In case you were wondering today how far you are from englightenment—in terms of kilometers—be assured that you are almost there. Those who tend to think about such questions are generally closer to their destinations than they realize. This is the nicest thing about nirvana; both the concept as well as the band, to be frank. In the world where you can be anything, why not (try to) be enlightened? Thanks to social media and its endless thirst for attention, anybody can be woke nowadays by just pretending to be woke but you can’t imitate a similar trick with enlightenment. You either are or you aren’t.
On that depressing note, let me tell you everything you need to know about the age-old practice of gifting. In a samaaj that values interpersonal relationships, a gift goes a long way in showing others that you genuinely care about them, and cherish the coincidence of existing with them together in this vast, blinding universe. Which makes the process of choosing a gift equally painful. It’s not everybody’s cup of tea. Wait, if somebody is a huge fan of chai and acts like tea should be declared a love language by UNESCO, then gifting them a tea set makes sense, no? But then, it’s not always easy to corelate somebody’s fondness to something, well, material. If you are into quizzing, then what should I gift you? A buzzer? Ahem.
Exactly my point.
So, it’s not really an easy task, but definitely worth a try.
That said, the greatest gift you can grant someone is your time. Go be with them. Your time on this planet is excrutiatingly limited. Just like hectares of land. If not, then, of course, a space in your will would do, apart from a gulp of your other holdings and equity. You are welcome.
In my lifetime, I don’t think I’ve ever made any effort to gift somebody something deeply meaningful. If anything, I’d always give them books which I’d already read—with my markings and notes on every second page—and that’s about it. Oh, yes, pens too. I used to be big on gifting pens, knowing very well the folks around me. They stopped writing, like the rest of the generation, as soon as Obama took office.
All things said and undone, if you are struggling with finding a thoughtful gift for somebody you appreciate, here’s what I think you should do: gift them a lamp. A dear friend of mine recently gifted me one and trust me, nothing beats it. It lights up the corner of your house, not just your mood instantly, and makes you feel better about being alive. Even if you think you are not philsophosical enough and are a pragmatic straight arrow—well, good luck with your delusions, sirs and madames and others—a lamp with its calm yellow ambiance shall make you dwell on your existence a bit. It’s a delightful touch to your personal space. Hands down.
In other words, you are a step closer to your enlightenment.
Thank you for attending my sed talk. Have a memorable weekend ahead.
Shakti just knows how to lighten up somebody’s weekend! A great write up indeed!