Life Lessons from a Nobody.

I don't know why this matters. I am very well aware of the narcissism factor involved in something like a blog.

''I have an opinion. Its very important. I have a blog.''
But here are a few life lessons I will impart to you because I am very wise, okay?

The best people I've met, at least those I like to call ''my kind of people''', are those who can laugh at things. Most of all-themselves.

I think nothing is more refreshing than being a little irreverent and politically incorrect. Being stupid and silly and just ever-so-slightly offensive. Of course, no one likes a prick and there is a fine line between sass and just plain rude. However, I feel it is important that we don't take ourselves too seriously. 

When I meet a new person, and crack a joke or say something incredibly stupid, I watch the tense, self-conscious expression on their face break into a genuine, happy laughter. That's one of those amazing things to watch human beings do-loosen up, break the ice.

Our lives are so fast and can be so droll. There is so much negativity around you, so much that can pull you down. But one of the small things I like to take pride in, are moments when I manage to make people laugh.

I also believe very strongly in being honest about my feelings. I may disagree with you, strongly. Often people are surprised that I choose to voice my opinion with such gusto. But I am just not one of those people who will nod vaguely and say yes if someone goes on about how women have certain role in society and their role should be limited to that. Sorry, but I just cannot do that. 

I guess I am just one of those people who believe that it is really important to have an opinion on things. The ability to stand firmly according to your principles is one I respect. In a country where we are creating far too many all-I-want-from-life-is-IIT youngsters, it is really important to have people who think, who question, who create. Because it is people who do these things who actually manage to make a difference. And I hope I can make a difference.

However, as this very badass best friend once said about a certain classmate,

''Ma'am, she is entitled to an informed opinion, not just any opinion.''
This is the problem we seem to have today. Social media has given everyone a voice. But it is now a shrill cacophany of views, ideas, thoughts and rhetoric. How do you dissect the sensible from the stupid, the profound from the shallow, the truly revolutionary from the farcical?

Perhaps this is why debating is so important. It is critical that one actively inculcates within themselves the ability of hear both sides of the story and logically evaluate an argument. Debate, if we choose to go deeper, is central to our existence. It is the power to question an idea and/or reject it that creates something superior or causes the initial thought to come out even stronger. The more I learn, the more I read, the finer and more articulate my argument becomes.

And I love it when people engage in a non-hysterical, non-rhetorical debate with me. Prove me wrong, I won't mind that. But don't scream and do absolutely ridiculous slogan chanting when you see that you have no answers.

''What is more stimulating than debate?'', said Mrs. Bhattacharya in class once.

I may or may not be slowly turning Bengali.