By Pooja Marwah
For the longest time, I have wondered why people are so fascinating. So many facets, so many shades, so much brilliance… and, yet, one tends to ponder upon the few spots inside of them that are invisible to the naked eye.
A diamond is mostly made up of carbon, so naturally it may have a few pieces or spots inside of it. What differentiates one from the other is in the way it has been cut and molded so as to reduce the imperfections. The art of diamond cutting to enhance its beauty and play down its blemishes is where the mastery is. The stone is the same. It shines because it has been able to focus on its brilliance instead of its carbon content.
It’s the way you perceive and it’s what you chose to ponder upon.
There was a time not so long ago when the Income Tax Department raided a normal civilian’s home. The eldest member of the house, a feisty cheerful woman of about 80 greeted them with sweets and savories much to their amusement and, of course, bewilderment. Never before in their raids were they met with such warmth! Intrigued, they asked the lady why she was in high spirits at being raided.
“People talk about people worth talking about. Raiding my house puts me in the HNI category, you see. I must have something that has drawn you here to me!” she chuckled impishly.
Her response could have been two ways – positive or negative. And being raided is a BIG deal! But her own mindset was one of light hearted humour and that is how she portrayed the other person to be. How one looks at another is actually how one looks at one’s own self. It says a lot about you and your mind; not so much about the person being referred to.
We are all responsible citizens, taking care of our carbon footprints, so we can leave a better world behind. A better world does not only refer to ‘environmentally’, it also refers to the humans who will inhabit it. And for that, it’s not the footprint only; it is also the carbon imprint inside of us that needs to be dealt with.
There is no grey area in being good or bad. You are one or the other. At some or the other point in life, everyone is spoken about. And the only thing to remember is that – people judge people based on their own carbon imprints.
Shakespeare once wrote, “Love me or hate me, both are in my favour. If you love me, I’ll always be in your heart. If you hate me, I’ll always be in your mind.”
Need I say more?
(Pooja Poddar Marwah is an award winning author and Blogger. She writes on contemporary living and offers incisive reflections on the world around us. Her blog, Random Conversations is a go to guide to deal with the myriad struggles we face each day.)