(F)Art of living !!

Cliches....It once struck me that every good write up will have at least one cliched sentence.....And that cliche.....will be in it's perfect place...That every great writer will know this one thing...where to use a cliche.....or rather...one who knows this will always be a good writer/story teller.....Think carefully ....and you will see it too...How the most cliched thing said at the right time....has the effect it had the first time..with the added advantage that it strikes a familiar note ....making it not alien ...and hence the person becomes more receptive to the narrative...becomes more happy with it's creator......

Life.....(i'm wondering if my readers (note..the infinite paradox) have tired of this one yet ...?))Aah...just that one word....brings to mind...a young man lying down in a field looking at the stars and wondering......a middle aged woman standing in the middle of a busy street or a crowded railway station looking around her at the infinitely many people she sees, or an old couple sitting on their porch watching their(...not a typo !) sun set..... All of them....Sighing.......

We think of those moments when we are really, truly alive...when we wonder ...why we are here...and what exactly it is that we are to do with this 'life' of ours.....when for one moment...we stop and wonder, why we are running hither thither..pretending that we have goals.... and meaning..... and motives..... We stop....and for one moment we realise that we don't know what we want......And then....we sigh.....

In general, i have seen ( and further deduced from my..uhh... ..seeing !!) that people generally life their lives from short term goal to short term goal...... choosing a path and then optimising minor factors in that way of life...to suit themselves....I say...why not choose a perfect path....Most people give very little thought to what they want out of life.....Most people....i agree...do not get the chance.....Necessities of food, clothing and shelter, and upgrades of the same ( !!!!) occupy our minds to an almost parasitic extent.......Unless you are at a certain standard of living..... you 'need' to keep upgrading...to climbing....That much ....everyone will agree on.....but..what is this level.....how much comfort does one really need ? When does need turn into want...quietly, smoothly , almost slyly....fooling us into believing that we need the better couch....or the LCD screen TV.... or the 64 GB ipod touch....How does one know.....??

These question trouble me.....I am 19.With 2 years of graduate school left....I am nearing 'flying the nest time' Very soon...I will be on my own......Don't get me wrong..it's natural..In fact i wouldn't have it any other way......It's scary...but exciting...The questions are troubling...but indeed intriguing at the same time...they scream to be answered.....And i scream back....(as of now....just profanities....but ....very soon...!!)So i start thinking...and what with my exceedingly egomaniacal( Peter griffin would've screamed out loud....(Pardon me...but i consider 'Family Guy' to be an essential part of today's youth culture....!!)) nature....writing !! What would comprise a good life... a happy life...

First of all....One must have a goal......that much is clear....Whatever that goal maybe....it should seem like a lifetime's work at the time of goal-choosing....and till it's achievement should be the guiding factor in all decisions one makes.Also it must be something close to one's heart.....so as to make life meaningful......to give it purpose.....

Secondly.....To live one must have money.....therefore one must work.....( unless of course one has some steady source of income....!!!! Hurrah !!) and since work would generally take up a substantial part of one's day...it should be something one is interested in....and it should produce enough money for one to live on...( start off by considering one's parents'; or rather childhood standard of living( since one is accustomed to it))

Thirdly one must have a hobby (or more than one) different from one's goal....for you always tire of a thing, sooner or later......Something to turn to when bored or frustrated with one's goal......

Next, one must have a confidante.... someone to confide in, when you are tired, worried, sad happy or angry....Because every person loves to give vent to stuff...thoughts, ideas, feelings, emotions etc....You need someone to hear you out...to listen and nod comfortingly....someone to support you and yet someone who will not deceive you even if it is to try to 'protect' you from the world......

Further...you need someone to confide in you(Oftentimes this will be your confidante...but that is not necessary..) It does not matter if the person does not think of you as a 'confidante'....you have to think that he/she is .....that's all..(It's like everyone needs to be loved...but also needs to love...both functions are essential....and hence..to confide and to be confided in are essential to life....)

Finally...your confidante, like your goal, need not be boredom-proof..so you need friends...

Once you have a system in place..then you test it ( It's better to do this in your mind !!...) Experiment with your goal and your standard of living..your hobbies and your free time....your confidante and your friends......and try to get an optimum.....
The possibilities are infinite... One's system may change from time to time...but it's always good to have one at all points of time.....

Well....try my system out...if it works...well i'll don saffron robes and grow a beard (Damn !!).....

PS: How good was my cliche placement ??

PPS:Like skeletor promised.....I'm back !!!

PPPS: Missing a confidante !!!

PPPPS: Or wait...yeah...i confide in everybody.......