Volunteer writer, Ila Venil, shares this insightful piece about her journey.
Time. Memory. How, in an eccentric way, both seem associated? And, in wild ways, we intertwine them both? My friend, once, said that time is the most beautiful thing in the world and nostalgia holds within it a sense of happiness. It does, doesn’t it?
How do we adjust to things? Sometimes, we believe that we need to bring back an existing way of living and meet people who resemble ourselves and the people that we have always been with. It gets unreal, at certain times when we are in that pursuit.
We build and become, become someone new. We have different mind architectures and, in several fascinating ways, it interplays with the choices that we make. Do we have to know and design them to make it work a certain, set way? It helps when we explore the different minds of people, language, places, culture, and the spectrum of diversity; sometimes, those are ones that we share.
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I have always believed that art transcends minds. We have to work within it from a space of creation. I believe that it translates our emotions into something tangible and discernible and therefore, we see the mind and hear it. Art need not be restricted and confined to belong to a particular form. Anything we create is one.
It can often have an impact on what we think and lessen the anxiety, often. But mental health can be adverse as well and it shouldn’t be disposed of that. There would be times when it necessitates seeking professional help. If it has to be addressed, it should be and there are no two ways. The university provides professional help for it as well.
I, personally, suffer from Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and this condition perpetually keeps my mind occupied about the least important. I understand how unsettling it becomes when we feel that we never belong or if we would ever belong in a place or amongst people.
We shall and shall not, but we must belong to our own self. We must find safe spaces and discussions to navigate through it. This has been, to me, reflective of how I viewed everyone else around me.
As different as we are, we are equally similar in strange ways. We have always been in this together.
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“What happened, Arreguín-Toft wondered, when underdogs likewise acknowledged their weakness and chose an unconventional strategy?… When underdogs chose not to play by Goliath’s rules, they win, Arreguín-Toft concluded.”
How David beats Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell
This is excerpted from The New Yorker, 2009 and Gladwell discusses the power play. This seems irrelevant when looked at, contextually. But, it comes upon as pertinent when looked at with a slightly deviant perspective.
Do we thrive only when we fit in or do we have to, deliberately, try to misfit? What do we choose to be? In culturally diverse environments such as ours, where do we fit in the most?
We should let ourselves be.
Alcove (n) – recessed section of a room
I have loved this word ever since I read it. I love the sound of it, the profoundness of it, and how it misfits in the entire discussion.
