This is dedicated to myself, my peers and those posters in my room that see me come in and go out every single day, not reminding me of my duties and letting me be how I am.

I might be preaching like I achieved the world, or I might be sharing as if I am your closest friend, but if you all are still reading not feeling an ounce of "oh whatever, skip" in your head, I owe you all better excerpts. Thank you for listening to my thoughts :)

I don’t want to be just another random person on LinkedIn, adding connections just to build a professional network. I still have this old-school fantasy of figuring things out in person. I want to be meeting random people on busy, academic city streets, writing new stories, and learning real life lessons. That kind of want is still totally achievable today, but nobody actually does it anymore, and honestly, I guess neither would I, even if I had the chance. Because today, building a circle of people feels like it's about survival and career growth, more than just actually living a life.

Two decades ago, when people crossed paths the way I imagine now, they just took things simply. They met up, and they either helped each other find a way to live, or they betrayed each other and stole money. It was too raw, but somehow this practice kept people alert and running, still surviving. Now, life is completely different. More casual, more luxurious even with a basic penny pocket. My friends dont purchase in nearby stores anymore, they have multiple apps letting them sit in a room and get things done. You don't really care who anyone is, or why they are the way they are. You have everything you need right in your hands. Sure, that's cool, this is not a complaint, and it's definitely a great way to be independent and to live a peaceful life. I am sorry about myself for not being able see the lively element anymore. It worries me sometimes that my phone has more emojis than my face reflects. And I feel sorry that I am in my 20s when it literally feels impossible to meet new people today.

Previous generations didn't need gyms to stay fit. They stayed healthy because movement was built into their daily lives, not scheduled into a single hour. They didn't sit at desks for eight hours and try to compensate with a workout later. For them, functional, consistent movement was simply a way of life, and it worked. Understandable that things changed today, but it is still not impossible to move.

I might sound like someone stuck in the past, criticizing the side effects of technology. Maybe I am. But I am also looking around. We refuse to communicate, hiding behind many labels that describe the condition of not able to talk freely. I used that license until I realized introversion isn't a life sentence, it's often just a phase. And phases are to get over with, that is basic human quality, and we restrict that.

We have started exchanging polite smiles and brief pep talks with old friends, but the deep camaraderie we once shared is gone. We excuse ourselves from the physical world by claiming our lives are trapped inside a laptop. It feels hollow, and it hurts. People tell us that everyone leads a different life and faces their own problems. Life is undeniably tough, but communicating with the people around us shouldn't be. Think about it: you have a person right in front of you. You both know each other. You both have something to say. So, why do we let our pride get in the way of connecting?

There is no harm in simply talking.

I might have hundred and one complaints about how this generation falsifies and destroys all those natural things happening to a human with their sensitivity.

When I come home after a hectic day, I want to sit with my family and talk. I don't need a "weekend is for family time" label for that. I want to sit and talk whenever I find a free time. I don't want 5 minute per day fillers. I want a safe place to live, eat and rest. I need a place to depend on. I shouldn't need a weekend, a calendar invite, or a day off just to have a conversation. It must not require a strategy. It should just happen, like how you were fed milk when you were hungry and not when only its time.  

Life is really just a juggle between those few tunes of happiness and challenges. We don’t actively look for heavy phases that leave us feeling sad and off, but we need to welcome them when they arrive, because that is simply what makes us human. That raw experience is how people decades ago managed to live long, full lives. If I wanted to sound deeply philosophical, I could say these difficult moments awaken a deeper sense of life within us, regardless of what others think. But you don't have to buy into that preachy advice if you just want to live your own life while a hundred other people throw philosophies at you.

The things that happen in your life exist to keep you human. They remind you that you are not alone in your suffering, you are not stuck here forever, and you will eventually move on to a new path. Best of all, without you even realizing it, every setback quietly hands you a second chance to start over, whether you have the luxury of time or not. And then we all are back to square one to live our own lives without seeking much validation. 

Because without that validation, you get to sing aloud and free, just like how the generations of our parents and grandparents did. You don’t need people constantly motivating you to sing, nor do you need them reassuring you that they won’t judge. Frankly, it is okay to be judged. I want them to laugh at those high pitches where I falter and low pitches where I mess up. I want people to think whatever they want about me, to be free, thoughtful, and even highly critical, because having an opinion is just a basic human trait.

Whether your opinion hurts me or not is a matter of your ethics when you said things at me. But forcing yourself to refrain from having a thought in the first place isn't okay. That is just a restriction. It is a limitation you are imposing on your own mind, and it kills the raw honesty of life. I don’t want to be overly sensitive to the world, and I don't want people imposing a silent punishment on me through their unspoken opinions or their views on my social standing. Craving clarity isn't attention-seeking, after all. Whether I decide to improve based on your thoughts or simply choose not to care, that ultimate freedom still belongs to me. Once you embrace that freedom, you realize you no longer need to force your way of living onto anyone else.

And all of this, is only when you seek your life to be simple. You don't need to force anybody to live a life that has social presence, you don't need to ask anyone to see setbacks as just a failure to do it once and an opportunity to get it later, or you need not pull anyone into this trap of letting people judge, hurt or validate themselves through the people around us. All we want is a life in different forms. You seek it in a simpler format while I might want cash in my pocket all the time. There is so much to this quality that keeps adding, keeps multiplying and keeps filtering. There is no wrong and right in this. Yes it is a turmoil and tension, but it all settles, isn't it?

The turmoil keeps coming, but through it all, you want to live a little. You treasure such turmoil and make it a memory like how everybody would do to smile about them later. You grow up to become a better version of yourself, leading a life that is not a burden wrapped in self-doubt. You don't have to keep running just to be seen.

In a world like this crowded with theories and theorems, simply be a little plant. Be the science yourself. Who knows? You might just find a scientist who stops to sketch your leaves, adding a splash of color to show you off to the world. Because it is all about being Alive, running, but waiting sometimes to restore your energies...

 _Alive and running, though the tank is low,

waiting for the spark to make the energy grow.

Life throws its offerings, heavy and  new,

testing my limits in all that I do.

Though I am tired and bound by the clock,

though promises fade and certainties mock,

I see each challenge as a task to pursue,

a search for the joy in the things that I do.

With every small step that I manage to clear,

the growth in my soul becomes steady and near.

The commentary echoes from parents and peers,

a constant buzz ringing deep in my ears.

But I take all the noise, the pressure, the strain,

and turn it to fuel to push through the pain.

I want to live active, to fight and to strive,

to keep this spark burning as long as I'm alive.

So when the end comes and my time is all spent,

and life asks what thoughts down the highway were sent,

I want to look back at the map of my mind,

and smile at the treasures I'm leaving behind.

No sighing in sadness, no sinking despair,

for I know that my purpose was never found there.

My years were not meant for the weight of debate,

or clueless opinions that others create.

Instead, it's a satire, a comedic art,

of clearing the phases and playing my part.

What many call turmoil and view with dread,

is the treasure I choose to gather instead.

The world calls it chaos, a trial, a test,

but I call it experience, the ultimate quest._

Oh joy, just live long.

-Truly

AstuteZero ( Abhinav Nizampetker)