“There were 6 of my friends who wanted to start an alumni meet, 3 of them are dead now!”
I was a part of the Alumni meet at our college- SJCE yesterday. It was a nice event to see so many people turn up and especially the ones of the 80, 90’s batches. This one particular statement held my attention for a long time. This statement was a part of the speech by the head of Vasu Agarbatties. Another statement he made was- “My father was poor but my son’s father is a very rich man”.
Sometimes we realize that there is so much of wit and thought involved in a couple of statements. I do not remember the rest of the speech but these two lines will be with me for a long time. As for the first statement that’s one of the best I have ever heard anyone make. The books say- Procrastination is the thief of time.
Retrospect and putting things off
I do remember putting off so many things to the future only to realize that the future day never came and I never did any of those things. End of the day, I have blamed my job, and my appointments for not giving me enough time to do some things. Even though they took the blame, deep down I do know the culprit and I don’t think I can go on lying to myself about this anymore. The paradox of certain words seems to dawn upon me now.
Tomorrow means not possible, try means- please let’s not kid ourselves- most times it means it’s a no. There are many ways many words have shaped me in and these two words seem to have shaped me this way.
Do it now
The addendum he made to the first statement was- “Whatever it is you want to do, do it immediately, tomorrow you might not be there!” :D . How very true! Taking things at a temporary level has so much of an essence and reality in it.
Maybe our lives would have been a lot simpler if we thought a little less about things, if we let go of the concept of analyzing a situation perfectly. How many of us are guilty of not doing some things cos they had a little negative speck in them?! I know I am. And I know that I kick myself for not doing that.
Words of experience sure have a great meaning. Even though the statement was made a part of the humor in the speech, it did carry a lot of essence and that is something that is going to stay.
Actions matter more than words ever do
The other statement he made was also a very inspirational one. Most people I met there were real jovial ones. Back in our college days we have been so very tuned to the thought that toppers are the people who get the goods in life while the rest are suckers who don’t get much out of life.
But I could see yesterday that most of them there were not toppers, but they really turned out very well cos it was not just the marks that were important; it was something more that was a part of their personality which made them such people who are to be emulated. I have been guilty of the thought that education, knowledge drives everything in life.
Of course, knowledge is power, but it doesn’t make any sense if we just have the knowledge and don’t act upon it. There are many a few who are extremely talented and extremely gifted but never opened the gift boxes cos of the many reasons they have given to others and themselves. There are many such gift boxes which are closed for the many fears and concerns. But maybe it is time to open them up, open ourselves up. There is still too much to do and there is very little time indeed.
I believe it is time to buckle up on certain things and start acting on those. For let us face it, tomorrow is a very lazy concept and from our experience we very well know how many tomorrows the many thoughts have seen..
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Procrastination – I feel guilty….!! :)
Very true on “Of course knowledge is power, but it doesn’t make any sense if we just have the knowledge and don’t act upon it”.
Excellent post Vinay!!!!!!
Thanks Ganesh or the response. It does mean a lot to me :)
what a title! immediately arresting!
and yes, those two lines conceal a world of truth in them, part of which you dealt very well here in the post
and about the “average scorers” excelling in the real world, YES.
as a trainer/teacher, that is a thought I NEED to carry everyday into my classrooms and many more of us. it is a highly motivating reality but sadly teachers too get caught in the marks/grades/topper rat-race & do not guide young minds appropriately
very good post Vinay. and shows that the meet was a memorable one for you
Thank you Sujatha for the beautiful comment :) .. It indeed was a memorable moment to meet some inspirational people out there. It kinda re-endorses all the beliefs I was dreamy about. Good to know that there are so many people to gather and learn from.
Its honestly great to have met a trainer through the blog, its one of the professions I respect the most. :) ..
Very true
Glad to see a reply on the post macha :) .. Wish u could have come to the alumni meet. It was good to see that JCE has so many great connections..
beautifully written; each and every line.
Thank you Deb.. Thank you :)
btw i tried this socialvibe on my blog but it didn’t work. plz let me know if u can figure this out :D
:). On your dashboard. you’d find the appearance section. In that, widgets where you’ll find the social vibe. Drag and drop it to the header or the footer section and the vibe will appear on your screen..
Ha ha.. Always blame the doctor! :D .. I wish I had someone to blame :P… As of now all fingers are pointing towards me :D
Inspirational indeed. And see how those two lines made you write a nice post :-)
Procrastination has been part of my life since even before I was born – doctor had postponed for one day to take me out of mom’s womb!! :-P So, no regrets. I can always blame that doctor :-)