the age of innocence

yesterday i went to the park. not the kind of park where there is only grass and dogs run around. the kind of park where children run around and play on swings and seesaws. do you remember that? open up the archive, and look at the files from that part of your life. you might have to dust it off, but its there.

do you remember what it felt like to go to the park? to go on adventures to find the coolest parks in your neighbourhood? telling your mom that you'll be back later, and you get on your bike and just go? without so much as a care or worry about what will happen next, just concentrating on what is happening now, and embracing that feeling? all those memories and feelings came tumbling down like a ton of bricks around me yesterday afternoon. took me back to the age of innocence.

as i sat there watching the newest generation living the life in the reality they have created for themselves, running around playing with their fathers, laughing, screaming, crying, i was filled with a sense of jealousy. these children were all completely oblivious to anything that wasnt important to them, or directly impact their lives. they werent worrying about school work, relationships, family, money, crime, any of the things we bother ourselves with. they were just concerned with the immediate present, being alive and taking in every experience as a new one. forming perceptions of a new world with every waking moment, and using it to establish their own reality.

now we are at an age where our reality has been created, and now we deal with things and issues beyond our means. instead of just living in the here and now, and embracing it and just laughing, we are constantly concerned with the future, stressing out about work and relationships, money, material things that add very little inherent value to our lives. life itself is about a lot more than that. its about the immediate experiences one engages themselves in and learns from. its about taking that experience and teaching others what you have learnt. spreading your own personal gospel to those who you feel deserve it and empower from it. we all have a purpose, and it isnt to be rich and famous, its to live life and learn from it, so that we can empower those around us and those in the next generation.

watching these children hop around with an air of nonchalance reminded me how important life actually is (not that i was forgetting, cos i live a very charmed life by choice), and that its up to you yourself to decide how you want to live it, and what you want to make of it. yes, there are extraneous variable that may impact the degree to which you are able to take on certain things, but those should be taken in their stride and one shouldnt lose focus on what is important-life, love and learning.

i left the park with a new sense of self. a slighltly brighter view of the world. pretty colours. sharper images. and a groovy tune playing in the background. it was glorious, and that feeling is still with me a day later, even though i have returned to the life i normally lead. its phenomenal. if ever you are feeling overwhelmed by the bullshit that life throws at you, go to the park. ride on the swing.

#imjussayin

rabi