The world is often painted black and white. People are defined with rigid characteristics. Giving, egocentric, wise and so on. The individual readily accepts these labels, choosing to stay crippled by strokes the society has painted of him. An alternate scenario is a lifelong battle against these tags. Human potential is rendered futile either way.
Contradictions are an inherent part of life. We wallow in sweet agony, are clearly confused regarding our life purposes and it is the same difference after all. When life is rife with oxymorons like these, how hard is it for a human to accept that every man is a bundle of contradictions? The staunchly anti-racist woman nurtures a secret desire to be slightly fairer. The teacher who is a firm advocate of peace picks up daily fights with his neighbours. Moreover, we could feel drawn to and repelled by the same thing. Cognitive dissonance and hypocrisy are too narrow to explain this phenomenon of copious emotions and thoughts of varied nature, despite stemming from the same origins.
The torment of the last embers of dying hope hit the deepest pits of my stomach, from the same pits of which the flame of a daring will is fanned. I, the pacifier who cringes at the idea of conflict, would unhesitatingly fight an army to safe keep my armour of values. We all have experienced a wide range of emotions, jubilation and euphoria, doubt and despair, fear and desire, all at once or at close intervals with varying intensity.
Stable lines would be no fun without the disjointed curves and the broken dots. The toil in sun and rain and the crops ruined by the trespassing cow, make the final harvest all the more relishable. Good times, optimistic thoughts, altruism and a productive channelisation of energy would be taken for granted if not for the numerous evidence for and consequences of the opposite.
Days that put a crease on the forehead shouldn’t be dreaded as they allow us to better appreciate the smiles and the sunny days. Let’s refuse to be tied down by strict tags that limit us. Recognising and embracing fragments of our infinite qualities paves the way to proud self-definition, by feeding those attributes which serve us. Once we bridge the gap between what we are and what we want to be, we can live with our heads held high unapologetically. We could be cold or kind, petty or generous or both! We’re human beings after all. If it’s all a matter of choice, who would you rather be?
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