The Cool and The Careless

This post is born from a discussion with a friend about movie Jab We Met and about being “cool”. The movie was quite philosophical is a really non-preachy way. The leading lady is running away from home to marry her love and to escape from the arranged marriage with a childhood friend for whom she has no sentiments now. And the hero a very mature and serious guy who is a guest at ladies house has to accompany her.

The hero (the kind of practical guy he is) is shocked and advices her to think before doing such a stupid and risky thing and asks to be a bit serious about life. And girl with all her cool attitude talks about the importance of thinking less. Afterall problems even happen to people who are serious about life she reasons. This movie has been a catalyst for mushrooming of a few Jab We Met motivated cool young guys and girls around.

I believe there is a very fine line between a real cool one and a careless looser.

Majority of the cool guys I see are plain careless looser acting to be cool. Most of these so called cool people thrive on running away from or ignoring anything even remotely looking like a problem. Neither do they have an aim nor do they take up any responsibility. The emptiness inside them is often packaged in attractive covers, garnished with 3 table spoon of smile, a table spoon of luck, a pinch of sense of humor and traces of attitude.

But then I have also had the fortune of being with some real cool ones, chronic optimists, with a huge attitude and surprising confidence to take any problem at hand with right sense of humor.

Talking about problems and challenges in life, I feel all of us share one boon with King Bali. King Bali in epic Ramayana had this cool boon that any enemy he fights looses half of his strength which gets added to Bali’s own. So the stronger the enemy the stronger he gets. In the same way bigger the challenge we face, out comes the best within us.