're incompetent to make good choices for yourself. 

I recently went through one such incident that made me feel so small and rubbish. And it's quite disheartening. 

There are many kinds of choices a person can choose. (obviously)
There is no "one particular choice" that can be generalized to work or be good for everyone.
"Good" and "bad" choices are so subjective.

And so when someone forces down a certain choice for me, I feel like telling them, "So you think I'm somehow incapable of making the right choice for myself? So you think that you have a say...a rightful say in my life? So you claim to know me and my life more than me? Go ahead, tell me how much you know about me, I'll tell you if you're even remotely close. Do you think you even know what you're doing in your life with the choices you made?"

People who make choices for others (who obviously can make their own choices) think they are super rational and righteous when they do so. 
Well in fact, that is the height of being irrational.

Because even when people take all the advice given to them, they also are bound to make the wrong choices at times. Taking everyone's advice doesn't make you immune to life's ups and downs. And what happens when you make bad choices? You learn from your mistakes.

I mean I get that you should be prudent with the way you utilize your time, money and efforts. But you can't expect to always be right, especially for other peoples lives when you're not asked for your advice. Thank you, but no thank you for your unsolicited advice.

And anyway, what's so wrong at being wrong sometimes? People should be given the liberty to choose...even to choose bad choices. 

There isn't any shame in taking responsibility for things that didn't work out.
And something I want to tell myself is, it's not your fault these controlling people are the way they are. They may have lost control in their own lives and they have learnt this maladaptive coping mechanism of forcing their "right" choices down other's throats. 

As kids, we were always pushed into doing and being things the way our elders or friends told us to. After some point in time, however, we need to be free from it.

Free to choose.

I'm not saying elders shouldn't protect their children from bad things that could cause them harm. But why must you shove unrealistic expectations for their future? their body? their significant other? their career? Especially when that person is an adult!

If a choice is really bad, they will find it themselves. Respect and believe in people's decision-making skills. A person will properly weigh the risk-factors of their choices themselves. 
You're not the only smart person here on this planet. And chances are, what worked for you or for someone you heard about, won't work for them. Do you really want to be the cause for someone's unhappiness that much? I don't think so.  

Gyaan from an Uber driver

Certainly not what I expected on an Uber ride...


I normally listen to music on my headphones on drives like these because I don't think I'd have anything worth saying on the ride...and I don't think the driver would have anything worth listening to. 
But this driver was different.
I was surprised by the wisdom with which he spoke to us. The guy was so wise and had such an interesting perspective towards life and people that I couldn't help but listen.
It was more of a lecture in the Philosophy of life than a regular Uber ride. 

He spoke about how freedom of the mind is true freedom. It's the freedom to see the good in every situation...to focus on the positives when there's negativity around. And how freedom at it's truest form...in the mind...cannot be taken away by anything or anyone. 

He then continued and told us about how friends and family are the people that make life worth living. That it's better to be sufficient with money...but not blinded by it. Because that only leads to unhappiness. And that people with loads and loads of money, fame and the dream life aren't always the happiest...a perspective I personally believe in. People trade off their amazing family lives for the big name and fortune not fully realizing that family life is the best life.
The love and support we get from our few friends and family cannot be equal to whatever amount of money and possessions we can possibly have. 

He said how...Life can be unfair to good people. And that's terrible. But at the end of the story, the wicked will have their punishment and the good will gain justice and rewards for their long-suffering. We don't have to get frustrated when bad people seem to flourish...they will fall out of luck. The truth about a cruel person will come out...no matter how much he tries to hide it. An honest good man will eventually gain justice and success...even if there's many failures that come his way at first.


The main lessons I learnt that night was....
1. There are good people out there disguised as the ones you least expect.
2. You don't have to wait to be at a high position to be influential...you can spread your good vibes at any time, with any job.
3. Wisdom is something anyone can gain. 
4. And lastly, it's good to be open about things like this. We strengthen people's trust in humanity when we're honest and firm in our convictions.

There are so many people out there who think knowledge and wisdom go hand in hand. But that's not true. 
We need more people to be kind and give out positive vibes in this world...there's too much negativity that keeps bogging us down. 
There's nothing to be afraid of...true freedom is freedom of the mind.

To whoever that Uber driver was that day, if you're reading this, please publish a book on your thoughts, I will buy it.  

Down the hourglass of life

It happened a few years back.....I had just appeared for my music grade exams about that time. My violin teacher called to tell me the letter containing my result had come, so I went to get it.

I was happy with my result. I had scored a wonderful distinction. I was happy...until I saw that all the other students who had scored better than me. Be it even by one mark...but, I felt bad cause I was the oldest appearing for the exam and yet was no match for them.

It's sad. Because now that I'm far from that day, it wasn't that big of a deal as I thought it was. And I feel stupid for making myself feel unworthy in their presence...because I compared.

I wish it was easy to overcome. Wish it didn't matter. Wish I could only look to how great my achievements are than to compare my successes with people around me. 

Yes, I get it. It is probably good and desirable if you are successful early on in life. But not everyone gets to have that. And I also find it very mean and rude when people pressurize you to be successful even though you've been trying for so long. It's doesn't always depend on me...it depends on a multitude of other factors. (I think economically sometimes).

"It's not like I want to fail at this, Aunt!"
"It's not that it's enjoyable for me to be here while everyone else is done with this obstacle and have moved on to other obstacles."

There, I said it. There'll always be obstacles and problems in life. Even if you're a child prodigy with a Master's Degree at 12. Once you've completed one obstacle, there's another lurking around waiting to surprise you after a while. (Obstacles help us grow...maybe that's why we never seem to get rid of them.)

I can't believe how people are so blinded by the average age and time it takes for most people to do something that they just can't accept the fact that some of us are slower or have different destinies written out for us. I do understand why people are fine with geniuses who finish things faster than the average. It's because of the time constraint...everyone was taught from a young age that someday, we're not going to be able to do what we want to after we retire, get married, have children, and eventually, pass on into the mighty heavens. 

But no-one knows who's time here is long or short.  And here's what I like to believe in.... 
Things may not go as per my timing, but when it does, I'm sure that it'll happen when it's right for me.

Our lives are differently shaped hourglasses....with different amounts of sand.....with different speeds at which our sands flow down....some glasses broken. But we're all hourglasses. We're all human. And we'll eventually get to our destinies...at different times, in our our own ways. 

Our lives are all inter-connected

I was sitting and eating breakfast that day. Slowing eating (as usual) when a thought struck me. And after that, I couldn't look at anything the same way. 

All around me...Every single thing that I use or need for my day to day life, was created by someone's hard work. The oven, the stove, the masalas, the milk, even the carton, the chairs, the table, the plates, the cushions, the cups, etc. All of them were made by someone somewhere and now I'm depending on that someone for my daily routine. That perfect stranger is someone I'm relying on for their life's work so that could function like a normal human. 

I didn't realize it until that day. I was just going through life so ungrateful and unaware of other people's work. I didn't know the degree of dependence with which I actually relied on others. 

Going on with my life.....my life's work someday will  be used by someone else in the future to help meet their needs in their life. Maybe I've already aided to someone's need. Maybe someone is already benefiting from my work. Maybe that someone is you. (/?)

Look around you, we're all connected. We all need each others knowledge, skills, work, capabilities in our lives. We have varying needs and we all are dependent on other's various provision. Whether it's the internet, textbooks, bed, cloth, plastic hangers, T.Vs, movies, guitar.....even some tiny knick-knacks and memoirs. They are all someone's life's work or dream....and they are in your possession...their work in your hands. 

We all need to stop belittling others professions...their passions and occupations. For even if you don't consider it a good occupation to earn money and make a living...that doesn't mean someone else shouldn't. You will realize eventually the need for every productive* work in your life. We're all dependent on each other's services and that's the truth.


We are all really united on a subconscious level. But we don't always act like it. We look down on people with lower income jobs. We shouldn't. For we need their work too. We all need to behave more respectful to each other. And most importantly....Be grateful....you wouldn't be where you are today  without the help of the many professions you knowingly or unknowingly take the benefit of. 

*Productive work is any work that creates or adds value to something. By this definition, murder and stealing isn't a work as it unlawfully displaces goods, hurts people and doesn't really create anything desirable or useful. 

The world would be a better place when...

There was a chapter in a book I read lately about the thoughts of a writer explaining how amazing the world would be without poverty...everyone earning and living for themselves without the dependence of the government and non-government organizations to help them because they won't need them.

So this really got me thinking, because poverty isn't the root problem. It's the people who exploit other people because of greed that makes them poor. People can be so selfish. They are completely inhumane when they steal someone's rightful possessions because of their greed. Because for many of the exploited people, that could've been all that they had, all that they could be happy about. And greedy people? Well, they just have their hearts in stone....can't empathize with anybody.

I think, the world would be an amazing place without greed, selfishness and ignorant people. And when I say ignorant people, I don't mean illiterate people because there are so many literate, well-educated people I see around me who have never used their heart to go and help out someone in need. Ignorant people are the ones who'll always believe in the lies that come from the dark creepy corners of cold-souls lusting to deceive someone. Ignorant people are the people who are gullible, they'll just listen to what they think is right without knowing otherwise even if their beliefs have terrible destructive consequences to both themselves and society.

Selfishness is something I don't think I need elaborate much on. Selfish people are everywhere these days. Some people deeply desire power to further fulfill their selfish ambitions in life. For example, the people who aspire to be in big offices and companies in high job positions just so that they have someone below the social stratification to yell at daily. When selfish people get into power, the poor become poorer and the rich become richer because they are the same people who can never think about anyone other than themselves so they don't mind cutting your salary while they petition for a fourth salary rise in this year to their bosses.

And finally greedy people. I think selfishness and greed are two sides of the same coin, because selfish, self-absorbed people are generally really greedy for power, wealth, exploiting others and destroying trust within members of their family and society as a whole.

The world would be a better place when people with soft, loving, generous, humane and kind hearts come into power, being treated not as a oddball in this world, but as the world's true citizen. After all, the world was made and is protected by God from complete doom because of these seemingly few diamonds of people.
And that world would also be a world without poverty, each of its members helping out each other and living in harmony.

We lack in Patience

The importance of patience didn't dawn to me until my focus was brought back from a long lecture for a second when my English Professor yelled "Patience" during the explanation of a chapter.

"Patience! Patience is very important in life!" I heard her shouting.

This short, probably unintentional phrase that she muttered might have been a pure coincidence but it clicked something in my mind that got me thinking.

I traveled back home in a gloomy face with a thought that disturbed me. I looked out of the bus window and saw some people fighting about each other's driving skills. They didn't have the patience to wait till the traffic signal allowed them the right of way. And so they inconvenienced everyone.

The world would've been so much more different if we all had patience.

Later that day, I went to the mall to buy some stationary and at the cashier, some people were fighting about the price of the products that they had just purchased. After I checked my bill and received my bag back from the luggage counter I saw another person loudly yelling at the customer care manager with a furious red face. I looked around at the reactions of the other customers around me, I looked at the scared hopeless staff in front of that person.

Maybe the world really would've been a better place if we had the love to be patient to each other.

Lessons learnt from my stolen phone

More than a month ago, my phone was stolen from me. What disappointed me more than the loss of my phone was the way the people around me reacted. They looked at me like I was some sort of idiot...careless and clumsy. They looked at me with such faces. They looked at me as if I lost my life support.

Suddenly, they started asking me questions that make me feel worse..."Where was it?" "You should be more careful, na?" "How come you didn't know that it was missing?" "You should've kept it in your hand. Why didn't you?"

I have to admit...at a point I doubted whether I was even good. I doubted whether I really deserved to have my phone stolen from me.

But then..

Bad things happen to good and bad people alike. We shouldn't take it so seriously. (Though good people feel worse since they lead good lives)

    

My mind went into over drive stressing about it. "I hope they get what they deserve because they don't know who they're messing with", I thought.

The anger and hatred I felt in the week that followed the robbery was over-whelming. It consumed my thoughts. 

I lost my phone, yes, but along with that, I lost my peace of mind. 

I was restless, troubled and hurt that this incident took place in my life. "Why me?", I thought to myself.

So often in our lives people deliberately do things to hurt or annoy us. And so often we get worked about those things. 

Whether it's a plain nudge while you're writing something, whether it's a desperate attempt to have a conversation with you while you're clearly reading something....whether it is stealing a person's phone when they don't have the energy or time to deal with the loss.

People really get out of their way to hurt you or irritate you. 

But somewhere along the way, I cut myself off this constant worry and annoyance of these group of people who wanted to get the better of me. I cut myself off the pain and hurt I felt for the loss of my phone. And as a result? I got my peace of mind back. 

I realized that if I allow myself to think about revenge and how to hurt them in some way, I'm only gonna end up hurting myself. 

Somewhere along the way, everyone should cut themselves off the negativity that they experience. Because if those people who have harmed you, affect you in any negative way.....they win, cause that's what they intended in the first place...to hurt you in some way that you lose your momentum in life. Don't let them have their way.

Dear people-who-stole-my-phone,

Hope you enjoy my new phone that you stole from me.

I hope you realize that you have no control over me and my feelings anymore.

Do whatever you want with it.

I wish you the very best,

Pearl.