Stories from the past: An ode to kindness

The biggest irony in life is that being mean comes so easy to us humans, whereas being selfless and kind becomes so difficult.

In this race called life, we're always trying to pull someone down only so that we continue to be on the top. In this whole process, we never realise the harm we're doing to that someone. A harm so dangerous that the someone starts losing self-esteem.

Why is it so difficult to let someone else be on the top? Why do we have an inferiority complex when we see people of our age being 10x more successful than us? Attachments. Desires. And the lack of appreciating life as a whole.

Whenever I visited the mountains, the beaches or merely got onto a train, I used to become another person. May be in that moment I realised how easy it was to be free. Free from the shackles of capitalism, free from the 'thoughts' of being better than the rest because that's how I'll become 'successful', and the likes. These thoughts rose from the endless conditioning of "be the best at this, earn money, and then you'll be able to travel as much as you want." Why? Why do I need to be the best at just one thing to earn money? Why can't I learn everything and just be better at LIVING?

We often forget the entire reason for our existence is to learn. Learn about everything without having desires to achieve something. Make mistakes, learn from nature - the best teacher, and keep living. Don't just breathe every day.

And so, here's what I've learnt from the moment this picture was clicked-

I’ve seen a thousand storms,

Experienced a million stories,

Yet I’m here holding my ground,

Only so you can stand still.

It's true that the mountains teach you to be humble. They let us climb them so we feel we've conquered the world. And that's what we need to adapt in life - let someone else take the batten for a while, let someone else shine, let their happiness make you feel content.