" Does it matter how much you can understand ? "
" Not really. The only thing that matters at the end of the day is the grades on your report."
" People are judgmental " Ajay completed .
" Everyone is judgmental. " Adithyan retorted.
Ajay Smirked.
" People say that grades don't really matter, but they do. They matter a lot. But what matters even more is the hand you're dealt with in life. It doesn't matter how talented you are if you're born in a Bombay slum and will never eat a full meal all through life. " Adithyan started walking faster.
" Always the optimist. "
" I've always been an optimist. " Adithyan felt his bag getting heavier, As he slowly strutted along to the Bus stop.
" Do you really think all people judge all people they meet? "
Ajay's smile went right up to his ears. Where is this conversation going, thought Adithyan. Ajay was a friend-How much could he really want to know?
" Of course we do- It's a survival instinct we're born with. Most people don't do it consciously. They're mistake. without judging people, we cant survive- we don't know who to be with, who to understand, who to believe and what not. " Adithyan smiled at his own intellect.
" So you're Doing it consciously? I mean you talking to me right now could mean an end to our friendship just because you might judge me as a being a worthless friend? "
The friends reached the bus stop, almost to part.
Ajay's smile had disappeared, replaced by a slight frown.
Just as I feared, thought Adithyan. People jump on too early. Always. ALWAYS.
The Sun seemed heavy and almost to set, a dusk too early .
" No. There's a reason you're my friend. Because I think you can add value to me and I can add value to you. Without that, how could we talk like this. Maybe my failure lies in being too frank . I find no reason in hiding things. Either come out truthfully or don't do nothing " Adithyan felt relief .
" You're true, sadly " Ajay's smile returned.
" Not really. As I told you earlier, It is an instinct we have; there is no use in fighting it. Embracing it and using it to our benefit is the best thing we could do. " Adithyan shifted his bag uneasily. the 6 o'clock bus was late. Unusual.
" Then we should use all our instincts, eh? "
" Not Ideally. We evolved mores and social structures for a reason. Not everything we think is right is not wrong. I'm slightly introverted. I'm not anti-social. I do crave attention "
" At times... " Ajay grinned.
Adithyan smiled at his friend. Such a short friendship, yet so deep. Interesting people have a lot to contribute . We could sometimes be friends with some persons for a 100 years and learn nothing, While some friendships , add value for every second you're with them. this was one of those friendships , Adithyan reasoned. The friends stayed silent for some time, before it was broken by the cacophony of the 6 o'clock bus.
" It's time then, bye. "
" Bye. See you tomorrow !" Adithyan waved.
Ajay waved back, grinning, as usual.
" Not really. The only thing that matters at the end of the day is the grades on your report."
" People are judgmental " Ajay completed .
" Everyone is judgmental. " Adithyan retorted.
Ajay Smirked.
" People say that grades don't really matter, but they do. They matter a lot. But what matters even more is the hand you're dealt with in life. It doesn't matter how talented you are if you're born in a Bombay slum and will never eat a full meal all through life. " Adithyan started walking faster.
" Always the optimist. "
" I've always been an optimist. " Adithyan felt his bag getting heavier, As he slowly strutted along to the Bus stop.
" Do you really think all people judge all people they meet? "
Ajay's smile went right up to his ears. Where is this conversation going, thought Adithyan. Ajay was a friend-How much could he really want to know?
" Of course we do- It's a survival instinct we're born with. Most people don't do it consciously. They're mistake. without judging people, we cant survive- we don't know who to be with, who to understand, who to believe and what not. " Adithyan smiled at his own intellect.
" So you're Doing it consciously? I mean you talking to me right now could mean an end to our friendship just because you might judge me as a being a worthless friend? "
The friends reached the bus stop, almost to part.
Ajay's smile had disappeared, replaced by a slight frown.
Just as I feared, thought Adithyan. People jump on too early. Always. ALWAYS.
The Sun seemed heavy and almost to set, a dusk too early .
" No. There's a reason you're my friend. Because I think you can add value to me and I can add value to you. Without that, how could we talk like this. Maybe my failure lies in being too frank . I find no reason in hiding things. Either come out truthfully or don't do nothing " Adithyan felt relief .
" You're true, sadly " Ajay's smile returned.
" Not really. As I told you earlier, It is an instinct we have; there is no use in fighting it. Embracing it and using it to our benefit is the best thing we could do. " Adithyan shifted his bag uneasily. the 6 o'clock bus was late. Unusual.
" Then we should use all our instincts, eh? "
" Not Ideally. We evolved mores and social structures for a reason. Not everything we think is right is not wrong. I'm slightly introverted. I'm not anti-social. I do crave attention "
" At times... " Ajay grinned.
Adithyan smiled at his friend. Such a short friendship, yet so deep. Interesting people have a lot to contribute . We could sometimes be friends with some persons for a 100 years and learn nothing, While some friendships , add value for every second you're with them. this was one of those friendships , Adithyan reasoned. The friends stayed silent for some time, before it was broken by the cacophony of the 6 o'clock bus.
" It's time then, bye. "
" Bye. See you tomorrow !" Adithyan waved.
Ajay waved back, grinning, as usual.
Being judgemental is not bad. Its time we shed our inhibitions of being judgemental. Every person consciously or unconsciously judges or analyses every other person and that's not wrong. In fact , at times its important so as to distinguish between right and wrong.
ReplyDeleteBut being judgemental can have different dimensions. For instance , you see a classmate of yours smoking. There can be 2 opinions : one - 'that guy smokes and its a bad thing ' and the other being - 'that guy who smokes is a bad person' . The latter should be avoided.
Do analyse and judge people but refrain from forming opinions about people based on one aspect alone.
P.S. - really well written article and even the subject highlighted is unique.
So true Dilmrig. I actually decided to write this after that conversation we had in class.
DeleteThank you for the comment and the support!
Nayani , you articulated your thoughts very well and it is a fact that no matter how unbiased people are they still have the tendency to form opinions about a situation or a person. Reason is simple because we try to hold people as hostages of our own standards. Nothing is wrong or right in life - view it as a different, you can accept lot of things easily. God bless you, you have grown up beautifully as a thoughtful young women
DeleteRavi
its a good article. id love to see you improve upon your skills and work and polish it to the finest because i think you have good content for the future. ill definitely be an avid reader for this and always a constant support. im always stay tuned. all the best da.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mridul! I'll continue writing!
Delete*They're mistaken. Without judging people, we can't survive
ReplyDelete* don't do nothing (? do you mean do everything or don't do anything ?)
*We evolved mores (?morals?) and social structures for a reason
The 'didn't do nothing' was repeated again in the second chapter- in the Hitler bit if I recall right. I'm not sure I follow what exactly you're driving at.
No comment on the topic in question. Keep at it though. Haters be hatin'; don't give 'em reason not to. They too need purpose.
I did the "Don't do nothing" part on purpose. If you go through the story after that, Adithyan also says "Not everything we think is right is not wrong" . So I did use two Double negatives. the first was did to follow it up- and I did do it with the second story, where "Hitler didn't do nothing". I believe the second one is self explanatory.
ReplyDeleteAnd about mores- they are the characteristic customs or conventions of a society.
I believe the word will be something the character would use.
Thank you for the support,Reuel! I'll surely keep on writing!
Ah, okay. Just checking to make sure that the meaning wasn't lost.
ReplyDeleteCharacteristic, huh? Interesting. Very subjective, that. Can't say anything to that.
Yeah, it is very subjective... I imagined the character like that, so I worked it out like that.
Delete