TALE OF TWO FRIENDS

The young doctor had a friend since childhood… let’s call him Tyrion. Tyrion was very dear to the young doctor. They grew together and every joyous moment in life would be shared. Tyrion would stay beside him wherever he would go. The bonding was strong and they seemed inseparable. When he was playing, Tyrion was there… when he was laughing, Tyrion was there… when he was enjoying, Tyrion was there.

Then the young doctor cleared his Pre-Medical Entrance Examination. As he made it to a new phase of life, he met a new friend… let’s call this one Jon. Now, Jon was a friend whom his parents and in fact, the whole society wanted him to acquaint with. Why? Because Jon like friends were a high class thing…. Not available to all. Jon did enter his life but Tyrion was still around.

However, as the young doctor finished his medical degree, got a job and started earning well, the connect with Tyrion decreased. Tyrion would be found on rare circumstances. The young doctor did not have much time to devote to Tyrion. Tyrion would try to speak to the doctor on circumstances but he would be driven away citing lack of time. On the other hand, Jon was the one hanging around. 

As time passed by, the young doctor would realise that Jon was not a true friend but a mere acquaintance, who thrived on him. The young doctor did not like him much but could not let him go, under pressure of society and the world. Jon was supposed to be there if you wanted to grow in life and Tyrion was not so necessary. This frustrated the young doctor. He always tried to have both on his sides but would often loose….

I wish this was a sweet GoT storyline but it is a story common to all of us. Tyrion is the Happiness and Jon is the Success, now you can re-read the whole story and you shall realise that this is the bitter truth of our lives.

Since the very beginning, it is engrained in our minds that you need to study… you need to get good grades… a good job…. a good salary…. That is when you become successful. But no one taught how to stay happy and content in life. One milestone after the other and you just keep on running after some pre-conceived notion of success but not a single stop to just enjoy what you have in your life… not a single stop to be just thankful for what you have… not a single stop to stay in a happy state of mind.

Let’s face it. Success is a perception and happiness is a realisation, and perceptions are transient but its your realisation that sticks forever. You perceived success in a particular situation because the society made you feel so. When you got a good job, the emotions of your family, your relatives and the world around made you feel successful otherwise it was just an event in your life. 

When you were young or let’s say immature (as the society likes to call), you would do things which made you happy… Life was simple. But then you grew old, you were told that you need to do something because people think it’s important. Thats the silliest thing which one can think of, if you really contemplate. You are eating because your neighbour is hungry or You are bathing because your neighbour is dirty.

And then we call ourselves the most evolved species. I say we are the most receding species. Our lifestyle and thinking is only regressive. I just hope that this pandemic has helped many in setting their priorities straight. 

I once got invited as a Guest in my own school where they introduced me and told how successful I have been. In fact, in most of such occasions you hear these so called ‘success stories’ and how you need to learn from it. Although, I believe that the times will be much better when it is iterated that how happy a person is despite having achieved so much… despite having lived so much. 

Just sit back, close your eyes, empty your brain and ask yourself, when was the last time you were truly happy…

“Being happy is in itself a success story in present times… vice-versa is not so true.”