Thoughts. Tricky affair. You ever wonder how simple would our lives be if our minds could just stop wandering off to different places every ten seconds. I mean think of it: one moment I’m having my breakfast, and then I start thinking about what I dreamt of last night, and the next moment about how I have 10 different college applications to submit for 10 different courses across 10 national borders, and the next moment, about how the pandemic took away my chance at a normal college experience. And so, I shut down everything, and start writing ‘cause that’s the only alternative to keep me from losing it all. The other day I was thinking of a DIY anniversary gift for my parents, and once I started thinking, my mind started throwing at me 20 different ideas, none of which I could actually execute. ‘Cause then I could order something, but no I should make something for them, that would be more thoughtful, but wait, what if they don’t like it? What if they think I’m a child doing all these silly things, but no, they should love it, effort certainly matters more than anything else. And while I was thinking about all of this, I start thinking about the next big idea for my entrepreneurial fantasies. I have to write it down, or else I’ll forget. But wait, I can’t find my notebook. Ah okay, my mouth tastes weird, is it because of that orange juice I had. Maybe I should dilute it a bit, or wait, is that what the preservatives taste like.
Whoa! Can you just stop thinking for a second there? Can you? This piece is turning out to be more interesting than I imagined it to be. Imagination. Hah, now that’s certainly an interesting concept. It’s ironic how we have always been conditioned to restrict our imagination. But it’s ironic how this very imagination is what connects us to our thoughts. The result is art. Or simply, an act of creation. Everything that we do – work, love, dream – it all takes root in that one space that we can truly call our own – our beautiful mind. Our minds are made in a way so as to think deeply, imagine wildly – and live conscientiously. But again, I don’t know about you, but in nineteen years of my existence, I have been always told to “control” it, as it was a wild beast that needed to be tamed. And my choice of word – ‘tamed’ – is very deliberate and conscious here.
Control your emotions. Don’t cry, it makes you weak. Study, cram everything that you possibly can. Dreams? What are those? Okay, you want to pursue your dreams, you can pursue them after you finish your studies. Done with your studies? No, you need to get a job first. Because you have to be independent, right? But wait, do you know how to cook? How to pray? How to respect your elders (even if they don’t make any sense to you)? Alas, you have studied a lot, that’s exactly why you don’t have a hold of your values anymore (But wait, didn’t you tell me to study as hard as I possibly could?). You are arguing with your elders? Didn’t your parents teach you anything? And so on and so forth… these questions keep on tormenting us to our deathbeds.
If I now look back, we have always exactly done what we were told to do. Struggling to keep up with what society expects of us. Giving in to it and letting go of our whims and fancies at the cost of free labor. If only we could all be free and put our minds and follow our hearts to wherever they wanted to take us, life would have been so much simpler! Let your mind flow free for only then you would be able to harness its true potential. This isn’t a race, and even if the people around you have made it look like one, you don’t have to win. Hell, you don’t even have to participate. For in such a loss may lie the true liberation of that beautiful mind of yours. Embrace it and make it your own. As crazy as your thoughts may be, they are still yours. And yours only. That is what makes you unique and special, and your mind already knows that, do you?
Annanya Chaturvedi 