The fool’s paradise is my favourite haunt
It’s amazing that I’d been a stranger to myself for so many decades! And surely not the first one to encounter this state; it is rather common for many of us to undergo the same experience. But with the passage of time, I’m getting to know me better. Who introduces us to ourselves? Diverse situations in our day to day life and individuals around us. It is an ongoing process but still I am bound to startle myself at many junctures in times to come.
The development of getting acquainted with the self has revealed among other things that the fool’s paradise is an indispensable component of my life. Whenever some negative annotations about a situation, people, our country or even the weather for that matter, accost me, I inevitably come up with some cheerful remark, refuting the statement.
Only the other day I said something about the heartening behaviour of modern youngsters, to a friend and she rejoined, “I wonder how one can make such claims when you know that things are not so positive in reality.”
“But I say so on the basis of personal experience; I really come across many well-bred young people everyday who obey the rules of the land, know their priorities right, respect elders, thus ensuring a bright future for our republic.”
When someone carps about the levels of air and noise pollution, I merrily ask, “Haven’t you noticed that the recurrent reference to it has made some people aware and it’s already become fashionable to cycle to work, jobs and market along with other lifestyle changes?”
A publisher grumbles that people do not read books anymore and hence the drop in sales. I mention a report of a newspaper which said that the number of physical book readers is consistently growing once again. I also refer to the large number of books sold annually at book fairs. He merely scoffs at the observation.
My friend Jhikki moans about people being hooked to mobile phones. I try to raise her spirits. “A deliberate change is creeping in; and soon our society will become tech-savvy enough to become conservative user of the gizmos.” Smiling, she says, “High hopes; you’re living in a fool’s paradise to reason like this; but your attitude does cheer me up. Wonder why you don’t see the transformation that’s coming? I can sense it all the time!”
A staunch optimist, I don’t bother about people’s observations. This settles that the fool’s paradise is my favourite haunt. It is a tension-free place, where bliss and repose reign supreme. I laugh my worries off here and unwind for a while. Exotically fragrant flowers of hope, growing everywhere, promise better times ahead. Slowly but steadily things are changing; no bad situation lasts forever. My anticipations can come true; and I won’t trade my utopia for any other place on earth.
A STAUNCH OPTIMIST, I DON’T BOTHER ABOUT PEOPLE’S OBSERVATIONS. IT IS A TENSIONFREE PLACE, WHERE BLISS AND REPOSE REIGN SUPREME