This poem reflects on the situation that addicts are going through and their need for connection. They also have dreams just like ours and they also want to talk but they just cannot. Hope I have done justice to this sensitive topic by giving proper wording. When their loved ones leave them, they use these addictions to deal with themselves and their desire to have a shoulder to cry on.
It was another great morning yesterday filled with refreshing wind as the birds sing. My mind filled with same old everyday thoughts about the hurdles in my application and ways to overcome, ways to make my day effective, to reflect on things I know, to learn about things I don’t know and so on. So a typical 4:00 AM morning with just myself and the beautiful green park empty yet full but it was a bit different today. Just across from where I was sitting, I saw a boy (my age) sitting under a tree. I could not figure out what he was doing from the distance so I decided to walk closer and found him injecting drugs. Now, my first reaction was “what a waste of life?”, he knows the side effects on his body so “why does he do it?, why why why?”. I was going to walk away just when a thought came into mind of actually asking him why he does this. I write about helping others so this was my chance to maybe help him so I should not walk away. Scared from the way he would react, I took my steps carefully one after another and in a soft voice gave a quick introduction while I sat myself beside him. This decision changed my perspective completely. He talked about how he never really wanted to do this but as he was growing up, he saw his parents using it. He saw his siblings using it so he wanted to try it out. So, basically he had nobody to stop him. Then of-course the chemicals took its course and he could not let go. But it was not just this that got him addicted. It was the fact that when his parents were no more and his brother was never there for him, he was ALONE. One by one everyone left him and he had nobody to talk to. Now, he said, everyone looks at him as criminal. Nobody wants to be with him. Humans have a natural and innate need to bond. When we are happy and healthy, we bond and connect with each other. But if someone is traumatized, isolated or beaten down by life then they will bond with something which will provide them relief and that usually comes in the form of gambling, *******, cannabis and many more (you name it). He kept talking and talking like he has not talked before and then crying. That moment changed who I was. Its like my thoughts were being ripped apart and re-constructed.

So I request you with my folded hands to talk to people if they are in trouble. All they want you to say is “I love you and I am there for you”; “My lips are shut and my ears are open so say whatever you want”; “I am there for you”. Its these small things that bring the greatest difference. Not every yellow thing is gold and not every black thing is coal.

Be happy with what you have and work towards sharing with those who don’t have. We complain every single moment of our life without considering the fact that there are millions begging to experience our life. This is for the man that I once talked to sitting under a tree who told me “You are worried about gaining admission to school, feel my pain of knowing that my kids cannot even look towards a school let alone think about admission”. From that moment, I decided to not complain but rather fix the problems in my life and make myself capable to help those in need.

I want to get one point clear before you read this. I am not saying that we should not care about society at all but I am saying that we cannot base every single personal decision on what others will think. A prime example is parents telling their kids to choose a prestigious profession (by the way, no profession is small or big if you do it with passion) just because society will laugh at them if their kid chose to do something they want (lets take being a writer for example). This is just one example and there are many. So, this is directed for those individuals who follow this mentality and I am sure they have their own reason for thinking and I fully respect that but maybe re-think for a bit and see how you are affecting yourself and your loved ones by putting society ahead in every single decision. Life is unpredictable and short so live it as if it is your last day because at the end of the day, yes society will laugh at your decisions but it is that same society who will follow you when you succeed in whatever your passion is.

I was really missing my home back in India today and so decided to pen it down. Hope you guys enjoy reading it

Do not let the comparison take away who you really are. You do not know the situations that someone went through to get to the place they are at. Find out who you really are and focus on achieving what you really want and define the definition of rich, happy for yourself based on who you are and not by looking at what others have. I am not saying competition is bad but just use it wisely. Listen to everyone advice because you cannot stop anyone from speaking but do what is best for yourself.