A time much simpler-the simple look at life ©

Go back to a time much simpler than this..

I remember this one line from a song whose name I can’t recall. But this line goes around in my mind quite often these days.

Wasn’t it so much easier when we were kids? Life was all about eating, sleeping and playing. The only time we got angry and fought with our parents was when they didn’t let us eat chocolate or let us watch TV or forced us to eat vegetables. The only reason we got angry with our friends was when they picked teams without picking us, didn’t share their tiffin with us or would not give let us ride the swing. The time when we actually never thought of people as bitches and assholes but just as mean and stupid. The time when someone hurt us and we would not either be socially obliged to still pretend they didn’t or have huge arguments over it but would just say ‘katti,’ do the finger thing and walk away. The time when seeing our dad come home would be one of the most exciting moments of the day. The time when happiness would come from discovering that mom gave us maggi for lunch in the tiffin. We would be on cloud 9 if our crush so much as looked as us twice in a day. When the scariest thing in life were exams. When all we would sleep on was an empty mind and our dreams would be of mindless cute things. The time when we would not even understand the term relationship problems. The time when politics was just a government related thing. When sleeping for 8 hours was more of necessity and luxury. When our fantasies were related to the bed time stories we read. The time when we could actually dream and aim to be anything or anyone and actually believe it was possible. The time when all we needed was mom’s hug to make us feel better after a bad day.

Why is it that as we grow up everything becomes difficult? I remember I heard somewhere that adults make everything complicated, now is when I agree with this statement. As we grow up issues just increase with everything in our lives. All our relationships become more complex, our studies become more complex and the great bane of all problems- our expectations become more complex and greater. Even worse, the expectations of the people around you become more complex and greater!

Over the years I have come to realize that there are some people who find it easier to be an adult (read crib less) and some who are constantly acting like a baby towards adulthood (kicking and throwing a tantrum and telling it to go away). I now classify adults as two types-

The Type A is very easy to spot. They will be the ones who will constantly complain about being an adult and how they want to go back to beings kids while when they were kids all they begged from their parents was to take them as a grown up (read me) and now are glad that for their parents they will never grow up (yay). You will find them sitting in lounges and coffee bars talking animatedly with their friends, reminiscing some about childhood years or sitting quietly as they blow their hookah and sip their vodkas/scotch gazing into the smoke and nothingness reminiscing in their head how life was once much simpler. They will always be ready to pull out some childhood story at every get together. Also important to note the type A adult lies in all adults. It isn’t mostly developed that much in some.

The Type B is not very easy to spot. The basic reason being that their tiny Type A sometimes hides their Type B. These are people who have slipped into adulthood with ease. Ofcourse they might occasionally reminisce about the good old days but the present days are just so happening for them that they hardly get time for all the ‘bullshit.’ Adulthood is the best thing that happened to them. They are the people who like being responsible. The only easiest way to spot one- on a Monday morning in office the only person who does NOT crib about Monday! The other way you can use is- talk about the approaching teachers day and the person who does NOT say- “I want to go back to school/college,” and voila you have your Type B.

For all the Type B- you were born old, loser!

For all the Type A, now we find it easy or not, but one day we will have to give up the tantrums and accept adulthood completely. I admit it is already in us now (the fucker got a part of us) but I say we still have time. Just because it is a loosing battle doesn't mean it must not be fought, innit? So bring out your best tantrum and also your best shoe and lets fight this battle till the child in us is finally ready to give up...happy fighting!