Me and my virtual myself !!

"Tell us something about yourself"- Take it from me that is the most difficult question one can face in an interview and if it is a stress interview like the one I had few days back it can be a real pain. People waiting to pounce on you as you try and describe yourself. We are so good at describing others. If 'we' is interpreted as Indians criticism is in our blood and we can go for hours talking about others. Now ask yourself-"Do I really know me??

Human beings discover the most important secret of their lives the day they get to know themselves. Truth is none of us know ourselves at all. Yes, we have a distinct opinion about ourselves which if questioned can be shaken till the very root. And in the quest of knowing and not-knowing ourselves we start creating the image of us in our minds and so much so that we are living in a virtual world today with little idea of what we are becoming and we have got avenues to define ourselves and create the virtual us.. Enter Facebook.

Ever wondered why the girl who looked so undoubtedly attractive in her FB display picture looks astoundingly different in life(By which I mean she has no attraction quotient) . Ever wondered why his girlfriend likes everything that he posts including all the pathetic shares and the worst of his photographs??? People have now a wonderful medium to show who they are actually not. In fact it won't be wrong to say that today's generation lives two lives-one in real life and another online. Trying to fulfill their unfulfilled ambitions of some form.

These days before a couple breaks up they block themselves on facebook/G-talk. Friends "un-friend " their so-called "friends" after a fight and one fine day the sun shines and they are friends again. Is this real??People somehow have grown to believe that what they show and behave in the online medium reflects their real selves but they are mistaken! It is making us what we ought not to be.

I agree that the world no doubt has become unreal and what you can show on paper counts more than what you can show for yourself. But never expected relationships going the same way! People pretending to be someone they are not. What is astonishing is people are defining their relationships through social networking sites and believing that is real. The immaturity people show is beyond comprehension at times.

Even I have a virtual me. The corporate world grinds you in a way that the same on-the-face 'me' tries to be diplomatic. The same 'me' which is so flamboyant keeps a low profile owing to circumstances. But the virtual 'me' which exists online is not the real me. I would have serious doubts in calling all the 'friends' I have in Facebook as my friends! For me friendship lies in the real me and my friends are there in a special place.

Solution?? Get offline for a while. Spend some time with your real friends. Then again you can fake yourself but atleast that 'faking part' will be the real you and you get a chance to understand who you are!

The price that we pay

And here I return...Not with a bang but with a shush...I got a not-so-nice review about my last post from someone whose review used to be really important-"There are so many grammatical errors in your post!!! ". I wish I could have understood the symptoms then. Now I know, the trouble isn't with my grammar..The trouble is with me, my surroundings and in a way all of us...And for all that trouble, my grammatical errors are just one of the prices we paid!

I look back and year 2012 has almost been the perfect year for me. So many of my close and not-so-close people have achieved heights. The list includes both my sister and Gautam Gambhir! My closest friend got through almost all colleges where the applications reached ! My neighbourhood aunty got her much awaited daughter-in-law against her son's wish, my father set his beloved garden just as he dreamt and my room-mate got the best review possible at job! Me?? I finally managed to quit my job and that is enough of an achievement for me... So why was I oozing with pessimism in the first paragraph?? Because as economics would say all this came at a price! Much of the price unfortunately was hidden...

Only thing which remains priceless today are the things portrayed at the last line of Mastercard commercials for the rest we have determined a price-Tipu Sultan's sword, Mamata Banerjee's painting and an IPL game we have decided the price of almost everything and we are buying. Strange but true! There was a price we all paid for our so called success whether in economic affairs, career or love life. Ask Manmahon Singh about the price he paid for 8% GDP dream and greater economic disparity is the answer. Ask Sachin Tendulkar the price he paid for his success and he will say never-ending public scrutiny/trial/finger-pointing everyday for 20 years... So what price are we commoners paying for our little successes??

In this constant run for success we often don't realise we are leaving things behind, things which at a point used to be so important to us. The son today doesn't have enough time to talk to his father but has hours of time to chat on phone because his girlfriend is his success. He doesn't have time to go out with family but will take out a few hours daily for Facebook, after all you cannot succeed in today's world without socialising. The hot-shot banker today will spend 12 hours at work, 2 hours at lunch/dinner with clients and he will rise at the cost of a child who waits patiently to see his father only to sleep off by the time he is back. Her mom would be her world before but now she is no-one, she has her great group of friends to rely on.

We are running fast and we want results. We are not thinking and hell we care about thinking because we are winning. We are getting our dream job, our dream colleges and that girl/guy we always wanted! Behind lies that old lady in school who taught me the basic addition so that we don't have problems in managing the millions in our bank. That Ramu-kaka who taught us how to walk, we don't even remember his face. That friend's marriage anniversary, we don't remember because Facebook doesn't show it so what he would save the few rupees of his pocket-money every day just to buy me a birthday gift. That old friend who took hours to teach us probability so that we get our dream , we don't need to know her as she doesn't fit in our high class society plus she is of no use now! Our ex-girlfriends who would always show us the hidden opportunities in the problems of life and would do so much for our single smile, but she is EX right?? We have a new one..

Want to turn-back? This success we are seeking is just a one way street and no about turns allowed. But you are allowed to stop and turn back to check what you lost. Most things you would see behind are the things featuring in the last line of Mastercard commercials-priceless!

Selfish?? Is that the term you used. Please don't be so lenient with yourself....