Good and Bad Compulsions

I have always opposed the time bound approach to life, as it brings artificial compartmentalization to something as natural as life

For example, you should have a defined career path by a certain age and if you explore an unconventional career and take more time to get “settled” unlike your peers, it is assumed you are not serious about earning your livelihood. Similarly, you should marry by a certain age and have kids even if you are contended being single or wants to plan your family as per your preference and not based on when your cousins/relatives/friends plan their babies. This approach makes life a time table and peer pressure lasts for a lifetime. The joyous, life defining moments are reduced as events for completion of the template of life, and after one event you worry about the agenda for the next to stick to the schedule.

But I still like the forced clichéd rituals of celebrations like New Year Celebrations, birthdays. There is nothing to it; really, it’s just another day of the year.

I believe that each day in life needs to be lived to its fullest. These forced celebrations at least ensure some days of life are set aside when enjoyment is actually planned and we do not sleep-walk through them like many more potential but lost opportunities to be alive.

New Year celebrations also provide a psychosomatic boundary to time. All the sorrows and joys magically turn into memories and we feel empowered to start all over again. The mostly ineffective practice of New Year resolutions, also provide a glimmer of hope of a life without some of our recognized vices.

So let’s celebrate, enjoy and live life on our very own terms; today and for rest of the days of our lives.