Hello, hello!

I come bearing a couple of thoughts. Here’s the agenda for our little rendezvous – if I may.

1. You can’t cash in ideas
2. An inevitable heartbreak and my excuse of youth
3. Being chronically online
4. Slow life
5. Stop being a saviour

One. You can not cash in ideas.

What this means is that you could have the best ideas on God’s green earth but if you are not acting on them, they are dirt. On the other hand, someone with a mostly-okay or slightly-okay idea, persistently acting on them will build larger things than you.

Quick example.

Say you plan on building a rocket to Mars. You have the idea. If you’re feeling wild, maybe you even go and put it on a paper. What you have now is a brilliant concept. In theory, it could take you Mars. But it won’t be till the day you start ordering nuts and bolts and Ammonium Perchlorate off Amazon that you actually get somewhere. One could say you’ve taken the first step, but a million ones. The eureka moment, the idea, the inspiration, the excitement comes in easy – the challenge is to keep at it once the euphoria of an idea dies.

Now say your next door neighbour is also a …. She wants to build a boat. She charts down a questionable plan.

Step one: A sample paper boat.

Step 2: Replicate the same thing in Balsa wood.

Step 3: Scale it 100x and make it a real boat.

The day she starts buying Origami paper, her journey begun. She’s ahead of you. Day one, the paper boat mightn’t work. 10 days in, it’ll traverse puddles. 25 days in, Balsa would have weight issues. The nails won’t go in. She’ll experiment with a glue. Waterproofing. All that jazz. 75th day, our Balsa boat sails away. Then on to step 3.

Point is: Despite the funny plan of action and because of the action, she brought herself to fail. Many times. And, in my opinion, nothing teaches you better than failing faster. Chase it.

Two. An inevitable heartbreak and my excuse of youth.

Disclaimer: This one is a very personal piece.

I picked this phrase from @saurabh. To me, this is a reminder of how I have an unfair advantage in life because I am young. I can be stupid, I can dream wild, I can pursue eccentric interests – and all of it could eventually be a pile of tomfoolery I did because I was a kid. No, I am not suggesting everyone go out and act lame-o and irresponsible. But the phrase does give me the quiet permission to do a few things in life without worrying about the consequences.

Now, the inevitable heartbreak. I have been pursuing a no-win situation. While I keep telling myself – It’s a rollercoaster ride. I can enjoy it while it lasts. But I know for a fact I will throw up when the ride ends.

Why then, why would I do this to myself?

I don’t quite know, but I like to blame it on being young and stupid and going along with it. Funny thing is, I know if I looked at this from a third-person perspective, I’d advice myself differently. So, what even is this teenage drama? (Second-thought:I think this last line is very ageist and dismissive of teenagers. Sorry kids.)

Anyhow, for the most part I will let go of most thoughts, controls and expectations on this “situation” and drown all miseries in coke and carbs.

Three. Being chronically online.

I am a kid raised by the Internet. I say this a lot. Folks would probably throw me in a dumpster if they read this. But no, I am a kid raised by the Internet and proudly so.

What this means is – Most of my world-views, ideas, beliefs, aspirations, tastes and preferences come from being online. I think I got my first laptop at around 8. That plus wifi was a boarding pass to the entire world. Compared to my parents and the friends/people back home, I find myself very open and accepting of new ideas.

Moreover, the things I care about, talk of, take interest in, support, believe in – everything – on some level clashes with what my parents would want of me. We don’t agree on most things. I don’t expect them to. I realise and acknowledge the difference and choose to shut up about them. As a kid, I was hell-bent on having them see things my way. This entailed countless heated arguments, of course. I have come to realise the futility of it. (This is a very third or fourth level of Maslow’s pyramid conversation and I am okay with it. I am not considering the basics here. You get the point)

I often look back at my brother. We’re so different. And I know why. He chose to – consciously or unconsciously – not chase things outside of his direct environment. Maybe this is a big expectation out of a normal teenager, I don’t know. Today, I can not have one conversation with him without feeling sad about the state of where I come from. The worst beliefs and mindsets have manifested themselves in him.

This is not just a rant against having a stupid brother. But I often quote him as my biggest case study when it comes why the Internet did me good. I have learnt a lot. Yes, I have also chased it vigorously. But still.

I think I can do a better job with explaining the goods of being chronically online. Writing feedback for next time. Shall decant my thoughts better.

Gotta go. Saving points 4 and 5 for later.

Will you be angry, dear Reader? (Yes, I was trying to pretend we’re in Daddy-Long-Legs)

Until I see you next, find me on Twitter or Instagram.

See you around,

AK!