THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Woah!! It’s gonna be three years since I joined “Facebook”, earlier known as “THE facebook”, THE “THE” removed only because of a guy whom the best friend thought wasn’t wise enough to be invested in.

Hi. Welcome to the “SOCIAL” NETWORK review from my side!! And though all these months what I’ve been doing is reviewing nothing but readings given to me weekly in my college, I was more than anxious for the movie to get over and write my thoughts, oops! POST my thoughts on my very own “blog” ( HA! THANK goodness I’m not an obsessive blogger like Mark Zuckerberg was).

No one but I know at this moment what my mind is going through. I liked the movie, no wonder it’s worth getting all the awards at most prestigious award functions (I’m intentionally trying NOT to name them). But the main reason for the success is the movie will be what? The way the movie was made? Or the way events and incidents happened in Zuckerberg’s life?

It’s been many years since I’ve been reading “The Chicken Soup” and in my teen years and even now I often wonder that the issues ( that of “stereotyping” “ self- esteem” “ being a nobody” “ having no girlfriend or for that matter friends to talk to” in short everything that can be included in the SOCIAL CONTEXT of a school life) which bothered teens in the west were far more different than in the “Indian” context. Now I do not know if I’ll be right when I say that “back- bitching”, “gossiping”, “publicizing”, “flaunting”, “popularizing” have all resulted in India from THE FACEBOOK, or they were already there (you might as well disagree, but I’m purposely not elaborating it at this moment, coz indeed there are many factors for the westernization of the Indian culture, and FB might be just one of them).

Surely some people would agree with me that the teens of today’s generation are light years ahead in the negative things that they are indulging in, unknowingly or perhaps knowingly too) from where we were at their age and are now. The other day I heard my aunt saying about her son, who just recently joined facebook, “What’s the idea of going to the school, and coming back, sitting in front of FB only to chat and talk with friends whom you just left few hours before”? Height was when my cousin in the ninth standard was on his Homepage and told me that his classmates would sneakily get digicams or cells to click pix in the school only to go back home and upload on facebeook.

Sorry for digressing (as I said I had too many thoughts on my mind). The story of the facebook founder- Mark, if I believe it to be at least 75% true as shown in the movie then this is all I would like to share ( and perhaps even if not, then too):
What do you think about the aspect of friendship as shown in the movie? TO BE CRISP I’LL SAY: BEST FRIENDS always think good for you. It’s sad that trivial jealousies as friends move ahead on the ladder of success whether in the high school life or in professional life take over the wonderful moments one shared with that friend. This is precisely what Zuckerberg did. HA! What an irony, the guy who created FB had not even a single friend on his side, as every second online people added each other, made friends and so to say expanded their “social” network.
What happened in the end? His friend was right about his partner who dealt with drugs and was caught red- handed for it.

What about the glorification of excessive “blogging” and open expression of your emotions? As is said that all geniuses have a streak of madness in them, so did Zuckerberg! The anger, the rage, the wildness, the inability to take control of one’s emotions is what drove him to do all that he did in the very first place. While all we friends might be very glad to be “connected” and share videos, pictures, and what not on FB. It is the founder’s story that hit me hard. I felt sorry, pathetic and was angry at him for what he did. (Taking all his anger out on his girlfriend whom he was dating and “openly” abusing her and posting it on his blog, and going ahead to create facemash.com only to humiliate a person to the extent that you forget that at the end of the day you are a human being, not a wild hound who would kill his own kids for hunger).

And all that while you take undue advantage of your best friend’s TRUST in you, only by throwing him out of your company, he being oblivious of all your strategies. A BEST FRIEND STABBING AT YOUR BACK IS THE WORST WOUND ONE CAN EVER GET. Mark was a coward! Not only did he cheat others, but he cheated himself more than anyone in the process of becoming a billionaire. Keeping his genius all aside, I would like to pose a question: What value does money holds in one’s life? And what does holding on to grudges for no reason at all lead to? I’ll tell you- LOSING your “very “own strengths you had in the form of your friends!

The movie is a success, and I’ll be only reiterating this word! But it’s heartrending, sad, depressing to see everything that happened in his life. The creation of facebook has been a revolution in itself. Like that day a kid of 5 year old telling me “Didi, are you on facebook? I answer him by saying yes, his answer only leaves my wide open as he happily says “Add me on facebook”!

So here it goes:
If you wish to meet new people,
If you wish to make random friends,
There are loads ideal out there,
Just “add” them, don’t comprehend,
If you wish to publicize or wish to popularize,
Go click on facebook, make a profile,
The world was no less in abnormalities,
Now only it’s leading to some new,
Where boyfriends get a heart attack,
When their girlfriends find new ones to hook,
The anxiety that is overwhelming,
When your party is poorer than hers,
The tension that your boyfriend is cheating,
As on his profile you constantly gawk,
The narcissicism it feeds into your soul,
Making you a star every moment,
Oh! Wake up and answer your call,
Not studying, would later help you lament,
Your teacher will question you,
“I knew you were facebooking”,
And to her you’ll give a silly nod,
Expecting her to be understanding!

It’s ended the “real” social life,
As couch potatoes sit in front of their pcs,
It’s boring after awhile,
Seeing people’s changing faces!
While you still maybe “quizzing”,
Or chatting with “21” friends online,
Ask, answer to yourself,
Are all those people really your “friends”?
Changing realities won’t change the truth,
Your best ones will stay closer than your kin,
The ones whom you greet and talk to,
Are the ones behind you places switch?

While jokes keep cracking now and then,
There is a real danger,
To us, to families, and to their children,
Who stick like a leech with their computers?
And as I write this long poem,
Lamenting and feeling sad,
I myself am part of it,
I wish I hadn’t been,
But I’m glad for some things,
More depressed for others,
As there was the mastermind “making” social relations,
A consequence of not having his best friend near!!


PS: After a wonderful talk with a friend, which served as a stress buster, I do agree that in the end nothing can destroy us, and its in our own hands what we wish to do, whether its facebooking people, or staying "actually" connected with them.

PACE

If only life didn’t run at this pace,

Forcing us to believe this ‘reality’,

No one knowing the truth

Everyone succumbs to the fallacies,

And yet we continue to believe,

That fantasies and realities are apart,

The mysteries of a labyrinth,

A spiral shape, no end, no start.

Chaos exists everywhere,

Like particles of dust scattered,

Waiting for the light to reflect,

The quantities of this particulate matter,

The disturbance settles in piecemeal,

Like few silences in a thunderstorm,

Mortifying the happy moments,

And trampling on them like left away stones.

Had I had all the time in my hand,

And money to spend with freedom,

With my wonderful friends,

I’d spend each day like a vacation,

But works keeps us going,

Being idle is dangerous too,

We crib, we cry, and get distressed,

A life which we live

At times, seems nothing beyond a mess.

What’s the point if I go on and on?

Had things had to change,

They would have, in the time now gone,

Moments of all flavours,

We can’t choose, but given to taste,

The bitterness of some, so dull,

The sweetness of some, we praise.

Repose and spread your arms,

Like wings, and feel the breeze,

It may seem cold and sultry,

But shall in moments your heart reach.

A bond with a picture...

There are times when lyrics of a song do justice to your emotions, there are times when even an instrumental music speaks to you exactly the way you feel at that moment, it brings tears of joy or sadness, or simply memories you cherished or wish to forget.
this time it was a picture for me which I found here while going through the pictures. This picture made an instant connect with my 'present' state of affect...here it goes..

This picture you see here speaks a lot the way I ‘m feeling right now. A dab of blue in the background, good portions of yellow ( lowlessness- yeah I just made a word) and seldom reds to signify there exists a 'life' in me.

Even if you wish to see the true colors of me,

At the moment, you may not see,

I’m all stressed up coz of work,

The yellow with reds wishes to spurt,

But is overpowered by blue, the color of the sea.

And as I try hard to change the hues,

The texture remains the same,

The waves of the ocean on a ‘low’ tide,

Create havoc as they rise again.

But my fellow tulips tell me,

There isn’t much to lose,

The winter will soon end,

Giving way to magnificence of the spring,

And all the days shall not be that gloomy,

As there will be sun to love ‘me’.

And with this hope,

I wait for the days,

(Keenly and enthusiastically, in my heart)

When I shall jump like a kid,

And like a fountain twist and dance.

For now, instill the calmness,

Of the oceans and the seas,

I need the moon for beauty and serenity,

Peace is what I wish for,

As the commotion is too hard to handle,

Oh! dear blue,

Fade away, like a miracle!!

OVER AND AGAIN

I’m tired of telling you,

Over and again,

Of how you speak and talk,

Once, twice, I didn’t mind,

But it’s time it gets a li’l sort(ed).

I hope you realize what a ‘sorry’ means,

For you consciously swear not to repeat it again,

But, sadly, it’s not only you, but all,

Who say it and do it again!

I might be a hypocrite as I write these words,

Knowing I’m not too perfect to tell,

Yet I’ll share, that words that we pick,

Have immense potential,

To hate, to kill, and to foretell.

Knowing that we value,

The other person we have,

Knowing how it hurts,

Whenever we are too ‘frank’,

Knowing it all,

We still tread that path,

Repeating the mistakes,

That might ‘forever’ shall last.

How often can one be forgiven?

No matter we continue to live and to love (them),

And the reason we only hate them,

Is ‘coz of the ways that they cannot amends.

Let them “Be”

As I step into this new world of mine everyday with a beautiful smile, expecting things and people to be kind, wishing the day to be more than just ‘fine’, all I view is the beauty in them. Until a few moments before a nice friend of mine brought me face- to face with ‘reality’ of what these people are and how I think them to be (as some ‘good’ people with whom I spend my working hours.

I do not regret having smiled at them, nor do I regret having helped them or having shared a joke with them. And even if at the end of the day I do get to know that they wish to talk some bad stuff about me, and stop themselves because of the fact that someone close to me is there, who might inform me, I do not wish to care, but I also do care (Why do you think then I’m writing this?)

In moments like these, I as a person only wish to learn from my friends (two wonderful ones) who have only given love and kindness in return of all the hatred, disgust, humiliation they got from a familial or a friendly end. So now the question is who am I then to lock my kindness, my generosity, and my friendliness in my heart; for these beautiful traits might just get rotten and stale if I keep them inside me instead of spreading them to people who might in turn learn from them or if nothing else benefit in some or the other way.

I, in my complete senses. am aware of the fact how genuine, honest and frank a person am I. I also know that in today’s time, of the billion population of ours perhaps only good handfuls are left who might be included in this category. Like the Zeitgeist ( the spirit of the times), moreover today’s parents might no more teach their child to be honest, good and true to others, instead qualities like malice, vengeance, tactfulness are ‘in’ and one can only with the help of these traits climb the ladder to success. Good for those who posses them and for those who teach them too, and lucky are those who might have them innately! ( This was just a satire, I do not intend to generalize).

Doing good to others, and emitting warmth, love and kindness to people around you regardless of what they are makes us feel more appreciative of the kind of person ‘we’ are. It does hurt (and I’m still wondering ‘WHY’, when you thought the ‘friend’ of yours to be genuine enough who only goes ahead to include you in their discussions of back-bitching). But then every person we meet or come across cannot be our friend, right?

So let those around you who bother you be the way they are. This in no way means that you act meekly in front of them or become subservient to their demands, for you too are of great importance! If you happen to witness their acts of filth, confront them, talk to them until they themselves feel ashamed or embarrassed of their deeds, and if they still continue to utter shit on your face, just smile to let them know you are at a far higher pedestal than where they stand!:)

Now am “I”

The “me” inside which grew all these years,

Wore new clothes and shed many others,

The “self” that met many and a few,

Matured over time, being the same yet new,

The “unconscious” with its bundles of complexities,

Kept weaving and tracing my paths with a history of mysteries,

The “soul” inside me enlivened every moment,

Every time it would seek pleasure,

In the beautiful melodies my ears would listen,

And then no one could stop the way my heart danced,

The waves that performed for me,

I felt no less than in trance!

This day I pledge to live,

This moment I smile with happiness,

The days of glory are here,

Now the present is offered,

I take my hands, and fold,

To the almighty who bestowed all this on me,

May God bless your beautiful souls,

As you love him, and he loves thee!