Anirud, what do I want him to be

This time around, we wanted to celebrate Anirud’s birthday a bit differently than the usual pomp and grandeur. We had always wanted to do something for the underprivileged. And so, we wanted to use this opportune moment not only to do something for the kids that were deprived even of the basic facilities and comforts of a good life, but also show Anirud what life is all about.

It would in a way also make Anirud understand what’s the difference between having parents, who can provide all the necessities and much more than that in his life, vis-à-vis kids who are left stranded in streets and brought up in homes for the abandoned children.

Well, I would say, it’s a bit too early for him to understand the whole gamut of what this is all about. Yet, we wanted to make a start somewhere. Because, what we realize is that, today’s generation are brought up with more than their necessities unlike us where we or even our parents were brought up on dire provisions or even without that.

So in essence, we know even today what it means not to have something and live without that. But for them, they cannot imagine a life like that. So the question is, should we teach or show them what’s the difference between haves and have not’s? How would life be if someone were to be dispossessed of all the good things in life. Is it a necessity or it’s not required to know of the harsher realities of life.

Perhaps, when I myself think of it, I relate it to the life of Siddhartha aka Buddha who was brought up amidst all the riches of life. Never knew of poverty, hunger, pain, agony or anguish. And when he encountered of came to know of it for the first time, it shook him so badly he took to renouncing all the goodness or so called elixirs of life in search of true inner peace.

Now, that’s another extreme and should we say, we are normal mortals and need to live a life that’s neither immortal or saintly but a typical average human life that’s neither staid nor extravagant. A life that’s devoid of good morals, thoughts and deeds is as good as non-existential.

One cannot be brought up ignoramus of the basic tenets of life. Again these dogmas and creeds are what’s been created by Humans on behalf of Humans. Should these be indoctrinated into our Children or should they be left to learn on their own. How are their thoughts, actions and deeds framed. Is it by watching what their Parents do? Or by seeing how the society around them revolves and functions perfunctorily on a daily basis.

What drives these Children or to put it directly What should drive them to have a better life than what we have and what is a better life? Questions and more questions…as a 40+ guy, while I am searching for answers what is that I expect my child to be. Do I expect him to think like me or beyond me as a 7 year old. Am I kidding myself? Nope, rather, I want him to be individualistic. Be on his own and make decisions that concern his life, life of people around him. A leader…perhaps, perhaps not.

What is that I want him to be or not want him to be. I don’t know yet. But what I know for sure is that I don’t want him to be like me. Let him be something or someone different. Someone who can drive his own life and not be driven around like me based on circumstances, people and several other things. He should decide what he wants and how he is going to achieve that.

Not be a cog in the wheel rather the wheel itself that rotates and drives everything around it. Be a driving force that generates life, livelihood and just simply brings a few more smiles to the people around him in a more simplistic, didactic way.

#Anirud