I keep telling fancifully that I am a Today Man. Actually there is not as much fancy in that. I am being pretty forthright about it. I neither care about yesterday nor care about tomorrow.
I am generally seen as a person with no sense of long-term orientation or as a guy who simply chooses to ignore lessons of the past. Neither of these opinions about me is true.
When I say I don’t care about the past, it does not mean that I don’t remember the past. In fact I remember many things photographically. With dates and time. What I really don’t care about is the bad stuff about those times and in a really elated mood, I do recall the nice moments and relive them with a smile. And in the bad things I do remember what I learnt. Barring a few occasions I have never repeated a mistake. Maybe done a few new ones! But repetition is rare. Unless it is something that drags me like a moth to a flame!
When this is a style I have set for myself, it is even more rare that I spend time knowing about the past of people around me. Much to the chagrin of them! True that the past is what fashions today. But my logic is that, when I get to see the present why am I interested in knowing about the past that makes someone be what he or she are today. Letting it happen can cloud my judgment of them during specific times, because I can form preconceived notions about why and how someone acted on a particular situation. And maybe alter my reaction to it accordingly. That’s not being fair to myself and to them too. I should be saying what I feel. And don’t get into an analysis yet about people and events. As I fondly say, everyone is entitled to my opinion. Arrogance apart, if each one of us can have this as a philosophy, then it is even.
And the worst is about tomorrow. I am not a fatalist, but I have seen enough in my life to actually fashion today’s action hoping for tomorrow’s outcome. I have seen parents giving all their money to children only to get ill-treated at the end. People opposing to ideas based on what others will say tomorrow, only to find out that the same others pursue the same idea they discarded. Buying houses too early when one can’t afford spending almost 30% of the salary as EMI to live in a pigeon hole only to realize when they have more money later, that they can’t live in that pigeon hole and maybe even earmarking 50% of the salary would still keep you comfortable on the other needs. I can go on and on.
Many a time I feel we unnecessarily complicate our lives by foregoing simple pleasures of today for the greater pleasure of tomorrow, which never comes because of the simple reason there is nothing called greater pleasure. There is always something you keep wanting. And if you don’t, those that you want are so very simple, for which you need not have struggled so hard yesterday.
Being a today man is plain convenience to me, but it makes great sense too. Just to be what you are and hog all the great moments of the day and wake up just to find another great day waiting for you.
I am generally seen as a person with no sense of long-term orientation or as a guy who simply chooses to ignore lessons of the past. Neither of these opinions about me is true.
When I say I don’t care about the past, it does not mean that I don’t remember the past. In fact I remember many things photographically. With dates and time. What I really don’t care about is the bad stuff about those times and in a really elated mood, I do recall the nice moments and relive them with a smile. And in the bad things I do remember what I learnt. Barring a few occasions I have never repeated a mistake. Maybe done a few new ones! But repetition is rare. Unless it is something that drags me like a moth to a flame!
When this is a style I have set for myself, it is even more rare that I spend time knowing about the past of people around me. Much to the chagrin of them! True that the past is what fashions today. But my logic is that, when I get to see the present why am I interested in knowing about the past that makes someone be what he or she are today. Letting it happen can cloud my judgment of them during specific times, because I can form preconceived notions about why and how someone acted on a particular situation. And maybe alter my reaction to it accordingly. That’s not being fair to myself and to them too. I should be saying what I feel. And don’t get into an analysis yet about people and events. As I fondly say, everyone is entitled to my opinion. Arrogance apart, if each one of us can have this as a philosophy, then it is even.
And the worst is about tomorrow. I am not a fatalist, but I have seen enough in my life to actually fashion today’s action hoping for tomorrow’s outcome. I have seen parents giving all their money to children only to get ill-treated at the end. People opposing to ideas based on what others will say tomorrow, only to find out that the same others pursue the same idea they discarded. Buying houses too early when one can’t afford spending almost 30% of the salary as EMI to live in a pigeon hole only to realize when they have more money later, that they can’t live in that pigeon hole and maybe even earmarking 50% of the salary would still keep you comfortable on the other needs. I can go on and on.
Many a time I feel we unnecessarily complicate our lives by foregoing simple pleasures of today for the greater pleasure of tomorrow, which never comes because of the simple reason there is nothing called greater pleasure. There is always something you keep wanting. And if you don’t, those that you want are so very simple, for which you need not have struggled so hard yesterday.
Being a today man is plain convenience to me, but it makes great sense too. Just to be what you are and hog all the great moments of the day and wake up just to find another great day waiting for you.
7 comments:
Hey today man,
How are u? ur principle of living for the day is cool. But I think, your reason for not wanting to know about other's past experiences is simply plain lack of curiosity.. or interest in the other. U do talk abt ur past events and happenings often.So y not be interested to know about others too? Lets argue
I give up. No arguements :D :)
And as I hv said, I dont want to talk abt the bad stuff. good things I relive...:))
Lack of curiousity ;) how do you think so ?
hey dude only that the flames keep happening often not ur fault though is it??? :p
well the rest of the stuff i know tooo well
I don't know whether we are permanently tuned to a same frequency but yesterday we two were talking on the same line about living in the present and enjoying it fully and i was astonished to see today morning your blog has engraved whatever we talked into internet tabloid.
Hi Anonymous, :) :) Ofcourse it is mine. I confessed some mistakes are repeated ;) knowingly ;)
I bet Subbu. Or it could be this way. My thinking has been fashioned mostly by you and serves as an inspiration. Because, you would have been thinking in these lines while I was still at college :)
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