Life, misfortunes, isolation, abandonment, poverty, are battlefields which have their heroes; obscure heroes, sometimes, greater than the illustrious heroes.--Victor Hugo (Les Miserables)
I may come across as a totally insensitive, selfish, attention-hungry, blood-sucking vampire to many or all of you. It is only because I am one.
When I was young boy, my mama used to tell me, “Always remember this, son, it is the crying baby that gets the milk!” I have remembered that well. And milk is something I cannot do without. So I cry. As much and as loudly as I can. Which brings us to the point of this little post of mine.
I was not like this before.
I was like you. Dignified, quiet, and hardworking. Committed to myself and my brethren's welfare. I believed 'to earn one's daily bread by the sweat on one's brow' was the right thing to do. I toiled without complaints, believed in the kindness of my brothers and sisters, and waited for the good to come knocking on my door.
Day after day, night after night, I waited. Just like you do. But nothing happened. The world moved on. Without as much as a 'thank you.' If it was a good night's sleep that was to be my only blessing, that didn't come through either. The tin roofs over my head leaked in the rains, and in the summers, were too hot to sleep under. If my body was betrayed, my soul didn't feel too blessed either.
I was invisible to the world then. As you are today. To be silent was to be ignored, sidelined, walked-over, mistreated, and forgotten. To be silent was to cease existing. To be silent was to accept the ignominy of being considered being dead while still living.
That is when I realised my mama was right. And I decided never to be silent again. Now I cry. And I get fed. More than my fair share. Everything is wonderful in my world now. But then I see you. I see you do exactly what I used to do once upon a time. Believe in the kindness of your brothers and sisters. Toil till the sun goes down and wonder why nobody invites you home when you have to sleep under your leaking tin roof. Maybe your mama didn't tell you the secret that mine did. You got to cry if you need milk.
So cry.
This world is as much your's as it is mine. Do not let any one tell you otherwise. You have toiled for the whole year here and what have you got to show for it? Nothing? The hours at the keyboard, pouring out your heart and mind... the hours spent on other bloggers space trying to understand, the commitment, the sincerity, the earnest comments you left behind, and at the end of it all...
Inhale deeply, fill your lungs with as much ammunition as you can, and cry. Let the world see what you have got. Don't wait for other's kindness or pity. Pry it out of the miserly-fists that deny you your rights.
What is your's by right is not to be accepted as alms. It is not for someone to hand it over. It is your's to take. There's pride in that conquest. Do not hesitate. Do not wait. Come forward and say, “This is me. And this is mine.”
Even if it is a mention as a 'Blogging Individual' in the year that is about to pass us by. Forever.
I salute you, my invisible friends. Let's not remain invisible anymore. For history is not made of silence.
Close
crying is fine.. once in a while... just loud enough to be heard.. when you cry too loud and too often, people see you as a crybaby or worse like the boy who cried wolf
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BMJ,
I for one have always been more impressed by the strong silent types..they exude an aural energy whih is irresistible.. it penetrates the mind and tugs at the heart..with due apologies to your mom, try it..
but as far as blgger of the year goes... would have honestly said you are the best... but you know my soft spot for the many wonderful women on sulekha.. so will keep silent.. but the best male blogger of the millenium is yours by right
happy new year and keep us entertained as always
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Hey Big,
Sure. I will wait for that discussion. A very happy and prosperous new year to you and your family and happy blogging.
I sure can say that I had some great time in this last week of the year reading your posts. Keep posting:-)
Madhuri
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Hi Big Mojo
Thanks for the note.
Let me first wish you a Happy New Year
You are persistent and you certainly seek attention. If it is just that , i probably would not have replied ( yes, nota very civilized thing to do). You seem to have something more. I do not know what it is since I have been kind of ' invisible' for the last few months and I have not read your blogs. You are certainly the LIVE WIRE of the moment here.
WORDS...WORDS...WORDS. Sometime the space and time between WORDS is more eloquent.
I came here directly from a a book of Japanese cartoon biography of Buddha. The way the author treats Buddha is great. Nothing holy .But Buddha shines throuhgout. I wish we could write about our epics in a similar manner.
Regards and see you next year
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Nargis, One of these days, I will sit and write a complete blog on you. You are turning out to be quite a character you know.. :-))) Interesting is the least I can say.
Lay your nagging feeling to rest. In real life, I don't want to be known as particularly anything, you know... I do my bit and go to bed, hoping that the next day I will wake up and will be able to do it again. :-)) I love that.
Thanks for coming over. :-)) Wish you a very Happy and Peaceful New Year! :-))
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Ms.Maria, I am truly flattered to see you here today. The most unexpected delight of the day, if I may say so..:-)) I want you to know that the feeling is mutual. I am glad to have come across you too, M'am. I don't really know if you will believe it, but I speak from my heart. :-))
I wish you a very happy and peaceful New Year too! :-))
Cheers!
Big
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Hi BigMo.....Forget about history, even the science of life dictates that 'silence is accursed. It is the one who shouts the loudest that is waited upon first....' With every blog of yours (where in between you also tend to drop in pearls of wisdom) even though you make yourself so observable, I somehow have a nagging feeling that in reality you prefer to be known as the 'obscure hero'......:-}
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Hello Mojo,
"As one of the most invisible people in Sulekha", I had to comment in this blog:-))
Mamas' are usually right:)
I suppose as in the real world- in this virtual world...we come across all kinds of people..Some we "connect right away"...with some it takes time...and with some- we never connect. Some make it easier to like (they are naturally lovable/likeable)...with others it takes time...and we can't help but loving/liking as we get to know them!
Well..for what it is worth...I am glad that we met/bumped into (whatever!) as we crossed paths and we are part of this vibrant community..
Wish you a great New Year,
best,
Maria
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Sree,
A very happy new year to my friend!
A very happy new year to you too, my friend! :-)
Thanks for inviting me to your post. I have read your post many times. I see that the change has worked for you and you are happy.Perfect and lucky!
See that lucky in bold.Yes that's exactly what I mean.
I'm not going to debate with you on that. Not because we can't. But because it is going to be a total waste of our time.
Now to assert that someone who preferred to look the other way is unhappy is
not correct!Because it depend on what the guy wants.
I have said this before to someone in this comments section and I will say it again. I have not pointed out that someone is happy or unhappy. I wouldn't know that. I wouldn't make that kind of assumptions. :-)
I also would not assume what makes someone happy or unhappy. It is a personal choice. But what I have said is this: If 'getting what you want' makes you happy, and you are waiting for someone to bring to you on a silver platter, don't! Cry! Raise your voice, speak up for what is rightfully your's. Don't wait for the world to give it to as alms. that doesn't happen! And there is no virtue in that as one is taught!! Fight for it. Stand by it. and Take it. I believe in that. My right to live and be is mine. But if you can only see and read secondary values like fame here, that is a problem with the perception. :-)
For eg.If a guy is happy as a freelance journalist he needn't remain happy if planted as Infosys chief.A rich man is not identified by the wealth he amassed;but his capacity to spent.Here you can see the latter one would be happier.
Yes cry is a good method to get something ahead of many people.But have you noticed the expression on the faces of people while they are forced to give you some thing?If we let that look meet our eye probably we won't sleep even after getting what we wanted.Now if we probe further we might even find a guy deliberately giving way ,and the expression on his face would haunt us for life!!
Philosophy?No Mojo No!
If you don't want to listen to me listen to George Washington:
When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way,you will command the attention of the world.
What makes you think I want the attention of the world? This circus here? You really think this is the world?? :-))) Sree, think. Sometime all that you see is not what it seems.
Now try cry in an uncommon way!
All my best wishes are there for you to win
I appreciate that. Thank you very much. :-)
Blogger of the Year.
Regds
gkpsree
Cheers!
Big
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