Power outage since morning played the cupid. We sat together in the balcony, a family of 8, after a long time, to enjoy the evening rituals with a cup of tea and roasted peanuts. In the beginning, while we helplessly saw the electronic gadgets struggle with low energy and sustenance; after a few minutes, we completely gave up on them as the batteries were dead.
It felt like a painful experience. Our fingers missed the rhythm and so do we felt the agitation for not being able to use the laptop or phones for a while. Something was amiss, the ambience felt very sombre and there I pitched in with a game.
And the game was…..
Everyone had to speak on each other’s shortfalls and the conversation flowed in. All of us were eager to say our piece of mind. We were aching for our respective turns. The intensity with which we spoke on the other person’s shortcomings and weaknesses, kept all of us bewildered. We were so sure of the flaws in each other and we also knew the ways to perfect the imperfections. Lots of suggestions and recommendations followed thereafter. The ones who gave the suggestions, had a satisfied look on their faces and the ones who received the innuendoes (mostly the younger ones), wore a wretched look.
After few long, heated discussions, still all of us were left with lots to share.
But it was time to change the discourse. No electricity had brought us close, but this discussion was drifting us apart.
So the next game was..
Everyone was asked to speak on their flaws and limitations. Pin drop silence ensued. All of us looked puzzled as each one of us were unsure if we had any wrongs in ourselves. Someone had to take the plunge and thus I started hesitantly. I was literally falling short of words. I felt so perfect and was ready to attribute my negatives to the exiting circumstances and people around me. Shilly- shallying, everyone else spoke about their inadequacies, though it completely felt as if all of us were dithering while speaking on self-defects. As an individual, we felt full of positives.
The evening breeze felt light; the atmosphere which lacked lustre just few minutes before, now felt relaxed. All of us were convinced that the “fault always lies at the other end”.
And then the bulb twinkled, and the fan started swirling. Promptly we rose from our respective chairs and rushed to grab the electricity switchboards as the lifeless phones and laptops waited for our coveted attention.
The usual routine was back, and we delved into the WhatsApp and Facebook world where millions of our acquaintances kept waiting anxiously for our next update.
Are not all of us living the same life?
Disconnected from our family and friends and connected to social media!
Disconnected from our own flaws and prompt to find the same in others!
