We all use metaphors in our approaches of describing and evaluating life. Life is an abstract concept and we make use of parallels to draw relationships and comparisons. The metaphors used for life itself are possibly the most critical ones depending on how life is being viewed by an individual. Some compare life to a war where you ought to fight for your survival. To some life is a valuable gift whereas to others it is a purposeful mission; the comparisons being countless.
Although analogies I suppose can never perfectly represent any concept yet every approach has some loopholes. It is just that analogies make it easier to comprehend the thing being discussed. I strongly believe that life indeed is a constant battle, a precious gift and of course a journey with a specific aim. But, today the metaphor that I find appropriate to my state is in viewing life as a game.
The other day I was just looking through my phone gallery and came across a quote by Atticus, “Life is the art of pretending to be normal.” This quote made me make an analogy of life with a game. And when I give it a thought I think of the games we all play – be it a sport like cricket or football, or a card game, or a board game, or any video game. We all are good at playing some games while bad at others. There are certain games that we don’t like to play. But seeing others playing and enjoying them, we too sometimes feel a liking to play those games regardless of our taste. We start playing; we fail; we keep trying…once, twice, thrice… but never give in till we reach a stage when we have learnt all the tricks and lessons of this game and we dare to compete. Gaming is not just merely playing. It is an art; an activity that too a competitive one, with a set of rules and an overarching purpose wherein we learn to rise when we fall, learn to face the challenges thrown at us and most importantly it teaches us to accept the defeat. We engage ourselves in a particular game only to feel some sense of challenge and struggle which makes it fun. Eliminate all the challenges in a game and it becomes a futile exercise. Every experience brings with it a different lesson which teaches us to change our actions as directed. And so does LIFE! Life, indeed, is a game teaching us diverse tricks and varied lessons at every step of our lives to keep us moving forward. Adopting this outlook towards life would definitely help us handle problems and face trials with an entirely different perspective. Rather than avoiding them completely, we would toil to confront them.
Life is a canvas painted with different strokes – of painful truths and comforting lies, joys and sorrows, cries and laughter, tears and smiles, pain and sacrifice. And what is to be remembered at every moment of our lives is that these challenges contribute to our purpose making our lives worth living and our journey worthwhile. Life does not stop for anybody nor does time. Both keep moving and so do we. And the way we move on in our lives again varies with every single individual.
My Dear Life has also taught me different lessons at different junctures, some being cool whilst some others harsh and the list goes on… “Pretending to be normal” is the latest lesson that life has taught me. Yes! “To Feign” is truly an art especially for a soul that is a novice at deliberate deception. There are certain instances in one’s life which render one so weak that the person cannot gain that strength to get through the hard times. And, the only option one is left with is ‘to pretend’. There was a span in my life when people could read my heart through my face. I couldn’t hide my feelings, I couldn’t fake and even if I tried to, I got caught easily. I have surpassed that phase and now my life has entered another stage, where I am yet a beginner, and my face doesn’t speak of my heart anymore. It is a very difficult stage though because I know my face says it all but a game at the end is all about learning, practicing and competing. Time will surely teach me the tricks of the game called life. I may stumble and definitely I would, I would burn to learn it and like a phoenix I would want to rise from my own ashes and compete with the best of the competitors and emerge victorious in the “art of pretending to be normal”. I don’t know whether this sounds right or wrong, I don’t know to what extent I may succeed but to live you need to show “All is well”, after all, you live in a world with souls both-cold and warm, hard and soft, tender and tough. Wear a mask and grow through what you go through. If it works for the greater good, let life take this as a challenge and strive to win the game of life.
Let me conclude it with verses written by me lately when I didn’t even have the slightest idea of writing about this art of feigning.
Mere chehre ki hansi aur ye aankhun ki nammi,
Kahin dubaa na lejaye tuje mere dil k samandar main.
Tubah Shah is a Postgraduate in English Literature.