Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Do you know who I am?



A write-up by Samyak Shah

To: Whomsoever it may concern
Subject: A letter from the kid who people think doesn’t understand the struggle of the real world

So, I heard that you guys are having some struggle with getting the opportunities despite being the deserving candidates? I unfortunately can’t do shit about it, because in this race of hare and tortoise, the hare sleeps only after he knows he has crossed the finish line, because I know that announcing your win before winning is for the fools and the ones who still believe in this 4-letter word called HOPE.

You’ll hate me, you have, in the past, and some of you still will in the future.

Today, I’m here to tell you that I’m not much different than you guys, because even in the fairyland, one has to struggle. Everywhere, there is a competition and everywhere it seems that the grass is greener (IYKWIM) on the other side.

I understand that my being spoilt and rich has made you face the consequences like losing the game where you were the clear winner, but I want to tell you that this is not what I intended.

I do not want to have all this power and riches just because my parents said ‘My kid won’t see the things I’ve seen and he won’t have to struggle the way I did’ and guess what; staying true to their promise, they have always made sure that I got what I wanted and I’m helpless here, because I ask for something simple and I get the best in that, WHY? Because my parents wish the best for me and want me to be happy. Is that wrong? YES, because in making me happy, someone else is planning on killing me for stealing what (s)he wanted to have.

Also, it is not that I have not worked hard, but because I had so much support and headstart, that even my efforts felt worthless. But that didn’t mean I did not put in efforts, right? I know you must be really angry thinking ‘Oh, did the rich boy not have enough comfort in everything?’ and I completely understand why you might feel that.

I’d like to take this moment and tell you a little personal anecdote so that I can diminish the difference between you and me.

Sometimes, I think my brother feels bad because I got the opportunities that I didn’t utilise like he’d have; while there he is, trying to make head and tail out of several nothings, and yet always smiling. The respect everyone has for him is because he has worked hard for everything that he has in his life, and even I respect him for being the way he is. But one look at how he looked at me, and I realised that I’m the fairy to his commoner, because I felt that I lived the life he deserved, and just because his family wasn’t as understanding as mine was, he never got to the level where he could’ve been able to rule the world if he wanted. He makes use of whatever he gets and seizes every opportunity, small or big, while here I am, crying like a child for having my toy broken (not exactly though, I’m using this comparison to make you guys understand properly).

That’s not the case all of the times though, because he clearly instructed me that he made grave mistakes that he didn’t want me to make. Not only did I realise that I had gotten more chances than he did, but also that I’ve been way more of a diva than I could ever imagine.
Every time I failed, I kept falling more and more in my own eyes.

Respect lost in other’s eye can be gained with some efforts, but getting the respect back for yourself in your own eyes, is really difficult.

I always wanted to be like him from the eyes of how people saw him, until I realised how he saw me. I know that I was comparing my life with someone else’s but there was nothing I could do.
The fact that I had fallen in my own eyes, is what led on the guilt of being rich and still being a failure in utilizing opportunities

I hated myself for being rich, because this is not what I expected when I thought of a rich person.
So now, it seems that you and I are not so different; after all, you are battling to come to my position, while I compete to stay where I am and try to reduce the guilt.

That’s all for now.
Yours truly (whether you want it or not)
Just another kid trying to make an impact