Living for the sake of others

Article By

Sujit Chandra Kumar

As Corona has taken a back seat and life has returned to normal, one of the increasing trends is for people, especially youngsters, to the hit the gym and try to attain the Salman Khanesque body of their dreams. Though there are no surveys to prove this, boys outnumber girls by many times these days when it comes to sculpting their bodies.

An interesting insight came to light when I was taking to a nephew who has come down from Long Island in the United States. The young man has been born and raised in America and is an American in the way he walks, talks and thinks. Let us call him Arun for our purposes.

Arun used to go to the gym but has now stopped it. “Girls don’t like it that much,” he lets on. It was hard to believe his theory that members of the opposite sex did not like men with rippling muscles any longer. Arun goes on to explain that it is not exactly the looks that the girls are uncomfortable with. “They assume that if you are spending too much on your body, then you are probably narcissistic and more bothered about you than others. That you won’t have too much time to allot for your girlfriend. Besides, one may have diet restrictions which again prevent one from enjoying all kinds of food and drinks with friends.”

I know what’s on your mind. Why do people adopt a particular lifestyle just to impress girls or all those others and just lead life the way one wants to? This is easier said than done. All of our school life is spent trying to impress teachers, teenage years are a struggle to get the attention and approval of those from the opposite sex, and professional life is but an attempt to meet the expectations of the various bosses. Each and everything that we do is influenced by what others are likely to think about the act. Just think about the lengths to which people go just to crack a joke, so that others may laugh? Some people even practise and rehearse their jokes, in the hope that they would be appreciated for their sense of humour.

There are a few activities that we indulge in for self-satisfaction such as reading, praying, listening to music and watching movies but most of what we do is for the sake of others and with the hope that it will enhance our image or prestige among a small or large group of people. This tendency has increased manifold in the digital age. Once upon a time, people simply travelled for the sake of it and to soak themselves in it. But now, we ensure that we shoot enough Instagrammable pictures and share them on the spot. The priority is not enjoying the experience but to capture a digital image of it. Even when we visit a restaurant, many of us want to share it with the world. We like the likes more than even the biryani.

There is no escape from the trend and there is no need to escape. I once interviewed a very famous guru just before he addressed a huge gathering of people and I could distinctly make out that he was wearing eye makeup. Even the so called self-realised soul required such external accoutrements to impress his followers, so what to talk of ordinary folk like us? Just that, let us not completely forget to enjoy the biryani’s aroma or the brilliant sunset in our haste to capture it on camera for others.

Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright