Yashas Mahajan's Blog, page 14

Word of the Week #306:

Nostrum

You know what? Yes, having a good, healthy lifestyle is often the best way to prevent or mitigate mental illnesses.

We all acknowledge that, right? Doing healthy things will help you be healthy. That’s pretty obvious, right?

However, what most people don’t seem to understand is that everyone who can live a healthy life already does. 

That might sound strange to some people, but think about it…

People who can eat healthy, wholesome food already do so.

People who can exercise or lead an active life already do so. 

People who can sleep well all night every night already do so.

And the people who don’t do these things? Well, more often than not, they don’t do it because they actually can’t.

If a person literally cannot realise or acknowledge that they are unhealthy, or they are unable to take the necessary steps to remedy that, or they simply do not care enough about their well-being, that represents an actual, fundamental problem that goes beyond just laziness and a lack of motivation or discipline, right.

Yes, we should all try to lead healthy lives.

Yes, we should also encourage others to lead healthy lives, even facilitate them as much as we can.

Yes, knowledge and motivation and many other little things can help us be healthier.

However, you know what we cannot do? Shaming. Taunting. Mocking. 

Because if you lack empathy and consideration towards others who are already struggling, then how healthy are you? 

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Word of the Week #305:

Anomaly

So, I turned out negative for Covid.

That ought to be a relief, right? Right?

Well, apparently not. I still was ill almost all week. And it was quite dreadful, too.

I think we have reached that point where Covid is definitely not the worst infection you can catch, especially if you are vaccinated against it.

I suppose that does mean we can start worrying about it a little less and start moving more and more toward our normal lives, right?

At this point, though, what is even normal…

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Word of the Week #304:

Eventuality

Current Mood:

After dodging the virus for almost two years, often just barely, I may have finally caught it.

It is still too early to tell, though. I’ll get tested tomorrow, and we’ll go from there.

Till then, I’ll just stay in my warm bed and try to find any semblance of comfort.

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Word of the Week #303:

Fountainhead

Do you ever go back to the pieces of art that played a fundamental role in informing your understanding and appreciation of art, the world, and your relationships with both?

We all have those few books and movies and this and that which combined to make us who we are now, right?

What happens when we go revisit these?

Occasionally, I will rewatch a movie or reread a book, and it will open to me avenues that I had really not explored earlier. That is one of the most rewarding experiences.

However, more often than not, when I revisit these works from my formative years, I find them rather obvious. Banal, even. I cannot evade the nagging notion that I could have made them better than they are.

It makes me realise that even though they may have helped me reach where I am, I have also far surpassed them in the process.

And no, the nostalgia of it all really does not appeal to me.

It is a bittersweet experience for me. Like when you outgrow your old tricycle, or when you no longer see your old training wheels as beneficial.

However, it is especially sad when you feel that way about people instead of art. Old teacher and mentors and idols whom you have either caught up to or even surpassed.

As grateful as you may be to their early contribution in your life, it is so difficult to continue your relationship with them, right?

I suppose it is just another weird aspect of growing up.

In time, the student shall become the master. And the master shall become irrelevant.

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Word of the Week #302:

Serendipity

Sunday:

I should start looking for a job. I’ve done everything I can, here, and it is time I move on.

By the end of the month, I’d like to start working somewhere else.

Monday:

Oh, this contact of a former colleague of mine wants to offer me a job out of the blue? Well, can’t hurt to talk things over, I guess.

Tuesday:

“We love your rates, love your proposal, love you. When can you start?”

How about right now?

I love it when things work out well.

I love it more when they work out without me having to try really hard.

Sometimes, what looks like luck is just a byproduct of our past record of diligence and excellence, isn’t it? And of course, being nice and pleasant to work with will always help.

I do always keep moving forward.

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Word of the Week #301:

Stride

So, right out the gate, it hasn’t been a great start to the new year.

Like, already.

Like, ugh…

Bleh…

But, what you gonna do, right?

You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and stay in bed for an entire day.

And the next morning, you are ready to run again!

It’s not like we can ever stop falling, right? But I’ll never stop running either.

Whatever else happens, one thing is certain: I always keep moving forward.

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Word of the Week #300:

Tenor

I have lately realised that the words meant to sound melancholic when I say them out loud actually come across as just sad when read as text.

That, in my opinion, would be a gross misinterpretation of my narrative tone. 

Yes, there have been some painful moments or phases in my life, as in all our lives.

Yes, I have grown more comfortable sharing them with people as I have continued to heal. 

However, it is important to note that while there is pain, it is tempered by the embers of beauty, humour, and love.

The warmth and the heart in those words is something easier to convey through the spoken word than through text. 

And that is why I intend to stop texting with any dates or prospective partners I might come across in the future. 

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Word of the Week #299:

Chunibyo

This is just to announce that I am now a Level 8 Mage.

Ha ha ha ha ha…

Word of the Week #298:

Chronicle

So, earlier this week, I was talking to a friend of mine about how this month feels like a season finale in my life.

A number of ongoing storylines have come to an end or are approaching an end, leaving me free to pursue certain new plot points that have been in the horizon for a while but that I haven’t been able to so far.

There will be some changes in the cast. Some recurring characters moving away, some returning for another short arc. Some might even stay to join the main cast. Who knows.

There could also be some changes to the setting, as has become the norm in my life, year after year.

Now, looking at my life as an ongoing narrative is something really normal for me, but during that conversation, I realised that not everyone does that.

Of course, I am not used to being unusual and doing unusual things. I have come to accept that as an integral part of who I am, by now.

What struck me as odd was just how natural it felt to me. I think I have always seen my life like that.

I remember vividly that the last time I felt this way was on 7 Feb 2021. I was sitting at the airport in Pune, and I had this distinct sense that my life was going to change, at least for a while.

I was right. Ongoing storylines ended, and new storylines began. Characters have come and gone. Settings have changed. It was a season of lull, though, all things considered. A season of slow, incremental growth in a time when—quite frankly—lesser mortals may have broken down, and quite justifiably so too.

But this season is ready to end as well, and by mid-Jan, as far as I can estimate.

What will the next season bring us?

Stay tuned for a sneak peek.

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Word of the Week #297:

Bereft

You know, I have been thinking a lot about grief, lately.

More than anything, my mind goes to the concept of “Five Stages of Grief”.

Basically, it is the model that states that people experiencing grief go through these five stages in their recovery process:

DenialAngerBargainingDepressionAcceptance

While I agree that people do benefit from the framework it provides, it is far from accurate, right? Is it any based on sufficient scientific data?

I’m not going to argue if five is correct. That is somewhat moot, right?

What I disagree with more is the implication of the term “stage”. That might lead one to believe that you are expected to move from one discrete emotional state to another in your route through your recovery, but that is not true.

For one, these stages are not discrete. There can be significant overlap among these stages, and one can routinely experience them in rapid succession.

For another, there is no evidence that these “stages” are actually sequential. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many people experience them in relatively random orders, often repeating some or skipping some altogether.

If anything, one could refer to them as five ways in which grief commonly manifests itself.

Not “only” five.

Not “sequential” five.

Grief, like most emotional responses, is very personal. I doubt it can be broken down into a universal formula.

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