I marvel at people that live life on the edge - daredevils who engage in terrifying stunts and freaky adventures. The folks that they show in movies and TV shows, and also the ones that do them live putting their lives at stake, giving life and safety the middle finger. Call them bold, label them imprudent – they sure believe in adrenaline rushes and living life in the fast lane.
I wouldn’t call myself rigid or sissy, but I do have a preference to live a safe, organized life with a decent amount of predictability and control. I enjoy doing things out of the ordinary, but death-defying exploits and I aren’t exactly what you’d call on the same side of the coin. I’m not afraid of dying, and I do relish the occasional high that risks bring, but the fear of an accident occurring and marring me for life is more forbidding.
Life is treacherous, we all know it. My hair stands on end when I watch racing and adventure sports. Bike stunts appeal to me like no other. And yet, I get jittery when I’m riding pillion with someone who even changes lanes or takes a sharper than necessary turn.
(Have you heard this one? Anyone who drives slower than you is an idiot, and anyone who goes faster than you is a maniac. LOL)
How is it living each day as it comes without contemplating about the future? Be it soldiers of war, or a mere bus driver within the city – who knows what’s going to happen at the next instant?
For that matter, even a pedestrian in broad daylight isn’t completely safe. Haven’t we heard enough about drunk drivers injuring people coz they lost control? Sad but true. Which is why I always tell mum whenever she worries about me working late or staying out late at night – things can go horribly wrong even during the day, so let destiny take its course and live our life fearlessly. What’s bound to happen will happen. Nothing can change or stop that. Why handicap yourself by imposing restrictions when you can make the most of your days alive?
I have heard umpteen instances where people who do all types of crazy stuff lead happy and healthy lives, and those who go the extra mile to take care of what they eat, how much they sleep, what they do and don’t do end up with heart attacks and other diseases that prevent them from enjoying a normal life.
Thought for the day: Live life the way you want without bothering about tomorrow. Eat sweets - who knows tomorrow you might get diabetes. Watch movies, travel, visit temples and lounges – who knows if you end up blind or disabled for life tomorrow. Take up that hobby you’ve been postponing and deliberating over – who knows you might never get a chance to do it in the future. Talk to that person on your mind irrespective of whether you’ve met for the first or last time – who knows, either you or that individual may not be around anymore…
(Exception: The vices that get you addicted. Liquor, drugs, sex and the like. You need to draw a line there and be careful. Don’t let the heady stimulation wreck your common sense and logic.)
On that note, I remember a bizarre show on television – 1000 ways to die. Heard of it? It shows real-life clips of odd ways in which men, women and children die because they do not anticipate their or someone else’s actions to be fatal. It is telecast on Fox Crime channel I think, somewhere around 11 or 11.30 every night. You should watch it. The last few times I saw it, I was taken aback, aghast at how we go about our daily or unusual lives without realising that death’s lurking around the corner… A mindless prank, a diet plan, a well-planned date, an unplanned rendezvous, carelessness at work – whew! And you thought there were only a few set ways to die – heart attack, accident, illness or old age…
You recall they gave us essays to write in school – topics like is TV a boon or bane? I wonder what to pick. While stuff on channels like Discovery and TLC is educational and enlightening, there are also a host of shows that are entertaining but counter-productive. Reality TV, which I presume is only second to the BPO boom in terms of being revolutionary, poses a threat to safety and integrity. Look at Emotional Atyachar and Big Switch on Bindaas, Breaking the Magician’s code on AXN, etc.
The first two have me flabbergasted at how teenagers are getting lured into testing the love and loyalty of their “partners” and family. While it’s good for those that are escaping a life of sorrow and regret, it’s also detrimental to the concept of trust and openness. The magic show – well, while it’s astonishing and engaging, as a friend rightly pointed out, they’re killing the fun of watching a magic show in real life by disclosing all their tricks and revealing the stark simplicity in their awesome “haath ki safai”.
Movies like Bunty and Babli, Oye Lucky, etc show innovative ways to dupe and kill people. Harebrained idiots watching the show would only be glad to take a hint or two and enact the same in their real lives, either to pull a fast (and sometimes lethal) one on friends and strangers or to actually take revenge.
Hmm… Looks like I’ve done it again… Jaana tha China, pahuch gaye Japan…
Time to say bye.
Cya later, alligator!
- Princess
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