It Always Rains on Me 4/26/2007 12:18:00 PM

When something bad or disappointing happened, you just needed to be left feeling down alone. This premise was put forth by Scottish band Travis’s vocalist/song-writer Fran Healy who commented about their song--”Why Does It Always Rain on Me”. I didn’t get it at first. I mean, it’s hard to believe that anybody would enjoy feeling down. Nevertheless, personal experience (and Oprah) finally proves it right.

I consider myself a very optimistic person. This assumption is true, most of the times. However, I had a hard time get myself back together after a disappointment recently. Probably it’s more accurate to say that I “lost strength” instead of “having hard time”. Cheering up and convincing yourself that everything would be alright were tiring. I felt like I didn’t have the energy to do that anymore. Wallowing in self-pity was much easier and that’s what I did. I even kind of like it. Strange indeed. Apparently, Fran Healy was right after all.

Since feeling down can be quite enjoyable, there’s nothing wrong about feeling that way as long as you don’t overdo it. We have to bear in mind that there’s the danger of letting ourselves into that state of mind for far too long. Some people might choose to remain sad and helpless because it takes strength and courage to move on. In other case, people might not be able to snap it out of their despair because they’re in to deep and don’t know how to get out of it.

Either way, it depends on the people around them to read the signs (retreating from society, constantly having bad mood, suicidal ideas--you know, stuff like that) and do something to help. Even simple thing like listening, REALLY listening, to them could be major help. If you choose to be ignorant or unsympathetic to those who’re in despair, it’ll always rain on them and who knows, they might die of thunderstruck one day.

Author’s Notes: Dedicated to Nilam who made me feel much, much better after talking to her. Thanks a lot!

My Generation 4/01/2007 12:56:00 AM

People try to put us down
Just because we get around
Things they do look awful cold
I hope I die before I get old

--“My Generation”, The Who--

The Who had perfectly summarized the sentiments shared by young people all around the world, living in different times. Young people are eager to speak up, righting wrongs, and make a change for the better. But as always, the older generation is always there to shut them up, repress them, and keep things as they are. The older generation is often disrespectful towards younger people simply because of their youth and that’s despicable. Being quite young myself (twenty something), I can definitely relate to that kind of feeling.

History shows us that young people truly have what it takes to make a change. There are three major events in my country which were driven by young people’s movement. First, it was the declaration of independence which would probably wait until 1949 if it’s not for the young people who persuaded our nation’s leader to proclaim it sooner than later. Second and third events were rather similar in essence, the fall of dictatorial leaderships which were driven by students’ protest all over the country. The “it” factor was certainly there, no doubt about it.

Unfortunately, the “it” factor seems to fade away as they’re getting older. And soon enough, they’re transformed into the likes of the older people they used to despise: oppressive, egotistical, arrogant--you name it. I happen to know these kinds of people, and there are many of them.

How does this degradation happen to people anyway? I think the answer is plain and simple: self-contentment.

There’s nothing wrong about being proud of yourself, to a certain extent. It might even be a good sign because it’s rather depressing if you’re growing old without the sense of achieving something. However, it’s not good if, out of self-contentment, you give yourself credit (because you feel that you deserve it) while hurting somebody else in the process. It’s not good to put aside the opinion of those younger than yourself just because you feel that you’ve “been there, done that” (and therefore, wiser and more experienced). Too bad most of them, the older generation, don’t realize that. They used to, but now, not anymore.

People never learn from the past, though, and there’s a good chance that my generation too, will turn out to be as despicable as the older generation. If that’s the case, I think Roger Daltrey made a good point when he sang, “I hope I die before I get old”.