Success of a Survey of sorts.
Death is a funny thing. An extremely scary, terrible, funny thing. I often claim that nothing scares me much, except a long overdue assignment or low battery on my cellphones. However, there is one thing that scares me irrespective of time, date and season. That would be death.
Isn't it scary?
Death? One moment you're sitting there, just putting off your
homework when the next, there could be some awful disaster and you'd
cease to exist. You wouldn't even cease to exist, you'd die. Sounds
harsher when you put it like that, doesn't it? In psychology, we were
studying about how natural disasters could lead to PTSD
(Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and how they could kill people
physically as well as mentally. That's when this idea struck me.
I was watching the
Miss India pageant a couple of years ago. The final question was,
'What was one thing you'd ask God if he were to appear before you?'.
Four of the contestants gave the same, monotonous, generic answers on
world peace, brotherhood, love etc. One of them stood out for me.
While I think no person would ask anything this profound if/when they
see God, she said something that got me thinking: “Why is it that
humans feel immortal while all their brothers and sisters around them
are dying?” That is one answer I did not expect from a beauty
queen. And it was sort of true. We, often, though subconsciously,
feel immortal when we see thousands of people dying. While completely
psychological, this rush, this sensation, is as true as it gets.
Like everyone else, I have a bucket list of my own; things I want to do before I stop breathing, before I stop living. I want to travel to Japan, experience everything I have thought or heard about it since I was eight years old. I want to eat those green tea kit-kats that I keep seeing everywhere now. I want to meet Michelle Phan and The Erichsen. I want to meet Ruskin Bond and tell him that he's the best writer India has. I want there to be a state holiday in my name. I want to try every makeup brand in the world and still have good skin. I would like to converse with Keira Knightley and let her know how most of her movies have had a huge impact on my life. I want to own a pair of Prada shoes, oooh, yes. (And never wear them, of course.) I want to bring my entire family together and have good food and hysterical conversations with them. I want a dog that I can name for a change; I'd name him, preferably, Wolfram. There are so many things to do and not a whole lot of time to do them. I have peppered this post with many wishes from a small survey (of sorts) I conducted. A completely light-hearted and fun survey. Something I would have fun conducting, for a change. A simple compilation of people's wishes. While some have the same ambitions, some have very unique, heart-warming wishes.
Life is fleeting by us. Some of us notice the fact and do everything we can while some of us don't notice and waste every precious moment. There are some who know its importance and yet decide to waste it. There are some who are holding on to every last breath of theirs, fighting to live on, fighting for an existence, another chance to feel it all.
"Drive an Aston Martin DB5 on the Furka Pass. Or, better still, in a Ferrari 250 GTO."
"Swim to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean with dolphins and whales."
"To be a great scientist in the field of reproductive biology."
"I would dance with my love, if I find anyone."
"Will watch my club play."
"Meet Shah Rukh Khan."
"Meet Shah Rukh Khan."
"I would like to be the owner of a tortoise."
"See the Foo Fighters live."
"Learn to make jam."
"I will dance with my love. If there had to be any."
"Learn to make jam."
"I will dance with my love. If there had to be any."
"Kiss someone, anyone."
"I want to be remembered."
"I want to be the perfect version of myself that I have created in my head before I die."
"Jump off a cliff and, of course, land safely."
"I want to go to Switzerland with SRK for one month."
"I want to be remembered."
"I want to be the perfect version of myself that I have created in my head before I die."
"Jump off a cliff and, of course, land safely."
"I want to go to Switzerland with SRK for one month."
These are some of the most unique, funniest and most individualistic answers I got. After much analysis, I found that only 30% of my respondents said something that they want for themselves. That, to me, is not surprising. How many of us can truly say we did something for ourselves today? Something that we love, something that we're passionate about.
In a stark contrast, 20% of my respondents said something that they want to do something for others. Others being their family, state, country etc. Again, how many of us can truly say we do something for others without expecting anything in return?
"I want to make my parents, my sister and my would-be wife and children proud of me... I want to be a good son, a good brother, a good husband, a good father and a good human being."
"I want to do something to cure my father's disease. If I am able to do that, it's a life well worth it."
"I want my parents to not be afraid of the future. I want them to feel safe, that they'll be in my care."
"Do something for my people."
"I want to be an inspiration to other people."
Exactly 50% of my respondents said that they'd like to go places; travel, basically. The reason behind is rather simple: why not see this crazy, beautiful world? Why not feel the wind, experience different cultures, feel the love, experience the world; just feel and experience?
"Travel every corner of the world. And experience regional food."
"Go around the world... To see the most awesome places."
"See the pyramids! Actually, more than that... Make a road trip to London with close friends!"
"Travel the world, see every place or at least as many as possible."
"Travel around the world. And try world cuisine."
"Collect enough money to take my arse around the planet."
"Go to Antarctica! That's be so cool!! Pun intended."
"Travel every little place."
"Go to different parts of the world and shop till I drop."
"Go to Scandinavia."
"I want to see what the big whop is about the Eiffel Tower. And hopefully come back with a Frenchman, who doesn't stink or eat too many croissants."
"Travel to Europe without a tour guide and time limit."
"To travel to somewhere, anywhere beyond my state's boundaries."
It's funny how many minutes have gone by as I wrote this up. Time well used? I'd like to think so. Life is just running by us. I cannot tell you, I cannot emphasize enough how quickly 2013 went by. You wake up one morning, do all the things you're supposed to do, go back to sleep. That's it. That's one day. Maybe its the caffeine talking or maybe its the fact that I have dug up a couple of Amy Macdonald's older albums, but, I find that one day is just not enough to accomplish all those things we have. And yet again, funnily enough, for some people, it's just enough. How they do it, I do not know and I have no intention of knowing. I'd like to find things out on my own. I am a time-waster. Not a word, I know. But I am very much a time-waster. A day dreamer.
If I managed to make you think twice about your wishes, your dreams, then go for it. Work towards fulfilling it. However, if you're like me, and you add new things to your list every hour, just sit back, grab a cup of whichever beverage you fancy and then go for it. This was so much fun. I have not written a piece like this in the longest time. It's pointless, hopeless and pathetic, yet filled with hidden meaning. Good luck finding it.Hahahahaha, really, good luck.
Remember, everybody is looking for time. What they don't realize is that they've got just enough of it.
In a stark contrast, 20% of my respondents said something that they want to do something for others. Others being their family, state, country etc. Again, how many of us can truly say we do something for others without expecting anything in return?
"I want to make my parents, my sister and my would-be wife and children proud of me... I want to be a good son, a good brother, a good husband, a good father and a good human being."
"I want to do something to cure my father's disease. If I am able to do that, it's a life well worth it."
"I want my parents to not be afraid of the future. I want them to feel safe, that they'll be in my care."
"Do something for my people."
"I want to be an inspiration to other people."
Exactly 50% of my respondents said that they'd like to go places; travel, basically. The reason behind is rather simple: why not see this crazy, beautiful world? Why not feel the wind, experience different cultures, feel the love, experience the world; just feel and experience?
"Travel every corner of the world. And experience regional food."
"Go around the world... To see the most awesome places."
"See the pyramids! Actually, more than that... Make a road trip to London with close friends!"
"Travel the world, see every place or at least as many as possible."
"Travel around the world. And try world cuisine."
"Collect enough money to take my arse around the planet."
"Go to Antarctica! That's be so cool!! Pun intended."
"Travel every little place."
"Go to different parts of the world and shop till I drop."
"Go to Scandinavia."
"I want to see what the big whop is about the Eiffel Tower. And hopefully come back with a Frenchman, who doesn't stink or eat too many croissants."
"Travel to Europe without a tour guide and time limit."
"To travel to somewhere, anywhere beyond my state's boundaries."
It's funny how many minutes have gone by as I wrote this up. Time well used? I'd like to think so. Life is just running by us. I cannot tell you, I cannot emphasize enough how quickly 2013 went by. You wake up one morning, do all the things you're supposed to do, go back to sleep. That's it. That's one day. Maybe its the caffeine talking or maybe its the fact that I have dug up a couple of Amy Macdonald's older albums, but, I find that one day is just not enough to accomplish all those things we have. And yet again, funnily enough, for some people, it's just enough. How they do it, I do not know and I have no intention of knowing. I'd like to find things out on my own. I am a time-waster. Not a word, I know. But I am very much a time-waster. A day dreamer.
If I managed to make you think twice about your wishes, your dreams, then go for it. Work towards fulfilling it. However, if you're like me, and you add new things to your list every hour, just sit back, grab a cup of whichever beverage you fancy and then go for it. This was so much fun. I have not written a piece like this in the longest time. It's pointless, hopeless and pathetic, yet filled with hidden meaning. Good luck finding it.
Remember, everybody is looking for time. What they don't realize is that they've got just enough of it.
Until next time,
take care.
~AB.
