Things I have learned to cherish

Since I was a kid, I have heard the phrase, " Man is a social animal." All of us grew up listening to this phrase. However, only recently I understood the true meaning of that phrase. I grew up in a very social family, mainly because of my mother. She was and is still socially active. In Nepal, at least four people would stop by our house to say hi and tell us how everything was going daily, which was a norm. When I was growing up, I used to think of it as nuance, mainly because I had to greet them and sometimes make tea for them. As a kid, you just wanted to watch TV and hang with your friends, and this socialization in my house was interfering with that aspect of my life. 

As we grow up, we have a list of things we are supposed to accomplish: education, financial security, social status, etc. After you achieve all of those to some extent, you feel a sense of accomplishment. And the illusion stays for quite some time due to mimetics. In addition, we always seek perfection in life. Although no one knows what perfection is, we are always seeking it. Many people like me think accomplishment and perfection are the accumulation of wealth or owning a lot of stuff. I went to the dentist's office a couple of weeks ago, and he asked me if I bought something for Cyber Monday. I told him I did not find anything special to buy. It dawned upon me how that happened. I always have a list of stuff that I want to buy. Then I told myself this was a sign of getting old. The good thing about growing old is figuring out what matters to us. In addition, seeking validation from others has minimal importance in your lives and in a way that sets you free, which in turn helps you be the best version of yourself. 

Another thing that I realized is that we tend to return to our roots. In recent years, I have learned we are trying to be someone we are not. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about singularity aka when artificial intelligence will take over humanity. Would that happen? Looking at the current trend, it might happen soon. A few days ago, I stumbled upon this AI image creator that makes pictures for you when you put prompts in words. It is thrilling, addictive,  and simultaneously terrifying. It is equivalent to someone taking a snapshot of what I thought or envisioned. While giving prompts, I provide prompts to bring good memories via those AI images, and to my surprise, most of those memories are from when I was a kid, although I have traveled to many places in recent years. 

We come from a background of simplicity. Our history and ancestry never discuss perfection, rigidity, and xyz to have an accomplished life. It has always been about accepting life as it is and growing with it. Our roots are connected to where one person plays a musical instrument like flute or madal, and the whole village can sing and dance around one musical instrument. We do not need an entire orchestra or mastery of music to enjoy life and feel fulfilled. 

Recently, I have learned that the things I cherish the most in my life are my family, although they are sometimes a pain in the neck. However, they all add tremendous value to my life, and the hassles I do for them are worth it at the end of the day. In addition, some of the friends I met just out of sheer luck are the true blessings in my life. Happiness, sadness, rainy and sunny days, these people are always there for me. Some of them are my mentors and give me the best advice in life. The most beautiful aspect of these friendships is that they will listen to you without judgment. And you do not need to "maintain" these friends. 

You do things for them purely out of human connections and emotions. Most of the time, you know beforehand that things you are doing for them are not a wise decision at all, but somehow you do, and those end up being the most memorable part of your life.