You and I are different, but together we can do great things!


It takes all kinds ...to make the world...thank God!


I love people - literally, I do! 

I love meeting people, befriending them and appreciating how different we are from one another and yet how similar. Those who know me well enough, will understand - I can talk to anyone that can make reasonably decent conversation and even with some, who usually don't..... a dear friend once said I could make a dumb man speak!! 

And that's because of my genuine interest in people - in their lives, where they come from and where they are going. 

Through the course of my life, I have had the good fortune to meet and interact with all kinds of people - different colors, cultures, behaviors, belonging to different economic backgrounds, the works. Never have I failed to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger, if the person either seemed interesting enough or (and I have to admit it) if I was terribly bored - in trains, airport lounges, metros, public buses, offices, relatives' homes, clubs, malls, etc. The trick behind this is that I am open to all kinds - I love to understand how they are different from "my kind" and why....and if at all they are different. 

So, over these many years, I have realized that it really does take all kinds to make this world ...and much as we may complain about economic differences that don't go in our favor, about people whose political ideologies don't match ours, about people whose sartorial or even sexual preferences are different from ours.....imagine how boring this world would be if we were all the same!!! 

Look within your own circles - your family, social circle, workplace and seriously think -  if all the people within those circles were just like you ...did things you way, dressed like you, ate your kind of food only, watched the same games, movies or TV channels, cracked the same jokes, had the same opinions - would you be happy amidst them? Really?

As human beings, we instinctively chose to associate with others that have something in common with us - thats natural bonding and why I will not prefer to go to a meal with someone who is vegan and believes we should eat only to live (Yes, I am a Bong and we live to eat - Period) or why I will not possibly be very excited about spending an afternoon with wonderful women ( or men, I am told, these days!) whose horizons are limited to Fashion brands, TV shows, kitties and the like (Nothing against them personally, just that my world is much larger and more real, I believe) So yes, we look for common interests and common connections - and that is very important ....to sustain these human relationships. But even within this commonality, I always notice differences - sometimes, they come through much larger as we grow closer. But they are always there - and Thank God for that. 

It may get irritating at times when your friend of many years suddenly says something or does something that sets you wondering whether you actually knew him / her at all - all these years....same with your spouse of decades ...or maybe your own kid....shakes you at times, doesn't it? But isn't that how good performing teams work, how the best of relationships flourish....when you have commonality, yet have your own strengths and weaknesses, when you accept your differences and agree to disagree but still retain respect, when you collectively bring different flavors to the table, that each one individually could never have.

When I looked at a picture of me with a few of my friends this morning, I realized this once again - we are friends, we chill together, yet we are so different as human beings....and that's alright. In fact, that is what makes life more interesting. 

However much we would like to have our close ones think like us, behave like us, become more like us ( and the conceited "I " am no different to many around in thinking that way - sigh!) ...we need to realize :
a) that ain't happening - never completely will, and possibly for the right reasons; we all have our own individualities - thankfully. Cloning is not possible outside science experiments and not cool either!
b) that ain't smart - I would not want all around me to be as wonderful and brilliant as I am :) that would make me one of the masses - ouch!!! Seriously, we need to have the good, the bad and the ugly to all exist for us to appreciate them separately and understand the difference
c) that's not how God made us to be - we are all different, and there is a reason why we are so? Why don't we try and understand that reason and understand how the recipe of relationships can be improvised and made better instead of just creating or attempting to create another copy of an original?

Yes, I am a firm believer that we learn from others, that we adapt to changing times and conditions, that we don't reinvent the wheel,  that we continue with some basic givens like values, associations, bonds that shape us - but I also believe we should retain the "me" within us, accept the differences that exist, more so, with the people who matter to us and continue to build stronger bonds of life, love and friendship.




Peace out!

Dubai Marina, June 22, 2013




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