The value of Hope

One should neither hope too much, nor too little. Like other things in life, it's finding the right balance that is difficult.

I realize how important it is to be optimistic, to not look at life without a twinkle in the eyes; and i realize it now, more than ever before. The past year was not easy, the past month especially. Of late, I've lacked imagination and most importantly, the spring in my step, which is the one thing I've loved about myself. Life had become monotonous and predictable, and I was happy with it.

Usually, you look at a thing in finer detail only when it stops working. And there I was, pushed against the wall, losing what I'd wanted the most all my life, forced to look at my life in finer detail. I had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide; noone to help me out, for only I knew best what my mind was upto. There were no miracles, no signs to show me the right path. Ahh how I hoped for one!!

A good, hard look at my life helped though. I'm not a changed man now but I've learnt a few lessons. You do not get to design your life the way you want to. You've got to do your thing and hope everything turns out the way you want them to. It doesn't really help if you are lazy and laid-back. The only thing constant in the world is change. You've got to keep changing; because with change comes hope and hope is what drives you forward.

Here I am, hoping the decisions I've made will take me in the right direction. I've accepted a job offer from a Pune-based company. I will leave my comfort zone and set sail to a new territory in a month or so. I wonder how well I will adapt to a new city and a complete set of new experiences. I am accepting change and I hope that my life will get better.

They say when you kill a man's hope, you kill him. I'm not ready to die yet because life is still beautiful.

Do we know what we are doing?

Some of you may think this is yet another write-up about how screwed up the life of a software programmer is. Well, let me tell you it is not. I am only a fledgling in the industry, my life is not so screwed up as yet. I'm sure a couple of years down the line, I will have a very different opinion. :)

I never worked hard but was fairly good in studies. In school, when i didn't have to cover a lot of topics, i faired well, even when i crammed. But in college, with having to study books that could kill you if they fell on your head, i was just an average student. But i always believed in myself and performed well when i wanted to.

The only quality that i have is perseverance. Yup, i never give up. I sure am lazy. But, if i really want something, i will get it, no matter how hard i have to try. When someone tells me i can't do something, i see it as an insult to my persona. I do anything i can to prove them wrong and to prove to myself that i can do it. May be i am arrogant but hey, i love myself the way i am.

I want to do a whole lot of things. I want to work as a lorry driver for a while. I want to teach. I want to travel. I want to race. And maybe, i want to do a few good things to the society too. Like helping a few poor people build up their lives. But my master project lies rusty in the backyard of my mind.

Why do we do what we do? Who said you have to work and earn a salary each month? Who said you have to pay for food? Why are people living within the walls of their houses? I have always believed that what everyone wants in life is one and the same. Everyone wants to be happy. When they don't get what they want, they go the wrong ways. But if life is a movie, noone wants to be a villain in it.

My concept is simple. I hope some day i will have a hell lot of money, to buy a lot of land where i would set up my Utopia. Inhabitants will be handpicked but anyone will stand a chance. There, you will not have to buy food. You will not have religions. You will not have fights. No robbers. No murders. No bribes. No crap at all. Well, it is my dreamland. As long as it is a dream, i can say whatever i want about it. I like to dream. Dreams set my mind free. I think everyone should dream.

Rules in My Utopia
-People who live there do whatever work they want to do, but everyone works. Once in a while, everyone can be lazy (hehe, thats my loophole)
-Noone will be paid for the work they do. But everyone has access to all facilities. In short, everyone works for a common cause -To keep the place going.
-There will be all basic amenities - food, clothes, shelter, amusement.
-No vehicles (i want to keep the place green), mobile phones, television.
-Noone goes to bed hungry because food is free there.
-I am still debating on whether there should be electricity because i want the place to be as natural as possible. Same applies to wine and liquor. But definitely no cigarettes or drugs.

In my Utopia, everyone is happy. Partly because their desires will be limited and more importantly, because people will have time to look and amaze at life as each day passes by.

It is a place where every dweller will be happy. Everyone will be contended with what they have. And more importantly, people care for each other. I do not think a lot of people will permanently reside there. Because, we, as god created us, have a lot of desires. And when we have unsatisfied desires, we are not happy. But, i intend to build it as a place where people can come and stay temporarily, like once in a month or so. Away from the rest of the world, which races crazily faster each new day, which is ignorant that yet another day has passed between home, office and commuting.

I do not know if i will be able to do this. But that is the advantage of dreams. You can visualize anything.

As John Lennon said - You may say i am a dreamer but i am not the only one. I hope some day you will join us too and the world will be as one.