India ranks 122 out of 155 countries in the happiness index and we're behind Iraq, Pakistan and Bangladesh. And what does that mean? We’re prioritizing over practices that don’t really serve our happiness. Of course, we need to ride more but still; we’ve got a lot of two wheelers across the country. I think there needs to be a shift in the way people perceive riding which is not only a means of transport that gets one from point A to B. There's no doubt that India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world but does fastest growing really mean people are happy? Is infrastructural development directly proportional to contentment? While these numbers don't support that theory and neither do I, it makes me wonder if people realize whether they're actually unhappy or if they're so involved in pretending to be happy that they aren't aware of their feelings and what they really intent to gain out of life.
That may have sounded weird, but that's the problem I see in India. That’s the way this matrix works and it does its job of keeping people in a state of confusion in a reality of illusions rather excellently! While I'm able to see and gauge all this, I realize through interactions that a lot of people don't even have such insights! In fact, they're just minding their own business with hardly any free time to spare for themselves or their loved ones. They're busy trying hard to make money to pay their dues, car and house loan EMIs. Meanwhile, a lot of their mental and physical health is lost as they sit before a screen for a whole damn day! I do a bit of that but I try my best to balance everything. I believe in having less 'things' in exchange of inner peace. What's the point?
I love the idea of sitting under a tree in an open field all day and doing nothing but observing everything around! I believe in doing a lot by doing very little else there's no point in doing it. Of course there are exceptions but they're okay sometimes. Another thing I absolutely adore is uncertainty. And that brings me to motorcycling. Yes, motorcycling has all that I just mentioned above. A long ride is like sitting under a tree and doing nothing, just observing mostly. It involves doing a lot by doing very little, helps you move around, explore places, meet people while the wind hits your face, reminding you that you're a living being meant to do a lot more than just fret over sh*t that you may not need! And such impactful encounters bring you to a point where you begin to prioritize experiences over things, simplicity over complex lifestyles and two wheels over four!
Not that you don't need a roof over your head and a car to move around with your family. That's important too but most fall into the trap when they overdo it until they reach a point where 'things' control their minds. I've seen quotes that read "money can't buy happiness but a Lamborghini surely can". If you think that's happiness, then you're wrong. That's just pushing the ego far enough that it tunes your mind into thinking you're happy because you bought a yellow fast car belonging to a brand that a lot of the population adores. Happiness doesn't rely on any of that, not things, not experiences, happiness is just IS! And that's the thing we've been doing wrong in India, chasing things we don't need while we try to please people that don't matter in our lives. The day we stop doing that, we'll redefine development and be ourselves!
So as I connect the dots, I received a lot of these insights through motorcycling. There may have been other psychological and physiological factors but motorcycling is one of them. It Doesn't matter what you ride, it's all in the same wind. But what matters is that you give yourself a chance to allow the child within to express itself. Do that often and it will teach you to exclude things you don't really need. Do that often and it'll teach you to love your imperfections. Do that often to have a roller coaster experience. Have a tryst with uncertainty while a hot engine beats beneath you. Get happy, get riding until you're done excluding everything in life.
That’s what finding yourself probably means and that's why, life is one hell of a ride! so keep riding :)
By: Ssaajan Manoj Jogia
That may have sounded weird, but that's the problem I see in India. That’s the way this matrix works and it does its job of keeping people in a state of confusion in a reality of illusions rather excellently! While I'm able to see and gauge all this, I realize through interactions that a lot of people don't even have such insights! In fact, they're just minding their own business with hardly any free time to spare for themselves or their loved ones. They're busy trying hard to make money to pay their dues, car and house loan EMIs. Meanwhile, a lot of their mental and physical health is lost as they sit before a screen for a whole damn day! I do a bit of that but I try my best to balance everything. I believe in having less 'things' in exchange of inner peace. What's the point?
**** Image Credit: nerdist.com
I love the idea of sitting under a tree in an open field all day and doing nothing but observing everything around! I believe in doing a lot by doing very little else there's no point in doing it. Of course there are exceptions but they're okay sometimes. Another thing I absolutely adore is uncertainty. And that brings me to motorcycling. Yes, motorcycling has all that I just mentioned above. A long ride is like sitting under a tree and doing nothing, just observing mostly. It involves doing a lot by doing very little, helps you move around, explore places, meet people while the wind hits your face, reminding you that you're a living being meant to do a lot more than just fret over sh*t that you may not need! And such impactful encounters bring you to a point where you begin to prioritize experiences over things, simplicity over complex lifestyles and two wheels over four!
Not that you don't need a roof over your head and a car to move around with your family. That's important too but most fall into the trap when they overdo it until they reach a point where 'things' control their minds. I've seen quotes that read "money can't buy happiness but a Lamborghini surely can". If you think that's happiness, then you're wrong. That's just pushing the ego far enough that it tunes your mind into thinking you're happy because you bought a yellow fast car belonging to a brand that a lot of the population adores. Happiness doesn't rely on any of that, not things, not experiences, happiness is just IS! And that's the thing we've been doing wrong in India, chasing things we don't need while we try to please people that don't matter in our lives. The day we stop doing that, we'll redefine development and be ourselves!
So as I connect the dots, I received a lot of these insights through motorcycling. There may have been other psychological and physiological factors but motorcycling is one of them. It Doesn't matter what you ride, it's all in the same wind. But what matters is that you give yourself a chance to allow the child within to express itself. Do that often and it will teach you to exclude things you don't really need. Do that often and it'll teach you to love your imperfections. Do that often to have a roller coaster experience. Have a tryst with uncertainty while a hot engine beats beneath you. Get happy, get riding until you're done excluding everything in life.That’s what finding yourself probably means and that's why, life is one hell of a ride! so keep riding :)
By: Ssaajan Manoj Jogia