How many people do we come across who are considerate in their behaviour? How many are humble and show restrain? Generally we encounter arrogance everywhere. We come across downers wanting you to adopt their perspective. It makes them feel more comfortable or they want to be seen as authoritative and want you to acknowledge you are inferior and get satisfied with it. Such people force you to buy things they say and take it personally if you don’t automatically  buy what they believe in. At such prickly times we have choices to make succumbing to such people is easy enough, crawl under covers and hide but you can swat them  away just as deftly as you can swat a pesky housefly. All it takes is to follow the dictum of knowing your self now  how is it to be attained. Polonius an old man gives us maxim of prudence.
This above all: to thine own self be true
And it doth follow, as the night the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Being true to your self. What a promise the phrase sings in our ears. When you are true to your self , you allow your individuality and uniqueness to shine through. It doesn’t mean you are inconsiderate and disrespectful towards others but you will not let others define you and make decisions for you that you should make for yourself. When you follow dictates of others you don’t know what you are doing, you trim your self to suit everyone else and a day comes when you whittle away.
Life is not to be merely seen and known through concepts but something to be made and remade by continuous action and sincerity. Now and then it is possible to observe your moral life is in process of revising itself. We can approach life differently. Sometimes by by reducing the emphasis on the things which we normally lay a great stress on. You may find passivity is of no avail there are forces who try to throw so many curve balls at you, who try to obstruct the enjoyment of your legitimate rights day in and day out. Paradox is an integral part of humanity. Life gives birth to death, sun to shade, evil to good. Full rich experience requires the heights of ecstasy and depth of misery. Being true to yourself is not to snatch rights of someone and make your interests paramount but If you look out for number one, you will not mislead your associates to count on their attachment to your interests but lift the spirit of others only then you will be able to weather difficult storms. This way mature and genuine relationship will be built with understanding and that’s how love grows. Iqbal in Bal-i-jibril says
Apni Dunya Aap Paida Kar Agar Zindoon Main Hai
Create your own world if you are really alive

(Romana Ashraf teaches English at Women's College, M A Road)

Lastupdate on : Fri, 8 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 8 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 9 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST