“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” ~ Gautam Buddha
This blog is dedicated to making the world a better place. I believe, together, we can do it. The first step is to set out on a journey of self discovery. I want your help, and offer mine in return.
I started with the quote above because it fits perfectly with our era of freely available information. There is a lot of it available to us and we consume it on a massive scale. It is difficult to rely on any source as there will always be contradictory information available. The quote offers one of the simplest filters for reliability. I hope you will build, enhance and integrate this filter into yourselves, and apply it to all sources. Including this blog.
My Story
I woke up every morning and asked myself, why am I doing this. I bitched about work, people, government, society, and life. I went to bed wondering where my life is headed. I felt restless, even though I had all comforts. I felt I was destined for greater things, in-spite of living a successful life. I felt something missing, even though everyone told me I had it all.
Misery loves company. I found out that I wasn’t the only one. Obsessing about earning more, bitching about work, abusing bosses, arguing politics and religion, discussing scandals and conspiracy theories, spending hours on social networking and online shopping, dreaming about a new car or a house, feeling the need to unwind with a drink. Everyone around me was similar. It was status quo. It was reality. I didn’t particularly like it, and I don’t think others did either, but, what can you do about it?
The feeling of dissatisfaction grew and I stopped caring about my work. But, that was normal. Other people also continued working but didn’t care for it. I realized the problem was much deeper though, when I couldn’t find enjoyment in the things I normally did for fun (movies, video games, online shopping etc). The bad mood was reflected in my interactions and my thoughts. I became gloomy and depressed. I felt totally lost.
Is this story familiar?
I came through it. I faced my problems and found a way out.
If you noticed, I was writing in the past tense. There is only one thing to say in the present tense – if this story resembles your own, I believe I can help. There is a better world and I know the direction, but, not the destination. I do know that together we can make it happen. This blog is my tool to reach out to you. And as Morpheus said, “But I can only show you the door. You are the one that has to walk through it.”
All of us have walked past this door, but, most of us take it for granted. We never bothered to open it. I did and found myself on the journey of self discovery. Truly knowing yourself is the key to all good things – love, happiness, and passion. I have found all those in my journey. It has been wonderful and I am loving every moment of it. The bad things – doubt, fear, and failure will come, but, believing in yourself will give you the strength to endure. Self belief comes as a result of knowing who you really are and then being true to it.
My Dream
A world where you don’t have to put on a fake smile. People collaborating with each other because they want to, not have to. Sitting down with friends to plan the next vacation or a new business idea, not bitching about work and life. Spending time with your family whenever you want, not bound by limitations of office. Earning money by doing what you love to do – sports, teaching or working in the non-profit sector. Getting out of bed everyday with a big smile because you enjoy life, and going to sleep happy that life is indeed good.
A world, where everybody lives a life of love, happiness and passion, will be amazing. This is my dream. This dream needs all of us to explore who we are, individually. It needs us to help and support each other to be the best we can be, together. The journey of self discovery is the first step. Knowing your true self enables empathy and compassion for the fellow human being. This in turn, will lead to understanding and tolerance. And you know, deep within, that they are required to function as a collaborative society. When we become a united society, the world will change for the better.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” ~M.K.Gandhi
I want to share my experiences, learning and thoughts in the journey of self discovery. I hope you will start yours and I want everybody in the world to join us. This is a dream that I believe will be a reality. I believe, that the chance of even a sliver of this dream coming true is worth fighting for. I will be the change myself, before I ask anyone else. I dedicate my life to this dream.
I promise to write about my journey every week, for the next five years. I hold myself accountable to you, and to myself. If you believe that together, we will make this world a better place, please join in. If you believe in this dream, spread the word.
This video got me started on my journey. Hope it helps.
In Pursuit of Freedom 
Hi, there!
Great post, and congrats on deciding to take control of your life and happiness, and go for it!
Good luck with your journey, i am sure you will have a blast:)
Thanks, Alena. The journey sure is a blast.
BTW, I can’t seem to access your website. Seems interesting.
best of luck. i like your story. rings many bells.
I read your blog, your story is similar I guess. That’s what I am looking for. If we have enough people who become disillusioned about society’s definition of life, we can change the world. Thank you for the comment, and thank you for writing your blog.
Cool. thanks.
You’re right. I realized that the place where this sort of knowledge is most needed–the idea that we are more than our job titles and our pay checks–is amongst the people steeped in the crazy competitive and superficial culture arising in South Asia that is making our youth so miserable.
I was talking to a friend of mine in Boston–he’s an engineer who teaches at a community college but his passion is ballroom dancing. He and his dance partner compete at the collegiate level and they’ve won a ton of ribbons and other prizes. But whenever he meets other “brownies”–his term, not mine but I totally love it–they make him feel like shit because he isn’t doing engineering and making a ton of money. He likes his job, which allows him a lot of time to perfect and pursue his dancing and he wants to become a professional trainer one day. He feels great until the moment an uncle-ji asks him what he’s doing and then acts like he needs to protect his daughters from such a “vagabond,” lol. He’s stubborn enough to not give in to the nrb community’s demands that he do a 9-5 and be miserable, but he told me how awful he feels after encounters like these.
So, yeah, you should “corrupt” the youth of India with this sort of belief that they should stop mindlessly jumping from one rung to the next of the never-fucking-ending ladder only to then force their children in to doing the same thing. It creates a truly unpleasant environment for those people who are pursuing their dreams and living happy lives even though those lives don’t match up to a cookie-cutter version of how society believes they should be living them.
Yes, I promised another friend too that I would get my resume done by tomorrow night.
Thanks for the comment. You know the joke about how all Asians look the same? I guess the joke really transcends into a mental level. Brownie-land is breeding ground for one size fits all mentality. We’ve redefined “mindless” competition. Your friend in Boston is lucky to be there. He has the option to NOT hang out with the brownies. You could even help him connect with other brownies who are likely to be labelled as the black sheep of the family, who give the finger to the society.
Awesome – love your vision, and that first quote, really rings true. Totally agree with you, in that the journey of self-discovery is the first step – pretty much what my blog is all about! 😉 (thanks for stopping by!). Bring on the adventure..!