This aint Drudgery!

Wrote this one for the Department Souvenir :)

Writing for a college magazine or souvenir is not an easy task. Most definitely not. Post-compiling, it might not look like a big deal but trust me - with a large set topics beginning to be termed 'cliched, expolited, done-to-death, over-used' the writer is not left with a lot of options. The deadlines, the time constraints, the criticism, the panic, the lack of ideas, the stress. Uff! Most of us end up hesitating because of the fear of being mocked by others or due to doubt in our capabilities. Still there are a few who disregard such thoughts and go ahead with the idea of writing. Ignoring the irony, I can safely say that I am still grappling with where I stand out of the two categories above.
A friend and I were having this conversation the other day about how people never change. We decided there was nothing sudden or unexpected about change. It occurs only at free will and is entirely voluntary.
At the end of the discussion, I realized that such conversations sometimes end up being depressing. I decided that I detest conversations that leave me heavy in the heart. Now, the question. People who don't wonder so much about 'life' - Are we all shallow? Are we scared to think? Or do we fear the answers? Some of us just find it easier to go the Amelie way. Finding joy in small pleasures of life. The sack of grain, The pebbles, The revenge? Ways to expedite happiness, witnessing the delight.

We tend to refuse to face the complexities that we might succumb to. All of us have wished atleast once in our entire life to run away to a place(Himalayas or Hawaii, Oh wait Bahamas is the new 'cool' one!) where we see no familiar faces. A serene isolated place with the ipod playing Dublin Blues or Johnny Cash, a Roman Holiday and a drink to cherish. Perfection! In the heart of heart we all know that life is going to lead us to boredom and dissatisfaction. We continue to wish for it don't we? Dubiously funny!

Tried to put aside my strong inclination to put in one of my favorite songs from Into The Wild but in vain. Bear with me!

A very touching and heart warming story of Christropher McCandless written by Jon Krakauer is portrayed by Sean Penn in the movie Into The Wild. A Tour de force for Sean Penn with the critical acclaim the movie recieved. I was upset and needed to watch something inspring. After much introspection I picked this one. It worked! Got me thinking and inspired me tremendously.
Tired of life like most of us, McCandless decided to venture Into The Wild. Initially he is exhilarated by the isolation, the beauty of nature around and the thrill of living off the land as the spring thaw arrives. He hunts and gathers, and reads books, and keeps a diary of his thoughts. However life becomes harder; his supplies start to run out. Ultimately on his journey of self-discovery, he concludes that true happiness can also be found in sharing, and in the joy of realization seeks to return from the wild to his friends and family.
To his despair McCandless finds himself trapped. Struggling to survive. He has a book to help him to distinguish edible from inedible, but he confuses similar plants and is poisoned. He slowly and painfully starves. In his final hours, he continues to document his process of self-realization and accepts his fate, as he imagines his friends and family for a final time. We know where the real joy of our lives lies. With the people who belong to us and the ones whom we belong to. At the end of the day, each one of us is a mystery to me.

Society - Eddie Vedder(Into The Wild)

It's a mystery to me
We have a greed with which we have agreed
And you think you have to want more than you need
Until you have it all you won't be free

Society, you're a crazy breed
Hope you're not lonely without me

When you want more than you have
You think you need
And when you think more than you want
Your thoughts begin to bleed
I think I need to find a bigger place
Because when you have more than you think
You need more space

Society, you're a crazy breed
Hope you're not lonely without me
Society, crazy indeed
Hope you're not lonely without me

There's those thinking, more-or-less, less is more
But if less is more, how you keeping score?
Means for every point you make, your level drops
Kinda like you're starting from the top
You can't do that

Society, you're a crazy breed
Hope you're not lonely without me
Society, crazy indeed
Hope you're not lonely without me

Society, have mercy on me
Hope you're not angry if I disagree
Society, crazy indeed
Hope you're not lonely without me

Cheers
Nandini