Contemporary Ravan

 

Triiinnngggg…. the alarm went off. I hit the snooze button (the alarm was set on my phone) and snuggled into my blanket again. In five minutes, the alarm went off again. I was about to hit the snooze button when my inner voice questioned me, “Till when are you going to keep hitting snooze? It’s time to wake up!”

I realised that it’s high time I got the better of my laziness. I dragged myself out of the bed, switched off the alarm and headed to the washroom.

 

I poured myself a glass of warm water. As I sat by the window sipping on the water, I saw people walking and running in the park. 

“It’s about time I started doing some workout,” I thought. I knew there was a severe lack of exercise in my lifestyle.

 I sprang to my feet, took my diary and a pen and sat to draft a perfect workout routine. But, as I turned the pages of my diary, I saw that this wasn’t the first time I was drawing up a plan. “All planning and no action makes Jack a dull boy!”  I kept the diary aside, put my sports shoes on and went to the park. I managed to beat procrastination and started my exercise too.

 

I got ready and left for work. I posted a beautiful quote on Facebook while on my way to work. The trouble was, it didn’t end there! I kept checking the phone every few minutes to see if I had any likes and comments. After checking a few times, I realised I was looking for instant gratification! One of the greatest evils of the internet age. We want quick results, instant dopamine kick which becomes addictive over a period of time. Sensibility prevailed and I decided not to go down that lane.

 

Though I stopped checking for notifications, I found myself mindlessly scrolling through various social media feeds. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. What seems like a harmless exercise of the thumb is actually one of the main reasons for anxiety and depression in today’s time. You subconsciously start comparing yourself with the ‘portrayed life’ of others. It is a well-known fact that not all are as happy as they show they are on social media. I decided to stop this mindless scrolling and save myself from unwanted envy and anxiety.

 

I reached my office and it was a routine day at work. At lunch time I opened my tiffin and saw the routine salad, vegetables and roti. 

‘I want to eat something nice,’ I thought. I closed my tiffin and went to the office canteen.

As I waited in queue at the cash counter, I happened to look at myself in a mirror on one of the walls. Ahead of me were posters showing the ultimate comfort foods, burgers and pizzas and beside me was a mirror showing me the status of my health. I looked up at the poster and then at myself a couple of times and realised the comfort food just isn’t worth it. I overcame the urge to eat the unhealthy but feel-good foods and went back to my tiffin.

 

At the end of the day, a colleague and I left the office together. While we were speaking, subconsciously I kept checking my phone repeatedly. He couldn’t take it anymore, “Dude you’re neither here nor there! Checking your phone is extremely disrespectful to the person you are with.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, knowing what he said was so true. I kept my phone in the pocket and did not remove it till he left. Once he left, I took my phone out again. This time I scrolled through offers on online shopping sites. The temptation, the urge to buy something was strong. A new purchase does make you feel happy (instant gratification again). Accidentally, I landed up on the page showing my shopping history. Surely, this shopping wasn’t giving me any happiness. Momentary pleasure maybe, but not happiness. The ease with which one can shop and pay these days lures many into the trap. It was a blessed day as this realisation dawned. I overcame the temptation and exited the app workout making any purchase.

 

I went home, had dinner and switched on the tv. I put on my favourite series on Netflix and started watching. I saw one episode and then another. Before I could start the third episode my wife walked in.

“You need to overcome this habit of binge watching!” she warned.

Though she did not say much, she said enough to make me aware of another evil of the current time. We spend hours glued to the television binge watching episode after episode, season after season. To make matters worse, most of the content is grey and gory. The same time can be used in a much better way if you spend it doing something productive. Like dedicating that time to your hobby or your passion. I switched off the television and picked up a book. After reading for a few minutes, it was time to sleep.

 

But before sleeping I decided to check one last time how many likes my quote had managed.

‘Not many,’ I sighed. Self-doubt found its way to my heart.

‘Am I good enough? Is my content good enough? What am I doing with my life?’ The questions in my head went on and on. That was the last thing I wanted before I slept. So, I got up and decided to sit in meditation for some time. While meditating, I used positive affirmations and I could feel a shift in my mindset. I realised, for success there is room neither for self-doubt nor for instant gratification. Sometimes success takes time. It doesn’t mean you’re not good, it just means your time has not yet come. With this beautiful thought I came out of meditation. I set an alarm for the next morning and slept peacefully having successfully killed the contemporary Ravan in me!

(Note: Ten heads of the contemporary Ravan are in bold)