Are we really INDEPENDENT ?

I was thinking about myself as to who am I ? When I self-introspective a bit,  I realised that like every individual I am a person who loves independence. But when I actually looked outside, I found that this independence is a figment of our imagination. One question that came to my mind was that even after several years of independence, are we really Independent ?

During the formative years, I was under the guidance of my parents and was totally dependent on them. Their influenced has made me what I am today ! When I grew up and went to school, I was bounded by the rules and regulations. The same was applicable even for the college. At every point of time, I remember the quote, “Man is born free but lives in chains”. That time people used to say that all this will be helpful to me in becoming a good citizen and once I become an adult, I will be free and can live my life independently.

On my 18th birthday, I was very excited that now I will be independent and will make a new world of my own, making all my decisions independently. But, was this really possible ? Soon my dreams were dashed to the ground. All that was around me was blood and more blood ! Every sight caused me immense pain and every time I questioned myself, are we independent ?

Although we’ve fought for independence but still we are dependent much more than what we were before. I found the society to be very conservative, in reality it is not at all independent. Whatever I did, I was imposed to follow certain ethics and norms in life. The thought of doing something was always followed by the thought as to how the society would perceive me, my actions and my thinking. I just couldn’t do whatever I want because that can harm others mentally and physically thus making it rather difficult for me to take independent decisions. Every action or decision was bounded by the perception of the society.

We can never be completely independent as long as we live in a society. In order to be really independent, one should have the right to live their lives in the way they want. The society is surrounded by corruption and corrupt politicians. People are killing each other for no reason. Crime rates have increased and people are no longer feeling safe. Soon I realized that everything was not as good as I thought it to be, forget about being united and independent, even relationships aren’t valued anymore. People are ready to sell their families for the sake of money or even go to the extent of killing them for their own needs. Although people say that the nation is free from slavery but still, it exists in different forms. Out of which, the problem of child labor is very severe, children are abused and  forced to beg.

The society is also facing the problem of unemployment. People are dying of hunger as they can’t even afford 2 meals a day. Due to lack of education, women have been the most affected and been going through all the suffering and pain. They have been never considered at par with men, always been looked down upon.

Even today, bribery is still in existence. Everyone is aware of the fact that practising of dowry is bad and not right but still, it is widely accepted and followed at all levels.

We call ourselves independent and educated, then why can’t we break this conservatism ? We are still much dependent on the political system which keeps people illiterate so that votes can be controlled easily. We need to depend on one another for our needs !
Each one of us has been living a misleading way of life, where our likes and dislikes did not make any sense and had no existence in the real independent world. It’s high time we realize that each individual is a unique piece of art and must be given their birthright i.e. the Right to Live, the way they want.
Was this the independence that I had been searching for ? Was this the independence for which the freedom fighters gave their lives ? Even after 65 years of independence, are we really independent ?

(By Shivam Mittal -indianfusion)

Warren Buffett quotes

“Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it’s true. If you hire somebody without [integrity], you really want them to be dumb and lazy.”
― Warren Buffett

“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
― Warren Buffett

“Honesty is a very expensive gift, Don't expect it from cheap people.”
― Warren Buffett

“Be Fearful When Others Are Greedy and Greedy When Others Are Fearful”
― Warren Buffett

“Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing”
― Warren Buffett

“No matter how great the talent or efforts, some things just take time. You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.”
― Warren Buffett

“Rule No. 1 : Never lose money. Rule No. 2 : Never forget Rule No. 1.”
― Warren Buffett

“It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.”
― Warren Buffett

“You never know who's swimming naked until the tide goes out.”
― Warren Buffett

“When I was sixteen, I had just two things on my mind - girls and cars. I wasn't very good with girls. So I thought about cars. I thought about girls, too, but I had more luck with cars.
Let's say that when I turned sixteen, a genie had appeared to me. And that genie said, 'Warren, I'm going to give you the car of your choice. It'll be here tomorrow morning with a big bow tied on it. Brand-new. And it's all yours.'
Having heard all the genie stories, I would say, 'What's the catch?' And the genie would answer, 'There's only one catch. This is the last car you're ever going to ge tin your life. So it's got to last a lifetime.'
If that had happened, I would have picked out that car. But, can you imagine, knowing it had to last a lifetime, what I would do with it?
I would read the manual about five times. I would always keep it garaged. If there was the least little dent or scratch, I'd have it fixed right away because I wouldn't want it rusting. I would baby that car, because it would have to last a lifetime.
That's exactly the position you are in concerning your mind and body. You only get one mind and one body. And it's got to last a lifetime. Now, it's very easy to let them ride for many years. But if you don't take care of that mind and that body, they'll be a wreck forty years later, just life the car would be.
It's what you do right now, today, that determines how your mind and body will operate ten, twenty, and thirty years from now.”
― Warren Buffett

“In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.”
― Warren Buffett

“I will tell you the secret to getting rich on Wall Street. You try to be greedy when others are fearful. And you try to be fearful when others are greedy.”
― Warren Buffett

“It's nice to have a lot of money, but you know, you don't want to keep it around forever. I prefer buying things. Otherwise, it's a little like saving sex for your old age.”
― Warren Buffett

“[Gold] gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head.”
― Warren Buffett

“[Gold] gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head.”
― Warren Buffett

The stock market is a no-called-strike game. You don’t have to swing at everything — you can wait for your pitch. The problem when you’re a money manager is that your fans keep yelling, ‘Swing, you bum!’
― Warren Buffett