“Pretentious!” he said when I asked my brother about how my
newly bought shoes looked. I was not able to figure out what it meant then. I
assumed it was some fancy word for “its nice”.
Ten years later, I was in Whitefield, the IT capital of
India to visit a friend and she asked “So, What do you think about the place?”
and I said... Pretentious!!!
And this time I was pretty sure what it meant.
“People spend the
money they don’t have to buy things they don’t need to impress people they
don’t like.”
Ever felt ashamed to attend a call on your nokia handset
which you had been using comfortably for years just because you might be mocked
at.
Tried on dresses you would otherwise not be wearing coz
you’d be the only one in a jean in a place crowded with single piece gowns?
Went to those bread and cream serving high class eateries to
keep your pride among your peers and paid a bill in thousands when all the
while you were thinking about the delicious Hyderabadi biriyani of biriyani
zone?
Ever done something and felt that its just not you or out of
your comfort zone?
Yes, of course we have. And its not our fault. Most of the
times its our pride at stake.
Those 10k blazers, Smartphones, Tablets, iPods, Car off the
first salary, Team outings, Saturday night parties, Pizza Days and so on. Don’t
even get me started on the list of things women do to keep up with their
counterparts, a list of things which are highly valued by the superficial man.
These dream jobs come with a predefined lifestyle and a
price tag attached to it.
That’s the price we have to pay to enter this so called
corporate world and stay in it. Actually, We are just being dragged into a
belief that it’s the latest culture and we tend to move along with the masses.
But don’t you think
we’re losing our identity, our whole belief system that we have developed
throughout our life from various experiences and learning?
Of course we are. My decisions are supposed to be based on
my need and not what the society demands.
Do I really need that smartphone?
Why an iPod when my phone can play songs?
Am I controlling traffic on internet that I have to just
stay online all the time?
Do I have to buy that car on
my first salary which means that I can’t even spend on an emergency?
We are so much into trying to be someone else that we can’t
see losing ourselves. But the choice is for a lifetime. Once you wear that
mask, it becomes almost impossible to get out of it.
Your worth is not defined by the extras you have and fancy
places you go to but by the values you hold onto.
So what’s your worth?
