“Easy to say,Sam…difficult to implement”..went my friend. He was talking about my latest Facebook status -
Sometimes I smile because of whats happening in my life.
Sometimes I smile inspite of whats happening in my life..but I smile always!!
I smiled (please excuse me if this sounds too corny) and said…”Is it so?”. “Of course…there are going to be times when you are going to go ‘Why me?’. Smiling is not what comes to your mind then” came the reply. That set off my thinking wheels – really, isn’t that the first thought that comes to our mind when something unpleasant happens? Why me? And thats what brought me back to the keyboard after a long time.
To begin with, let me say that I am not immune to the “why me” virus. There have been (many) times when I have felt like saying it..and have said it, as well. But over time, I have come to realise something much more important. We say “why me” ONLY when things do not go our way…when things are rolling in our favour, we are happy to sit pretty and think of it as our god-given right. I have never heard anyone saying that when they topped the class or won a lottery. 
Speaking for myself…I think that “why me” is just another way of saying “why not someone else?”, Why would you want something to happen to someone else that you would not want to happen to yourself? Also, looking back, I have had far too many occasions in my life when I could have said “why me”, but decided not to…and that made a whole world of difference.
When I was born, I was a premature baby, severely underweight, and the doctors were not too optimistic about my survival. But I did survive and am doing quite well I guess. I did not say “why me” (though technically I couldn’t have said it at that point of time ). While growing up, I faced ridicule from some of my classmates over my looks. I used to come home and cry at times…I did think “why me” at times, but gradually I realised the only way to hit back was the way I knew best – by topping the class. When I did that and saw the look of surprise on their faces, that was obviously not a “why me” moment.
). While growing up, I faced ridicule from some of my classmates over my looks. I used to come home and cry at times…I did think “why me” at times, but gradually I realised the only way to hit back was the way I knew best – by topping the class. When I did that and saw the look of surprise on their faces, that was obviously not a “why me” moment.When I flunked my first year in Engineering and had to sit one whole year at home (a lot many people who know me today still find it very difficult to believe this 
), I did not spend my time brooding “why me”, because I knew exactly why I had landed in that position. I used the hurt and shame to ensure that I never take my responsibilities casually, and the failure always reminded me of what could happen if I started taking things too easy. Only genius can afford to be complacent perhaps, and I was certainly no genius. Period.
), I did not spend my time brooding “why me”, because I knew exactly why I had landed in that position. I used the hurt and shame to ensure that I never take my responsibilities casually, and the failure always reminded me of what could happen if I started taking things too easy. Only genius can afford to be complacent perhaps, and I was certainly no genius. Period.Even today, there are still times when I faintly feel like saying those 2 words, and I stop myself from saying that. I have been “turned down” (if you get the drift) 3 times, but I remain eternally hopeful that things are going to turn out great the fourth time. Its been my long term dream to have a house of my own, but the realty scene in Mumbai keeps taking my dream a bit out of my reach…but I am damn confident that one day, I am going to post an entry on this very blog sitting in my own home. “Why me” is certainly not something I am going to be saying that day. 
Sometimes I feel that being a premature baby has helped me to a large extent – the areas in my brain responsible for pessimism have remained under-developed. 
Of course, there will be people who will say that the entire brain has remained under-developed, but thats a story for another day. For now, I will call it a day at this point.
Of course, there will be people who will say that the entire brain has remained under-developed, but thats a story for another day. For now, I will call it a day at this point.Like most other posts of mine, whats written here comes mostly from personal experience and observation, so you might have an entirely different take. I would love to listen to that,too. So feel free to comment.
Original Author : Samir More | Programmer Team Lead | Skyscape.com India Pvt Ltd
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