Recently, a friend of mine, who is expecting her first child, decorated her Facebook page with a galore of pictures showcasing a vivaciously decorated new room for the incoming little one. As they say, pictures speak thousand times more than words, and from the crib to the accessories to the wall color evidently portrayed an extravagant and chic life that the would-be parents not only wanted to institute to the yet to be born but also wished to flaunt to friends and acquaintances as a gentle reminder that they belonged to an upper social strata.
I reasonably see the exuberance and excitement of welcoming the first child, a feeling of being on cloud nine that can only get reinforced through sharing. What, nonetheless, baffles me is how we are translating our life’s events, from mundane to meaningful ones into monetary disposition. Well understood that we all possess youthful desires and worldly cravings, though at varying scales. You and I may fall under different strata of the society and accordingly contain some forms of desires and aspirations.
“I long for an opulent date; I relish diamonds and gold,” she loudly revealed. You carry the same woman in you, I exclaimed while acknowledging her yearnings. “I can’t be different from the rest of the world, I must fit in somehow to the tunes and songs of the populace,” came an instant online reply from my married female friend. I was stunned by the response from a friend who I thought was well grounded to the realms of life, albeit the response was not the first of its kind.
When we come across people in networking events, when we simply run into strangers at bars and pubs, the first we are asked or we ask is what we do for living; clearly revealing how we benchmark people with their earnings. We don’t debut our engagements asking about their interests and hobbies, or for that matter politics and sports. Looking at what people wear or what they drive, we judge them without realizing how this halo effect is distorting our perception of the world around us. The haphazard rush to become affluent and the accompanying greed is ruining our relationship, social life and emotional wellbeing.
Often, as I browse through pictures on Facebook, many resort to pictures which are true manifestations of riches – occasional dining out in fine establishment, exotic vacations, discernible labels. Jewelries, watches, electronic gadgets, automobiles and a new home even come with announcements on social media as if these coming to people’s lives will create more fortunes.
I ponder every now and then that if we are really seeking a different route in life that goes beyond the worldly desires, one that cares less of material fight we’re having with each other as we chart our future course and a path that illuminates the homes of less fortunate ones. Difference is not necessarily a choice between eating this or that, or buying labels versus generics or driving Hyundai or Porsche. It’s the character we develop into our mindset that calls for innovation, risk taking and beatification in our lives as if we are a business entity with differentiation strategy in place. It’s even more about how our little deeds can become reason for others to follow and how a small act of benevolence, kindness and compassion can impact more lives. And it requires constant learning, introspection and delving into humanity.
The writer is an MBA graduate from George Mason University, USA.
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