Life is a Paradox….

Life is like a huge, complicated building. The more you drift through its hallways, the more unfamiliar, probably uncaring faces you see. The kind of faces that tell you they’re too wrapped up in whatever their life is about to even notice anyone else. I haven’t been to many places, or met many people before. I’m not the social type. I find meeting new people good and bad at the same time. Good, because they don’t know me, which might allow me to gain an auspicious start with them. Bad, because I’m not fond of meeting new people. I always say the wrong thing, or mostly I don’t say anything at all, which makes them think I’m a moron. However, I don’t need to eat a whole dish of couscous to know what it tastes like, do I? My point is: No matter how many people I’ve met, there will always be both kinds, good and bad people everywhere. There is no third one (unless they were some sort of psychopaths, which is a whole other issue).

It’s common that all of us want to be true to ourselves, to hold on to our own perspective, and to decide what is right for us. Firmly holding on to one’s own ideals is the only way to towards triumph. Unfortunately, most of the time, the things we utter and what we actually perform are two faces of the same coin. Isn’t it ironic how we always yearn for a fair treatment, while our manners towards others indicate that we have no sense of right and wrong? We seek respect, but we don’t give it in return. We ask for help but we never offer it willingly. We want apologies, but we are not ready to be wrong. We want peace of mind, but we keep getting ourselves in trouble. We demand recognition yet we act so arrogantly towards others. We look for happiness at the cost of making other people’s lives miserable. We accuse others of being sinful, yet we commit those sins ourselves. And so on and so forth. These are just simple examples drawn from our daily life. Too bad we are doomed to be blind and never realise what we are doing or what we had until it is too late.

Undoubtedly, we all want to succeed, but we don’t know what success means. Is it reaching a goal that you’ve never worked for? Or is it having a job that you barely go to, yet you are highly paid for? We also want to be loved. That’s what everyone talks about: finding true love. What does love mean anyway? It’s obviously a feeling that’s hard to describe. Do we get that special feeling only when someone is talking sweetly to us? A talk that’d get us high as if we were on drugs? Do we recognise our responsibilities towards the ones we love? Or is it easier to take them for granted? Of course they’d always try to reason and forgive us for whatever horrible things we did. It’s ridiculous yet a true fact: some turn a blind eye on the insensitive way they treat those close to them. Whereas, they’d do the impossible to make others feel as delighted as a child who has just received a new toy.

The truth is: We are naïve. We ignore the basic steps towards reaching our goals: defining what we want and what the best way to obtain is, then, sorting out our priorities. We tend to be self-righteous. We never give a second thought to what we do. We never question our own deeds. Besides, it’s so hard for some of us to acknowledge their faults. Doing that would be like driving a wooden stake through their hearts. I wonder, would admitting that we are at fault belittle us? Would it wound our pride? I don’t suppose that finding out the truth is something hard to do, unless we committed something no one has ever done before, which is implausible. We just need to clear our vision. It’s so easy to say yet hard to achieve. We don’t take into account the fact that we are humans, thus we make mistakes. We try to force our opinions on others. I had this conversation with some friends once and I was like “You’re just being racist.” So I was called naïve and told that I haven’t seen anything yet. In a way, they’re right. But I know what the word ‘racism’ means. It’s like saying you don’t like strawberries because you ate a rotten one once. I know how ridiculous that just sounded. Well, that’s how silly those of you who discriminate others appear.

Everyone has flaws. We just like to recite that saying as if it was a verse from a holly book. What’s the point of reciting verses from the Quran anyway? Is it to memorise them or to work with them? Obviously, we all know the answer: We should work with them. But how many of us actually apply that? We all know that no one is perfect, yet how many people try to correct themselves and get rid of their worst habits?

No one expects you to change for them, but no one will tolerate your rudeness or your childish acts. You can’t just go to someone and be like “I’m a thief, whether you like it or not, I don’t care! You must accept me the way I am!” Sadly, we are living in a time where things like that happen a lot. If you stand up for yourself, you’ll be the one to blame. If you keep to yourself, you are arrogant. If you try to share what you know with others, you’ll be a know-it-all. But if you’re into any illegal activity, you’ll be considered a hero. It’s the same like those girls who get attracted to guys for what they look like and not what they have in mind, and the same vice-versa. We say that life is a paradox. It is true, and it’s everyone’s favourite quote. But, have we ever asked ourselves what makes life that way? It is us indeed.