Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children-George Bernard Shaw

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Youth is a window of opportunity given to us by life to change the world, for ourselves, and everyone around us. It holds in it the key to the past and the future. Then why do most of us waste our youth on just our children?

Do we view it as an insurance plan for our old age? Is it an extension of our ego? Or is it pure self-indulgence? I heard someone once say “if you could think of everyone around you like your children, the world would be a better place”. The more thought I give to this idea, the more it makes sense to me. We cover their weaknesses, build their strengths, are ever- forgiving,  patient, accommodating, unconditionally loving, caring, trusting and selfless with them. If we could feel this way about people around us; our families, parents, siblings, co-workers, employees, friends, how different our relations, interactions and experiences would be. How different the world would be.

I see hundreds of parents every day from different walks of life: different cultures, religions, social strata, and they all share one thing in common- an existence centered around their children.  Expressed through an overindulgence of food, toys, games, clothes, emotions and time.  They have no time, no  money and no love  left to give.  They are financially, emotionally and physically exhausted. I rarely see a parent love another child, I rarely see a parent feel happy for another’s child, I rarely see a parent appreciate another parent – even their own.

Has our unconditional and almost obsessive love for our children, damaged the basic fabric and balance of society. Leaving one segment over attended and all others unattended.My husband always says ‘love flows downwards – we all think our children will reciprocate what we are doing for them, but they won’t, they will do it for their children’.

I am not a parent, but if being a parent means allocating all your resources to just your children and embezzling on other’s  share of emotions, love and time , then I am glad we decided not to be parents. The world can do with one less criminal.

The Size Zero Phenomenon

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Last night I was lying in bed watching ‘Koffee with Karan’ (a celebrity talk show from India). He had some Bollywood celebrities he was interviewing and during the course of the show he showed some clips from past interviews and movies. The guest commented on how fat everyone was looking in the clips. Those women were not considered fat a few years ago. They were not a size zero, maybe a 2, or a 4, a 6 at most…….but is that fat?

I find myself surrounded by women, on television, at parties, at the workplace, obsessed with their weights…..endlessly discussing diets, boot camps, workouts. Relentlessly trying to fit into tighter jeans, fitted shirts, shorter sleeves. Filling their days with burning calories, watching calories and discussing calories.

Throughout the twentieth century women have struggled and fought for what we consider to be birth rights today. The right to vote, access to higher education, which had effectively excluded them from the practice of well-paid and high status occupations, entry into the work force, the feminist movement of the 60’s. Our mothers and grandmothers have all played a role in these struggles and managed to achieve some big and some small milestones in their lives.

What will women of my generation be known for……..being a size zero……is this our contribution to women’s rights. Is weight really the only battle we have left to fight……

The rambling begins…

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I find that I have something to say on almost everything…. ok maybe I am a little opinionated. This can be a problem, because often I land up with both feet in my mouth. I try and control my uncontrollable thoughts, but find myself  chattering away with my husband telling him “I said”, and then he will ask me “you really said that”, and I tell him “I thought, I wish I had said it” and I can see a sigh of relief on his face.  Well, what better way to say what you want to say…..blog. I have not been a big fan of blogging, mainly because I don’t think that just because you ‘think’ you have something to say means you really do. But I guess you can write  for yourself, so here I am giving it a shot…..uncensored just as the free souls sees it!