Success and TV :)

One liner success quotes are so attractive. Someone said that to be successful, a person needs to work 14 to 16 hours a day. Like any other exuberant ambitious youth, the line appeared as a recipe of success; an address of goldmine where only little digging would fetch easy gold. So, I gird up my loins and never looked back because I had to succeed. To add fuel to the fire of ambition, I was growing up in front of a television box, a stimulus of desire, we learnt very early that all those things they show on TV and present those attractive products in an attractive way, were all made for us and we had to strive hard to earn each one of those. Thus the conditioning of mind continued. In adolescent years, TV taught us to express ourselves and even coached us to deal with our hormonal changes. What a good friend was this 21” box which was initially black and white, then it started showing colours of life and then it got slimmer and smarter, like it was growing up with us. Like it was trying to keep pace with times, changing technologies and with the changing times and to say the least, it was keeping pace with us.  A loyal friend who was always there, wherever we went. And we never lost step with each other. Generation before us spent huge sums to buy and spent loads of time couched in front of TV. And our generation went an extra yard by putting a TV set in every single room of the house. If someone said they do not watch TV in the house they were considered outdated, out of line, totally pandoos and even worst things were said about them.

In the process of what my friend TV was showing and conditioning my mind, I had developed a long wish list of things to do in life like ownership of a mansion at Emirates Hills, European football club, Visiting  Monaco Grand Prix, few cars like Ferrari, Cadillac and so much more. And I am sure you were not as greedy as I am. But desires of material possessions like a house, car, comfortable family life and other things must have been triggered in your heart with lesser or stronger degree of intensity.

So life was totally uncomplicated, I had my potion of success and my friend TV had taught me what I needed to have once I gain all those gains.

As it turns out, things were not so uncomplicated. Success is not a one liner attractive quote. At the same time, definition of success was among one of those things which if not correctly understood could put you off course. A small mistake of few degrees in the beginning of the journey will lead you off target by miles laterally. Yes, we must work 16 hours a day but it should have a balanced proportion of work, family, sport, reading, praying, contemplating and any other thing you like. It is time to apply mid course correction because farther we travel farther we get from our real destination. De-conflict and de-stress our minds. Success is inbuilt in balanced life. Likewise, my friend TV was just a machine incapable of presenting anything on its own. We watched from among the limited range of what we were allowed to see at home. And sometimes watched what was not allowed to see at homes. None of which was TV’s fault.

Our generation has seen immense chaos and confusion which is likely to grow with influx of so much information. Material pursuits have created a neck breaking competition among families, friends and colleagues. However, first we need to realize how far have we come from the main course? Values must find a definite space in our lives. Redefine our definition of success. And finally, next generations has every right to be protected against media or this box called TV, conditioning their lives. We must draw lines. Today we watch objectionable movies with our kids, sing and dance on the beats of indecent songs. But tomorrow these kids will live that ideal life as he or she had seen in those movies which his/ her parents did not disapprove. Very last thing, how much a family would remain intact in times to come will be directly proportional to the value system that family follows.

Stay blessed and comment please.