On Being and Not Being

To be or not to be... the very famous soliloquy from Shakespeare's Hamlet. But it's not just his; to be or not to be is something each one of us can very well relate to. So many times in life, we come across this situation, of 'to be or not to be'. It's not only decision-making times and dilemmas that are responsible for a to-be-or-not-to-be. Come to think of it, everything in life is about being or not being. Just everything has two sides to it. Sometimes it feels both sides are right and you don't know where to go; at times you think both are wrong, and feel there's nowhere to go. What is right and what is wrong after all? What's in being and what's in not being...?

On Saying and Not Saying
Do you say everything you feel like? Yes and no. Do you feel like saying everything you think of? Yes and no. To mouth everything that you think, you need ears that listen. But then there are times you have someone to listen but you have nothing to say. And then there are times when you say it but no one listens. There are times when you want to say but you can't and there are times when you want to say but you don't. Why can't you say what you want to? Because you don't think you can, because you don't find the right words to say that. And why don't you say what you want to sometimes? Because you don't know if you are right; because you are not sure if you would be able to say; and most times because you don't know if you would be able to convince those around! Well, some can convince things so well, that you begin to feel everything they say is true while there are others who can't even convey what they want to. The ones who convince can portray things so well that whatever they say begins to project as real, while there are some who lack the ability to word it right, to word in a way what they say is understood, and in ways they can convince. And then, there's this third category of people who say things in a way that they want to convey one thing and end up conveying something else, thus only confusing!

On Smiling and Frowning
They say, it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile. What do they really want to say? Is it that smiling is easy as it takes less muscles to smile? Or is it that frowning exercises more muscles? Most choose the first option and take it as a message to smile more often. But then, is smiling that easy? Well, it is, in a way, as all you have to do is stretch you lips a little, in the direction of the ears, keep them slightly apart, if you wish to reveal a little of your teeth, and yes, you are smiling! But if you fake a smile, your jaws pain, if the smile is real, they don't. What about laughter, the extended smile? Laughing is not as easy. It requires something within; laughter requires an internal force that makes your mouth open wide, your eyes water and your face flush with joy. Laughter is always a splendid sight and it's always melodious; maybe not to the ear, but to the heart for sure. Laughter is something deeper, more intense, more real. However, there are some who fake even laughter and adulterate it. But then, it shows...

On Crying and Not Crying
Tears! So unpredictable... sometimes they come when they shouldn't, sometimes they don't, even when you want them to. You cannot cry without them; or can you? They are a company during times of both joy and sorrow. When you smile they are water, when you cry, they are tears. Are they saltier then? Your eyes brim with tears and you can neither shed them nor hold them back. At times, they start flowing; you can't let them flow and you can't wipe them off. Letting them flow would mean you want someone to wipe them; wiping them off yourself would mean you don't need anyone, or that you didn't want to cry. You might think crying makes you appear weak, but 'crying it out' can at times, make you strong. Laughing it out, we all know about, but what does crying it out mean?

On Marrying and Not Marrying
To marry or not to marry? One question that bothers many. When to marry, whom to marry... two important decisions in life. Does marriage get you rid of the fear of loneliness? Or is it a support that the timid minds seek? Is it the yearning for a long term companionship that makes one decide to marry? Or is it the fear of being alone? "Marrying is a plunge into an ocean of uncertainty", I said to a friend one day. "No, it's a ride on the waves, if you find the right companion", she said. What is marriage? Someone has rightly said, "Marry, not because you think you should; marry because you feel you want to." It's only then that you will enjoy married life. Who will I marry...?

On Succeeding and Not Succeeding
No, I won't say failing, as failure is success turned inside out! A failure can be turned into an opportunity and then into success. Failures are minor setbacks, they say, which come to teach you something. If you learn, change and have the grit to start anew, failures don't remain the dead-end that they are perceived to be. But then, there are times when a failure comes when success seems near; there are times when failures take you miles away from success when you are just a few steps away from it. And you feel why failure had to come only then! Does being content mean success? In a way, it is not, because when you are satisfied, you stop, and how can stopping be a success? There are times when a success comes in disguise of a failure. You seem to have failed when you actually haven't. In fact, in every little 'not succeeding', there's a small success, as in every little failing, there's learning too. In every not-succeeding, there's a lesson that tells you where you are, where you need to go and what you need to do, to get there. A failure sometimes, can make you much more confident than a success can, as in success, you can sit back and enjoy, while in failure, you need to stand up and fight.

On Being and Not Being
There are so many questions life puts to you, for some you find answers, for some you can't and for some you don't need any. And then there are these questions about doing and not doing or being and not being, which keep haunting you all the time. They are those little questions you confront every now and then; some need no time to dissolve while others take a lifetime to resolve. And there are some questions which keep you confused all the time and some confusions, you even begin to enjoy! Some questions keep you thinking... you think, think again, think again and again... What's in being and not being? Today's being is tomorrow's not-being. But there is a being in not being too, (both literally and figuratively)! 'Coz whenever you are not being one, you are being the other. Today, where am I; where are you? Tomorrow where will we be? There will be a day when we won't be... will this piece of writing be there that time...?