Love life

There he stood with his glasses, waiting for the love of his life:

Excuse me, Sir?

Yes, Damitri?

Madam has just left and sent you this note

As he opened the note he was filled with emotions. What did she write? Where is she? Is she leaving him?

“Dear David, I have to go back to my father’s village, he needs me and he’s sick. He has no one to take care of him. He is all alone. I need to go. Please do not follow me. I do not know when I will see you again”

David was confused, surprised as it was all unexpected. What has just happened? He had no idea what to do. Leaving her would be what she wants, but it wouldn’t solve the problem. It wouldn’t bring back their love. But it’s a family crisis and he didn’t have her address. They had just dated for two weeks. But he knew he loved her. How could he go on with his life without thinking about her and her laughter? Her enthusiasm and kindness? It would be impossible

He went to the pub that night, he hoped to get some solace in the drink and he shut his head and started drinking. He didn’t think about anything. The bartender wanted to speak to him but he wouldn’t speak. He was baffled.

There was nothing he could do. He had to just get over her and move on.

Plenty of fish in the sea. But it’s never that easy is it?

THE END

The Innocence in Me

One of my favorite songs is Enigma’s return to innocence  

That will be the return to yourself

The return to innocence

There’s so much meaning and fulfillment that I receive from the song, it’s hard to explain exactly what I feel or to put it in words. But it will not stop me from trying.

I guess it’s because there’s a deep sense of innocence in me which is yet to be untapped. This innocence I feel is pure and cannot be corrupted even under the influence of the most corrupt. It is a feeling of purity, a sense of fulfillment. It reminds me that I do not have to try to be anyone else, but what I am and how I feel is enough to gain what I want out of life, being myself is good enough to make people like me for who I am – and it works every-time.

Whenever I try to be something I am not, whenever the feeling of restlessness kicks in and I do something I am not too proud of, I know it is because I am not my true self. The innocent self within me will never lead me astray. It’s about being human with all our joys, sorrows, difficulties and just being true to the way we feel – whatever it may be. That is what makes me a beautiful person and all the beautiful people I have met seem to have the same attribute of letting their innocence show. It’s when we are afraid or terrified of something that the innocence is hidden. It’s still there but it requires confidence. It requires brevity. It requires understanding and enlightenment. The first notion that appears in someone’s mind when I say the word “innocent” is that of a child – yes, children are innocent but you do not have to be a child to maintain this innocence. Innocence or being a good person embodys everyone regardless of age or substance. The innocence I am mentioning is that of a more mature innocence than that of a child. A child might be innocent because he or she is not aware of everything around them and have not been told. But the innocence relevant to this blog article is that of a mature innocence where people know (say about sex or alcohol or abuse) and yet remain innocent.Yet remain to be on the good side. Yet remain to be transparent in the way they perform actions.

This transparency and this innocence is a result of truth. Truth is the main attribute needed to achieve this innocence, the innocence required for us to trust ourselves, for us to return to our own innocent self – truth is the pathway. As much as I try to be my innocent self I cannot help but understand that judgement does not go hand in hand with innocence.

Love is acceptance without judgement – and what else is love? If not innocence. Trying to be someone you are not will never lead you to the right path. Remember this. You can only be you. You can only find innocence within yourself. Only then will the rest of the world become available to you. This is a rule I need to live by and I need to repeat to myself everyday as much as possible. I have only stepped into the realm of innocence a few years ago and it is time to develop that innocence within me to achieve the impossible. To be truly happy, not just with myself but with everyone else around me.

Any feedback in the comments section is appreciated. 

Social Acceptance and Mental Illness

Sometimes we underestimate the values that the society around us tries to embed within us as individuals. Everything we have grown into is influenced by our surroundings. The ‘rules and regulations’ we need to follow to be classified as a ‘good’ person might have an everlasting impression on how we modify our behaviors to in fact live judiciously – all this I feel strives towards a form of social acceptance.

Our need to be accepted in the society we live in is immeasurable and leaves an indelible mark. Why is this? why do we need to be accepted by our fellow human beings? The answer might seem simple but the process is very complex. Being socially accepted does not mean pleasing others but rather pleasing ourselves and liked for who we are.

Throughout history mental illness has been closely correlated to social acceptance. Many mental illnesses are consequences of our individual social skills. This is why developing a social network is very important but it can be difficult especially if one does not learn the skills required to overcome their lack of social skills.

Having met a few people with mental illness I have come to understand that being socially accepted for who they are is not an easy task. There is a lot of stigma still attached to say bipolar disorder or depression which are not very accurate, and which the society has failed to cure completely. Medications and official consultation does not go very far in curing the cause although symptoms might improve. Some stigmas attached with mental illness are:

• The individual is “abnormal” and cannot function normally
• Mental Illness is a disability which cannot be cured
• Medication is a long term requirement and if stopped the person might become violent
• Unable to cope with daily routine activities
• The person cannot be trusted, is lonely and cannot make friends

These are some of the stigmas attached to mental illness which are not accurate. They are also closely related to social acceptance. Society has taught us that if we accept victims of mental illness then we might put ourselves in danger. That people of mental illness will not prove to be long lasting friends and so forth. Such stigma needs to stop.

I have met many people with illnesses where they can function perfectly well even under stress. I had realized that I myself used to have such stigma but have slowly realized and come to accept people for who and what they are, regardless of whether they have a mental disorder.

Acceptance for the way people naturally are is the key here – stigma is surrounded around discrimination, when one fails to see the reality of things and remains ignorant. It is a fact that more than 450 million across the globe suffer from mental illnesses. It is also a fact that many of these people do not receive proper medical or social attention that they need. Many prefer to be ‘under cover’ without disclosing their illness to the public.

If we can just do our bit and support the people who have been unfortunate enough to be affected by mental illness – for instance if we could even make one friend with a mental illness,I feel we would make the world a better place.

Note: This post was originally published on Medium