It has been almost 8 months since I came back from Korea...Hard to imagine that 8 months have passed living in bangalore... did it pass too soon, or too slow??? Cant really answer that... But things are not the same in life as they were before... I would say that it takes atleast 6 months to settle down again after a long time... that settling down can be seen more as compromises & adjustments... I never wanted to do them, but there was no choice....
To look into the things, I went back to the life which I had left back in Korea....
I spent 2 years & 10 months living in Korea... I used to come to India but more as a visitor. All the comforts were available back there.... the best part was, I never paid for them. A big appartment, bills, even food on weekdays.... So whatever was spent was on me... going out with friends, enjoying the clubs... partying... or sitting at home. There was a sense of tranquility even sitting at home. Peace prevailed inside the mind... isnt this what we try to achieve throughout life?? "peace of mind".... the magic word.... I remember people telling me that they just pray for "peace of mind" in a temple.... I got it without praying for it.... I think I was lucky.
I even visited US, France, UK & some other European countries from there. Most of the time officially, at times personal trips.... each time I enjoyed the most. It seemed that its pretty easy to get to any part of the world from there.
An ordinary alien like me used to get more respect in Korea which we hardly get in India. Be it banks, taxis, bus, subway, talking to random people.... you feel respected. Never felt that in India. I miss those days....
Fast forward->->-> its today... the weekend was pretty lame... it was spent more in retrospecting what I was & introspecting what I want now... life is tough here in India... when you drive on the roads, you feel like yelling at every person on the road, feels like they are driving in an amusement park rather than city roads. Fighting with auto walas as they always demand 10 or 20 rupees extra without any reason. Paying at least 50% more for things than the rest of India.
My home is 3 kms from the office, it took me 35 mins on a rainy day to meander out of the jam packed roads & reach home... everyday is new a challenge here.... the whole time here is spent on accumulating the basic necessities... there is not enough time to think ahead... NOW needs to be secured if you want to think about NEXT.. Securing NOW takes a long time here. Tired after coming home, you try to relax by watching TV, or chatting with friends... but still there is no sense of satisfaction....
I miss my "PEACE OF MIND" in my country......
To look into the things, I went back to the life which I had left back in Korea....
I spent 2 years & 10 months living in Korea... I used to come to India but more as a visitor. All the comforts were available back there.... the best part was, I never paid for them. A big appartment, bills, even food on weekdays.... So whatever was spent was on me... going out with friends, enjoying the clubs... partying... or sitting at home. There was a sense of tranquility even sitting at home. Peace prevailed inside the mind... isnt this what we try to achieve throughout life?? "peace of mind".... the magic word.... I remember people telling me that they just pray for "peace of mind" in a temple.... I got it without praying for it.... I think I was lucky.
I even visited US, France, UK & some other European countries from there. Most of the time officially, at times personal trips.... each time I enjoyed the most. It seemed that its pretty easy to get to any part of the world from there.
An ordinary alien like me used to get more respect in Korea which we hardly get in India. Be it banks, taxis, bus, subway, talking to random people.... you feel respected. Never felt that in India. I miss those days....
Fast forward->->-> its today... the weekend was pretty lame... it was spent more in retrospecting what I was & introspecting what I want now... life is tough here in India... when you drive on the roads, you feel like yelling at every person on the road, feels like they are driving in an amusement park rather than city roads. Fighting with auto walas as they always demand 10 or 20 rupees extra without any reason. Paying at least 50% more for things than the rest of India.
My home is 3 kms from the office, it took me 35 mins on a rainy day to meander out of the jam packed roads & reach home... everyday is new a challenge here.... the whole time here is spent on accumulating the basic necessities... there is not enough time to think ahead... NOW needs to be secured if you want to think about NEXT.. Securing NOW takes a long time here. Tired after coming home, you try to relax by watching TV, or chatting with friends... but still there is no sense of satisfaction....
I miss my "PEACE OF MIND" in my country......
10 comments:
my dear friend, do u remember when we used to drink together in our group and laugh our intestines out and enjoy life as if it was our last day, do u think it was the drinks..noo it was the company we shared and the most stupid and preposterous things we talked about.I know how important it is to have this 'Peace of Mind' we have moved on in life and i wdnt be exaggerating if i said we have moved ahead quite well in life. Still we remember the time when we hardly had money to buy good snacks. I know its not easy in India, the daily struggles make u sick in frustrated, but look at me just like u did in korea, i m living a hasselfree life, weather is awesome and no dearth of money , but still i m not happy, i wanna come back to the same struggles, coz priorities change in life. I hope the best for u and all the happiness life has to offer wheather u r in india or abroad :)
hmm...well, Anurag ur frnd has a very wise thing 2 say. ur 'Peace of mind' may not always have a positive correlation with d comforts ur enjoying. it really depends on ur vantage point and ur priorities in life. may b these little struggles (water shortages, power cuts, jams) wear u out completely and leave little energy 4 sum constructive n intellectual work but thn who says dat life has 2 b perfect.. i worked in an elite skool and never got d peace of mind dat i was craving for, but got it when i got d freedom 2 work with children frm deprived sections, working in d heat of june on streets n slums. i dont kno if ne research work wil tell u dat Koreans or Europeans lead psychologically healthier lives(as in less cases of depression n stuff. i kno i kno, u were sharing ur personal experience (n reflecting on it) and wasnt making a generalised comment on people's lives in first n thirld world countries. hehe. but, thn ur blog intellectually stimulated me.
thanks a lot gouri for your intellectual comments... in 1 way you are right... its more related to my life & whats going on... but you realize problems faced here, when u are outside too long...still things will improve...
Lets see if I can be happy in the work I do...or do I need a whole new profession... :D
thanks again
Quite a disheartening blog my dear friend....Remember "HOPE is a wonderful thing". Set a goal and throw yourself to achieve that. It is easy to crib over the things but its very difficult to accept the things as they are. Don't show signs of being a loser.
Remove your garments, take a bath and get ready for a new RACE, a race to conquer your life and you have to win it. Good Luck
vishesh... well u are partly right...
your recommendations are good, but there is a deadly problem...
I really dont want to hang out like that... been there done that...not interested as much now...
but some things are true... some are too explicit... though I m not really ready to marry so soon..
keep posting..
Fuck all the "from" people....
Welllll…looks like a transparent Anurag in this blog. I’d say things won’t be an different for someone who’s felt so happy abroad, whatever you said is quite natural. I won’t go on and put on my advising robe but all I’d say is Change is the only constant part of life. Things change…priorities change….YOU change….and that’s how life goes whether it’s a struggle or a bed of roses. Don’t wait for worldly pleasures to make you happy…instead find your happiness inside you!!!
Hey there.....we dont know each other much but there is someone who bridges the acquaintance between us :)
As far as ur blog content is concerned, I get it all...I hands down agree to what is up there....nostalgia and philosophy do not thrive life and most importantly what u want the most is not served by philosophical vehement speeches
One needs to involve a flavor of practicality and acheive what u want and get what u cherish ....
So Anurag, i absoultely understand what u trying to convey ....u should go ahead and work towards getting out of the place where you cannot find what we all desire for in a lifetime...happiness and peace of mind...If u r not content with the work enviornment, the people, the roads, the traffic signals, the auto walas, the jams, the power failures ...... "anything and everything".....u have the whole right to improve ur life the way u think it can be done....striving for the best,is something the human race does....
Emotionally, ethically u might be bludgeoned here with patriotic, ideological, philosophical and nostalgic comments ;).... but I think the feel you have is a reality...its just a personal outlook to comprehend and work around situations. To target from point A to point B to point Z for a betterment in life is always smart I belive:) ( Not to run from situations though but to shape up life as a whole)
So....rise up and run towards ur peace of mind ..coz there is a time and tide for everything....design ur life in the best poosible way!!!
Good Luck!!!
u make a good point.
perhaps India was too busy marketing the mystic east, religion and stuff like moksha and incarnation that it forgot about day to day living!! Suffering every single day in life .. just to have a good death is not what I agree with.
Also, almost every single thing here is attached to religion and caste. We put so much effort to drag what we call ancient tradition that there is hardly any energy left to leap for a bright tomoro!
perhaps there are things that are meagre and more worldly than BIG VALUABLE traditions. But perhaps those things bring small comforts and smiles and eventually those little smiles add up to a more happy and satisfying life -- and to what you call as "Peace of mind!!"
If a politician/minister spends 6 months in an year killing people of different regions in his city, If a leader spends 5 years building up communal hatred and planning riots that shud be triggered right at the moment so that he can secure max votes, I dont understand when will they find time to plan a road construction, a flyover renovation, a new school, a new employment plan etc.
There are so many things that need attention. In a gist I believe... Perhaps having broad roads in India will bring more peace of mind than having a good caste system.
If you need peace of mind in India .. stop driving in cities .. Delhi or Bangalore.... head for the himalayas ... live in woods .. thats where the peace is!! :D
As you say in India.. head for Himalayas in "search of peace" !! You wont find it anywhere else. Its a place - too traditional, too religious/communal, too political and above all too content with all this - to be a peaceful place. :P
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