‘Be You’

Someone asked me recently, “How have you been?” I did not answer; I just smiled back. It would have been inappropriate and rude to tell him that the experience of the past one year of my life has turned me into a misanthropist – a skeptic to be put more simply. The society around me has not changed much; it still remains a masquerade party as it was when I first stepped into the shoes of adulthood. I don’t still know what it is like dealing with real people for I have never experienced anyone rare and genuine.

My experiences are gradually turning the colour of my hair grey with each new silver streak reminding me that many years of my life have indeed passed in knowing people. The punch line ‘Be You’ of a reputed online apparel store keeps flashing itself on almost every form of media advocating the necessity of being the real self. But in a society like ours where a fake curve on the face of a woman makes men go down on their knees, is it possible that honesty is rewarded and integrity acknowledged?

My cynical self has already assured me that the concept of ‘real’ can only be defined and understood in literary pieces and voluminous epics, while my optimistic self still awaits someone who can put my doubts to rest.