2017 is just days away now. It’s not really something special, right? Replace 6 with a 7. Turn over a new leaf.
As the year is nearing its end, I wonder what it implicates on me. It already seems to be in the past now, slowly vanishing into oblivion.
I had a conversation about this with a friend of mine. A question which was asked to me struck fast.
“Why do we always revolve around our past? Why not do something about today and envision a bright future?”
Ever since, I’ve had a juggle with divergent thoughts. Time, a constraint beyond control. The Past, The Present and The Future, the three factions of time which define our morality. These entities are something that needs to be carefully understood and worked upon.
While I’ve read many motivational quotes about leaving the past right where it belongs and enjoying the future, I seldom see it hold true in this world. The problems each soul faces is due to some action in the past. The action which was unforeseeable at that moment, and the repercussions of those unimaginable.
I remember this dialogue from a very famous movie:
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”
The past is a faction I pay a lot of attention to. It’s an important part of life, which determines the fate of the rest of the factions.
I look back at my year, and I seem to focus more intricately on my mistakes. That’s what I got hardwired into searching for. We, humans, have that unchangeable habit of looking past the innumerable amazing positives in our lives’ and stick to the trivial things that went wrong.
While it took me a while to realise that it’s high time I stop giving focus to the bad side of it, I also made observations on all things good and bad aside whilst deducing some hard truths.
I deduced the meaning of human being, this time more concretely. I have seen that this trait of many changes my perspective for each one of them.
I deduced the meaning of friendship. Some stuck, some left. New people are sticking to it. Many people were a part of my life, whom I thought I’d cherish forever. Many are now just for the namesake. I brought some from 2015 as my closest friends only to let them make me feel guilty and trivial. At the same time, many more came, who made the year worthwhile and to whom I matter. I understood and went through friendship from a solo side. Not anymore. I also understood the meaning of best friendship. While many believe supporting your best friend in every decision he/she takes is the sign of a true comrade, I believe it to be just a piece of nonsensical fact. If he/she goes down a path you know is wrong, you got to stop the person, even against his/her wishes. I have seen people claim to this “best friendship” and still fail miserably. I feel gratified for my best friends. They’ve truly stuck to its meaning. I love them for it. I am happy for such relationships.
I deduced the meaning of a promise. I found promises to be just a casual assortment of fancy words, which is binding by word. Ideally, promises aren’t meant to be broken. The fact of the matter is, promises are not only broken but also forgotten. I remember each and every promise ever made to me by everyone, and I see most of them broken and forgotten. For those who still mean theirs and haven’t broken them yet, I am really happy to have you with me. You have my utmost respect. Those few promises are the sole reason I adhere to the concept still.
I deduced the meaning of a character. I see people portraying a character beyond flaw. I observe minutely the flaws in them, oblivious to the rest of the world. Those little things which give them away. Those little idiosyncrasies that hinder them. I pity them for it. At the same time, I see people with beautiful personas. People who truly are good in character and I am thankful to them.
I deduced the meaning of genuine and fake. The nature of people, alas! No one ceases to surprise me. At one hand, some say things which construe a sense of their character in front of me, they behave entirely different in front of another, their views and morale paradox to the original. Such people made me question authenticity over everything. I understood how superficial some people can be. Nonetheless, there are people who are genuine at heart and soul. Such people possess strength beyond comprehension, for they are true to ideals and ethics. I take inspiration from such.
I deduced the meaning of trust. Truth be told, the duality in many people I watch remotely has and always will make me question the trust I should put into everyone. Like all other human beings, I am hardwired to err, and all I can and should do is try my best not to. As I step into the next year, I take very few people whom I can trust without question. Broken trust is one hell of a lesson never meant to be forgotten.
I deduced the meaning of priority. Time never stops for anyone, and proper utilisation of it is an elixir for sustenance. Prioritising things according to their relevance is crucial. I deduced this because I have failed miserably at it often. While I utilised it as much as I did, I never utilised it as much as I could. No more wasting time on triviality. Nevermore.
I deduced the meaning of love yet again. Love is a complex thing. While for many it’s a blessing, it has decimated me yet again. As I have seen it through this time, I deduce that love isn’t right unless the person is right for you. If the person isn’t right, then it’s outright stupid and an utter waste of time. It has grown on me like a leper and ceases to leave me. I am not still completely ridden of it. I have seen people destroy the concept of love which disheartens me. Comprehension of some innate and abstract thing without complete knowledge of it is catastrophic. I’ve come to realise that friendship is the true love. Romance is blaspheme. Without friendship, there is no love. You only love someone who’s a friend first. While in one aspect it proved catastrophic, I did have silver linings through this cloud. I am proud of the people I love and glad that they’re with me through the next year still, and more to come I hope. I respect those whom I loved and never got a reciprocation, for you have taught me an important lesson. I have also seen true love prosper when both have been compatible for one another, and it makes me happy.
And last but not the least, I deduced the fact that though the past isn’t something worth clinging on to, it has taught me a lot of things. The fact that I closely observed the lows and negatives of my life have taught me much. We never appreciate the good things in our life as much as we pick on the flaws of the bad ones because we would love to have the good things constant and avoid the occurrence of the paradox. I have comprehensively made remarks on my mistakes solely because I learnt from them. I will strive not to repeat them anymore in the future. I would love to state that no matter how minuscule the efforts on my positives seem, I am really glad and proud of them. They outweigh the negatives any day.
Everyone’s had a torrid year. Highs and lows equal afoot. After all, those are the two sides of the same coin.
Life is the result of constant tossing of this coin. One side with the positives of our lives’. Our highs. Our best moments. The other side is the paradox. Negatives. Lows. Regrets.
People will screw you over. People will make it worth.
You’ll fight. You’ll love.
You’ll witness things that will change you forever. You will stick to things like usual.
You’ll lose best friends you thought would always be there. You’ll make best friends you’ll think will always be there.
You’ll come to realise everyone has a past. You’ll learn different ways of dealing with them.
You’ll cry, laugh and embarrass yourself. But then, you’ll find your very moment where none of that matters. Your very moment where you’ll sit back and realise that crap happens to people who can handle it, and you’ll realise that this is who you are.
A constant tossing of the ups and downs.
This is life.
Time’s taught me an important lesson.
“Learn from yesterday. Live your today. Embrace your tomorrow.”
I am sure every one of you has had his/her ups and downs throughout the year. All I have to say is learn from it all. Don’t let it cling to you like a leper. As you step into a new year, get freed of it. You’ll feel a change within yourself. A new you reborn, adapted and prepared to fight.
Work on living your present to the fullest. The Present is the only certain faction. Make the most of it.
For this past year, I have all my gratitude, coz I have learnt and gained a lot. I am blessed to have found friends worth every ounce of the term.
A very happy new year in the making, readers!
2017 is just days away now. Resolve to make it memorable.
Carpe Diem! Seize The Day!