Marian Keyes - The Other Side of the Story

 Time is a flawed concept. It is one of the shittiest jokes that nature could ever play. But just like everything else, we endure it. Much like time, happiness is a rotten concept. So much has been written and spoken about it that now it seems almost idealistic.

I was, and someplace deep inside still am convinced with this. There comes a phase when almost everything and everybody is conspiring against you. Every single action or event compels you to believe that you are now rotten, just like happiness.

You sit in a corner of your room isolated, free from all the chaos, delimited by absolute silence. And that silence is the root of your agony. You longed for it when you didn't have it. But when you finally got it realization dawned and it hit you in the face.

Amidst the noise of silence, I did what I do best. Embracing the isolation, I picked up a book and crossed the threshold into the virtual world. Marian Keyes’ ‘The Other Side of the Story’ is rather an unusual story. But a perfect book to read in times when you are on your way to self-destruction. The books starts on a wrecked note and you realize that it is perfect. Reading about other people’s miserable life is somehow comforting when you are on the same page as them.

But as the book progressed, it delivered a strong vibe of optimism. Not the clichéd concept but the kind where it tells you to stop over-analyzing, take a deep breath and deal with whatever shit you are going through. The lives of Gemma, Jojo and Lily are portrayed in a very realistic fashion and that’s what made the book so appealing. It is fast paced and makes you bubble up with happiness inside.

After all happiness, however rotten it is is a rare thing and we have to take our chances where we find them. We want to do the right thing – but how do we ever know? There are no guarantees. I could rationalize until I was blue in the face but then why not just accept and smile.

They Say It's "Life"

Today, I am in that mood when there are a lot of thoughts scurrying in my head and just so as to organise them, I am penning them down. Today, again it was a bad start to the day. Got up early morning for a lecture and it got cancelled. But I am used to it now.

When I was telling all this to my friend, she said “life is tough. All these hurdles will come your way. Face them now and have a comfortable life in the future.” I will probably have to sit with some scholar or maybe a philosopher to decipher the meaning of “life” because I clearly don’t seem to comprehend it.

According to me, life is simple. Yes. It. Is. Simple. I was a sperm and my mom nurtured me and brought me into this world. She gave me the best gift. Life. Then my parents did all they could to make sure the smile on my face was intact. The sound of my laughter was the most pleasing sound to their ears. Having said all this, life for me is simple and also very beautiful. It is not difficult or troublesome or tough or complicated.

I think I know the reason for “life” being so harsh for others. When you fail in an attempt you put the blame on someone else. It is always because of some other person that you are in pain and trouble. That your life isn’t perfect like it could have been had someone given you a chance. Am I right? Does that sound right?

If your answer to that is a ‘yes’ then I advise you to sit down with a cool mind and think. Go back in your past and figure out what went wrong. If you can’t then I’m sorry for you. But if your answer to that is a ‘no’ then you probably know what I am talking about.

Humans are strange. I have accepted this fact. When we win we give the credit only to ourselves. It was our hard work, our struggle, our anguishes that gave us the fruitful result. But this scene changes when we fail. Our failure is never just because of us. No, there is always someone else’s hand in our collapse. If was always because of him/her/they/them that we were defeated in our attempt. Why is it so difficult to accept failure? Try this. You failed because you didn’t make the right choice. You failed because you didn’t listen to your heart then. You failed because you were too vulnerable to the situation. You failed because you did not stand firm on your belief. You failed because of YOU.

Any story that you tell about yourself causes suffering. There is no authentic story. For once, stop blaming others and point that finger which you point at others so readily at yourself. The “life” which you say is so arduous and difficult will make a lot more sense. You will feel better by just accepting your defeat. You will be happy. People around you will be happy. You have smiles and pleasant conversations for those who don’t know you, who have no interest in you. And nothing but sharpness for those who feel your pain and who want to be with you.  If you don’t adapt quickly amidst changing circumstances, you are going to end up in biology books as that dead fish that couldn’t leap.

Statements like “try try till you succeed”, “accept life the way it is” and many more are baseless. These statements might have worked well for people in the ancient times but today they are just a bunch of words. We’ve been fed lies for too long. Lies about life, about love, money, success, happiness…it’s the bequest we’ve been handed. When you don’t get the result even after trying a bazillion times, try doing something else. Figure out another way. Do not accept life the way it is. Change it. Make it better. Don’t stop in your tracks only because you are worn out, for souls that can be saved must be. J. R. R. Tolkien says, “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens”. If you can't keep the faith through tough times, it's not faith.

In the end, it’s not what you do or create, it’s what you live and breathe. Let your life unfold within your mind and not in the sphere of someone else’s reality. Think about it.

I guess I have said enough. This is my way of looking at things. You might have different views. Also, I have packing to do. Going Udaipur tomorrow on a college trip.