For me every person is a story. Each individual’s behavior, actions, and beliefs, portray a story. Some stories represent the darker sides of humanity while others illustrate the utmost level of benevolence. Some exhibit the indomitable will and human strength while others show fear and distress.
Some will get you motivated and teach you the right lessons in life while other stories will teach you the pitfalls to be avoided. Some will follow you till the end while others will leave you midway. Some stories will make your life beautiful while others will give you experiences.
The story of a poor young boy selling balloons outside a garden while a boy of the same age enjoying inside the garden with his parents shows the irony of life. In yet another story, a man jogs on a treadmill in his personal gym while looking outside and sees a poor man pushing a cartload of goods. In the former case, the man indulges in physical activity to keep himself fit while in the latter the man indulges in physical activity to earn livelihood.
The story of a typical middle class Indian household where a woman in the house applies a vermillion mark before turning on their newly bought AC shows how despite the advances we have made with time, we still hold on to our cultural roots.
A story of how an old woman waiting to cross the road is helped by a teenage boy shows how despite claims by the older generation that the new generation is completely cut off & do not possess any values shows that the younger ones still possess the will and desire to help people as and when they could.
Yet another story of how a middle aged couple fighting in a full public view lends credence to the old age wisdom of ‘not washing your dirty linen in public’.
Another story of an extreme case in which a man storms out of his house after a fight with his wife. As the day proceeds both of them realise their mistake and decide to apologise to each other in the evening. However, on the way home, the man dies after getting hit by a car. This shows the importance of cherishing & savouring each and every moment with your loves ones in this uncertain life.
These and various other stories that you experience fill you with varying emotions and shape your lives in a certain way.
Life is an experience to be experienced. And dealing with people is and will always be one of the top experiences. But how often we commit a fallacy by judging a story by reading just one line (a particular trait of a person) or reading the title (designation of a person). In my interactions with people I find them doing just that.
There is a lesson to be learned from each story. Just observe people, talk to them and you will learn something or the other from that person. You can learn some of the most important lessons of life that cannot be found in any book. So go ahead and enjoy as many interesting stories as you can. Talk to as many strangers as you can, get to know them, find what is it that excites them or gets them afraid.
It might be a bit uncomfortable for you initially and people might view you with suspicion but keep doing this and soon you will learn the art of talking to people and understanding which strings to pull to make them open their hearts out.
In the process you might end up making some good friends. As they say “Strangers are just friends waiting to happen!”
After all the important question is- in the end do you want your book of life to contain beautiful & interesting stories or just repentances and missed encounters?
