I need a comma, a round of confessional, to put a period to something that makes me look grotesque (without even making me look funny). I have realized that I cannot get away with "being myself" anymore. I can not afford the luxury of status quo any longer.
Time has moved on; and the young angry man of 70s has evolved. He is working his backside off, making lots of money and dreaming of Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the gender code has been changed. Anger is not manly anymore. Today's hero is Rocket Singh the salesman, who doesn't have to show his member to prove his manhood. He doesn't push around, and without arguing, he convinces us and makes us see that the expression of anger is medieval. It's a baggage-of-past we have to jettison to sail ahead.
The question is how. What follows is not an answer, but an attempt to find that.
1. Patience - a belief that some problems can be solved just by waiting. Let's say it again - just by waiting. If you try talking, you might end up prolonging the problem. One can not be agnostic about time almighty. One only has to learn how to pass the time while time is on job.
Take away point - it's wise, civilized, and manly, to listen out people and not cut them out. Wait for them to finish before you barge in. It's charming without being insincere.
2. Tolerance - a belief that imperfection is an existential condition. That implies even you will be wrong once in a while. And that makes forgiveness a mutual need, therefore a social contract in any civilized society. It helps to remember that what we deal with in everyday life is mood/state-of-mind and not people, and the former is often worse than the latter. In worst case, when nothing makes sense, you might like to thank your God not to make you like the next guy.
Take away point - the critic must introspect. He should smile more often. And he should take it easy unless it's a matter of life and death.
3. And the forgotten lesson - unless cornered, don't hit back, don't block, just dodge.
It's time for me to see and find out how young I still am.
