same difference

if you don't do anything different, you will, by definition, do the routine. - meech

so what does the above zero information sentence mean? a lot actually.
i have seen and known people who had the potential and were genuinely interested in living life on their own terms, but ended up in a 9 to 5. now, some of them vehemently deny ever having such ambitions, some are busy transferring them to their newly acquired next of kin, and some have locked them in safe deposit boxes to be opened at an appropriate age.


well..whats so wrong about that?
hmm there are many questions hidden in that question mark. lets take them on.


whats wrong with 9 to 5?
not much, apart from the fact that it makes you schizophrenic. you cannot spend more than half your waking life doing something you are not passionate about, and still call it a quality life. i know its hard to believe this. when you see almost everyone around you doing the exact same thing, the question of it being right or wrong kinda fades away. but all you need to dig out the dirty truth is a rational mind and some guts. if you need clues, here are some. do you look forward to the weekends? yes? get scared. do you plan nice long vacations every year? yes??? damn, too late for you.


but i love my job.
really? are you sure? if you are sure then let me ask you. are you sure? :P
nobody can beat us at fooling ourselves. we will lie, cheat, distort reality and fabricate evidence to gratify ourselves. anything that will maintain the status quo and prevent a big change. this is especially true for the lucky (or unlucky) amongst us who are very well compensated (toppers in college, successful businessmen, highly paid (laiki peksha jasti :P) software folks, etc). i am not saying that you hate your job, but there is a difference between changing outside world to fit your inner reality and changing your inner reality to fit the world you are stuck with. basically there is a very faint thin line between fighting for the life you want and accepting what you've got. again all you need to dig out the dirty truth is a rational mind and some guts.


i like this idea of doing something different, but haven't found my calling yet. so i will do the routine till the passion of my life dawns upon me.
and that brings me to the meaning of the stupid quote at the top. dude, it seems like a good plan. but sorry, ain't gonna happen. the Routine (by that i mean graduation > job > car > marriage > house > kids > bigger house > bigger kids > their graduation > ....) is self perpetuating. thats the whole point. once you get into it, you are not allowed to get out. so be _extremely_ careful when you take on new responsibility. when gautya said "possession is the root cause of all suffering", he was not kidding. do you have any idea how much commitment a washing machine demands?? let alone a wife or kid.
so question yourselves a thousand times before getting them :P


NOTE: obviously this post is for myself more than anyone else. i have realized that it helps to bare the facts once in a while. it makes it harder to deny them when the time comes :D