I look around and see youngsters (and many middle aged people as well) preening over their brands. Their shoes, jeans, mobile phones, laptops they use, places they eat, stuff they eat, stuff they drink, even causes they espouse, vehicles they move in. I look at the growing dependence on this need to prop oneself behind a brand and it makes me wonder how bad it would be for one's self confidence, self esteem if the prop was taken away suddenly (God forbid!). It could be a needless worry from me - and don't get me wrong - I am not against technology or causes or cool stuff. Just asking everyone to take a reality check once in a while so you have not become your mobile. Or worse, so the mobile has not become bigger than you.
Let's peel away the brands one by one and see how comfortable we are being without that brand. To see how much that brand has eaten into you. To see if you are still okay without the brand.
So let us first:
Peel off that swanky mobile, which seems to be the lifeline for most these days. How do you feel without the brand on that mobile? Even better. How do you actually feel without that mobile? Inadequate?
Peel off those brands on the shoes. Do you still feel cool? Peel off the brands on the clothes. Do you still have the attitude? Can you still hold your own? Can you still walk with that same confidence? That swagger?
Peel off the brands on the other gadgetry - those laptops, ipads, ipods and whatever else one has plugged into their ears and mouths and at the edge of the finger tips all the time. Does it still work for you? Can you still sit and hold your own in a conversation.
Peel off that cause that everyone is clicking on Youtube and twitter and facebook without knowing what the hell its all about. Cite one cause that truly moves you. That really interests you. One cause where you need not merely like, or tweet, or comment mindlessly from the comfort of your armchair, or rather the couch. (I forgot armchairs were passe.) The one cause where you can actually move yourself physically, meet people, feel their pain and do something about it. Not transfer some money, take pictures and be vocal on facebook. Something real. Something you can feel - not just the keypad.
Peel off that brand of the school and the college your parents have put you through. Can you still hold your own? Do you have enough value without that brand? Do you have enough content?
Peel off that brand of the nation that is scheduled to be the next superpower, that somehow seems to have given a whole lot of misplaced enthusiasm that we will be there, the superpower, riding on someone else's shoulders. That we can merely by tweeting, liking or commenting, become that. It needs real content, it needs real work, real thought to get there. Do we have what it takes if we take off that brand of India Shining?
Peel all these brands off and see how good you feel - all by yourself. Just for the heck of it. If you still feel cocky, good and at the top of the world you're on a good wicket. But if you're feeling a bit lost, then its time to look at yourself pal. You've been taken over by the brand, bought over bit by bit until you have nothing of yourself left anymore. Nothing wrong in that - the whole world is that way.
But just for a lark, reclaim yourself - it could always come in handy to know yourself as you are without a prop. Because when it comes to the real thing, the props fall off first and you have to deal with reality alone.
Let's peel away the brands one by one and see how comfortable we are being without that brand. To see how much that brand has eaten into you. To see if you are still okay without the brand.
So let us first:
Peel off that swanky mobile, which seems to be the lifeline for most these days. How do you feel without the brand on that mobile? Even better. How do you actually feel without that mobile? Inadequate?
Peel off those brands on the shoes. Do you still feel cool? Peel off the brands on the clothes. Do you still have the attitude? Can you still hold your own? Can you still walk with that same confidence? That swagger?
Peel off the brands on the other gadgetry - those laptops, ipads, ipods and whatever else one has plugged into their ears and mouths and at the edge of the finger tips all the time. Does it still work for you? Can you still sit and hold your own in a conversation.
Peel off that cause that everyone is clicking on Youtube and twitter and facebook without knowing what the hell its all about. Cite one cause that truly moves you. That really interests you. One cause where you need not merely like, or tweet, or comment mindlessly from the comfort of your armchair, or rather the couch. (I forgot armchairs were passe.) The one cause where you can actually move yourself physically, meet people, feel their pain and do something about it. Not transfer some money, take pictures and be vocal on facebook. Something real. Something you can feel - not just the keypad.
Peel off that brand of the school and the college your parents have put you through. Can you still hold your own? Do you have enough value without that brand? Do you have enough content?
Peel off that brand of the nation that is scheduled to be the next superpower, that somehow seems to have given a whole lot of misplaced enthusiasm that we will be there, the superpower, riding on someone else's shoulders. That we can merely by tweeting, liking or commenting, become that. It needs real content, it needs real work, real thought to get there. Do we have what it takes if we take off that brand of India Shining?
Peel all these brands off and see how good you feel - all by yourself. Just for the heck of it. If you still feel cocky, good and at the top of the world you're on a good wicket. But if you're feeling a bit lost, then its time to look at yourself pal. You've been taken over by the brand, bought over bit by bit until you have nothing of yourself left anymore. Nothing wrong in that - the whole world is that way.
But just for a lark, reclaim yourself - it could always come in handy to know yourself as you are without a prop. Because when it comes to the real thing, the props fall off first and you have to deal with reality alone.
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