It is quite often that I find myself mulling over the ironies of life. And I dare not say that they are far and few between. I have reached a point where I enjoy looking at everything as a third person. Right perspective is often obtained when things are looked at without dragging oneself into the situation, which is also when things start veering from 'Me against the world' to 'This is what the ideal situation should have been like.'
You know irony exists when you see a person who finds it difficult to make a choice between a $2000 Versace bag and Swarovski diamond set, when there is someone on the streets who barely has any clothes for cover. Irony is right in your face when you witness nations warring in the name of religion, and simultaneously you see fundamentalists stressing on why a woman on her periods should not be allowed in the periphery of the idol of a God. Irony is palpable when a meritorious student commits suicide for losing his/her college seat to someone who gets in by giving a donation. The irony gets greater when a woman wearing a crop top is labelled 'untamed', whereas a woman who reveals her stomach and back in a saree is seen as being virtuous in the name of 'sanskaar'. Why is it that a beggar sleeping on the roadside seems much more content and peaceful than a successful entrepreneur, who pops pills to handle the stress of juggling a dozen ventures? Why are marriages often dreaded and made to be the target of jokes, when people that choose to remain single are subjected to strong judgements and snide remarks of the society? We live in a world where it takes a person's death to realize their importance and value in our lives. We have resorted to the medium of satire to understand and tackle the society in a better fashion, and on the other side we have politicians, like say an Arvind Kejriwal or a Rahul Gandhi, who have proved that they can go to any length to get votes, even if that means having to ridicule and shame themselves into furthering their ulterior motives. The hit on the head that secures the nail comes in the form of a certain section of the society frivolously upholding its religious tradition of protecting the cow by violating the human peace on the basis of a mere suspicion of someone having violated that tradition.
The line between being virtuous and ethical and accepting everything at face value and not questioning the existence of norms is blurred. Realizing the existence of that blurred line is mastering the art of balancing the equilibrium in a place where distortion exists in every respect of life. Ironies arise from the lack of practice of questioning why things exist a certain way. We simply view success as rising higher in the eyes of the world and hence, comes the pressure of keeping up the facade of being subservient to commonalities and stereotypes. And failures have a yardstick that is defined by the most miserable downfalls, by default. Picture an A car running at 120 kmph in front of a B car that is moving at 100 mph. The driver of car B may find 120 kmph too high a speed limit. Sure. I agree. And as a third person who is just an observer of the two cars, I also do not approve of the speed limit of car B. But, the driver of car B who compares the speed of his car with that of car A will always live thinking that he is driving safe. Such is the method of our functioning? Why is someone's wrongdoing used to balance our acts? A wrongdoing will always remain a wrongdoing, however much it is tampered with.
So, why is one religion's misfortune blamed on the existence of another religion? A blame game does not reduce the intensity of a misfortune. How does a rival's downfall and source of pain become one's antidote? Treading the path of non-encroachment seems like the best way to maintain the balance in life. Competing with someone above oneself leads to a life of underestimation, whereas looking down will only delay the journey to reach the finish point. To sum it up, an ice-cream either melts or causes a brain freeze, if eaten at a speed other than your own.
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