Phase
transition
By
Jennifer Ashraf
I consulted my
crystal ball today, for a glimpse into your life. Curious? Take a
look…
1
to 10 years: Welcome! As a new visitor in this world, the
first ten years of your life will undoubtedly be your most enjoyable.
The biggest concern in your life will be keeping track of all your
favorite cartoons on Cartoon Network, making sure that you end up
missing none of them. Your parents will probably be ready to kill
you for hogging the TV all the time! Yet, you lucky brat, you know
that you are invincible! Your parents are so tender towards you, that
they don't really mind making small sacrifices, do they? You know
this for sure as every time you want to miss school, as you have to
do is bawl for a good fifteen minutes before you're excused. They
also humor your numerous tantrums when you generally feel like giving
them a hard time, even bribing you with chocolate to shut you up.
Watch out on that chocolate though; you don't want to get fat, do
you?
11
to 20 years: A funny time actually. You pass your teen phase
and move on (almost) to the twenties. Congratulations! You might not
be aware yet, but this is probably the most difficult phase of a Homo
Sapien's (human) life. Survive this, and then its plain sailing all
the way. There are a few unexpected changes, aren't there? Firstly,
I am sure you'll notice how your best friends since childhood (yes,
obviously your parents; who else would befriend you while you stayed
home watching all those cartoons alone?) have reentered you life,
but with a slightly different role… as dictators! Out of nowhere they
start making discreet inquiries about the new 'friends' in your life,
what you do in your spare time, who is the new person that you spend
hours talking to on the phone, etc, etc! You start resenting your
younger siblings, especially when they begin divulging all your secrets
to friends (trust me, this can be particularly painful). Your life
is constantly a maze of happenings… latest trends, gossip, zits, obsessive
weight control, boyfriends, girlfriends, best friends, school life,
college life, and the onset of university of life. Phew!
21
to 30 years: Finally! You're regarded as a grown up, with
the absolute freedom to live life as you wish. Unfortunately, you
are also way past the carefree adolescent mentally, and now have begun
to grasp the true meaning of that scary word… 'Responsibility'. Your
life seems to have unavoidably fallen into a routine, and there are
times when you are forced to acknowledge that you have become 'dull'.
Family life becomes a first priority as school, college and university
friends gradually seem to drift away, retreating into the worlds of
their own families. Look out as your parents seem to think its time
they 'packed you off' (in simpler words, get you married). Unsuitable
romances and affairs come screeching to a halt, as parents hastily
tie the knot. Teenage rebelling tendencies are forgotten, as you tentatively
approach the new and mature world, which you have always scorned,
but inevitably are about to enter. Wishing you the best of luck.
31
to 40 years: Hmm…by now you are definitely a proud parent
of an adorable child. You marvel at the perfect mouth, perfect nose,
and perfect fingers as the newborn baby gazes up at you through perfect
eyes! You simply can't wait to start playing the role of the perfect
parent. Yet, you are in for a shock. This 'perfect' person soon starts
displaying their flaws, as they grow up. You gradually begin to get
sick and tired of his/her feeble excuses to miss school, constant
addiction to the TV (hey, you're missing all those favorite programs!),
and their constant temper tantrums when they cant have their way.
You finally lose control one day and spank the kid (hard), while a
torrential stream of tears rush out from those 'perfect' accusing
eyes to greet you. Feeling guilty, you decide a trip to your mother
is a definite on the agenda, where you can discuss the demerits of
your growing child. You are visibly shocked when she reprimands you
for your recent behavior. 'Tsk, tsk,' she says, 'you were exactly
the same when you were that age! Now, what would have happened to
you, if I had lost control and spanked you till you …'. You steam
off without letting her finish. She has some nerve, comparing your
childhood to that brat in your house! You were nothing like that.
Or were you?
41
to 50 years: It's really funny how time flies. You 'little
child' has now grown up to be a teen. The rebelling qualities you
yourself displayed during that age are reflected in him/her. However,
instead of fighting it or reprimanding, you act like you couldn't
care less, often even supporting them. You are particularly amused
one day when your child marches up to you one day and demands to know
why you cannot be more overbearing and bossy like the other parents
are. You reflect on how times have changed… in your time you would
have given anything to possess so much freedom. For propriety's sake
you try to act a bit stricter, but don't try so hard. After all, you
are aware that it's nothing more than a passing phase, which will
pass soon. You suddenly run into your best friend from your teen years,
and drag her home for gossip. Over tea, you are painfully aware of
how things have drastically changed. The best friend, to whom you
used to shamelessly confess all your secrets to, no longer exists;
the person sitting across you now is a complete stranger. Afterwards,
you sigh, reliving cherished memories. Time and tide wait for none…a
sad fact of life. Social life aside, your work life isn't that wonderful
either. Even after constant devotion to your work, you finally realize
that no matter how many promotions you get, an 'un-bossable' position
simply doesn't exist. It's simply another sad fact of life.
51
to 60 years: You're torn between wanting to scream out loud
and wanting to let your hair down and party all night, as you child
proudly places your newborn GRANDCHILD into your outstretched arms.
Of course, at your age, it would be insane to jump so totally out
of character, although you are constantly itching to do so. Life has
turned out to be cruel… you now have wrinkled skin, grey hair, and
all those dreaded gifts that old age brings with it (although its
hard to regard yourself as being an old person!). It seems like everywhere
you look, you catch a glimpse of lost youth. Days are spent agonizing
about mistakes made during your youthful days, and memories of a few
silly stunts occasionally bring a smile to your face. You are constantly
bored, but have nothing to do as you have given up work even (retired)
to spend more time with your family. You are hardly prepared for the
indifference with which your children and family regard your retirement.
Sometimes its almost as if they resent you for upsetting their settled
routine with your presence. Scary. Even your growing grandchildren
find those lousy cartoons on TV more entertaining than being with
you. Once more you are painfully aware of how selfish you were in
your childhood, not wanting to leave your precious TV to spend a mere
half hour with your aging grandparents.
61
to 70 years: You have finally grown up, mentally and emotionally.
Congrats! For the first time in your life, you have stopped viewing
yourself as a constant victim of circumstances, and have began to
regard yourself as others do. You have realized all your mistakes,
errors and faults, which you have been blind to all these years. You
desperately want to put things right, but realize that the time has
passed. It's okay, as you are grown up enough to accept this easily
as well. You decided its time you did something constructive. With
this in mind you sit down to write your memoirs. Writing come easily
as you rapidly recollect the last sixty-nine years of your life. Life
once again becomes a routine for you a routine of sheer boredom. You
spend a lot of time lying impassively just thinking of times gone
by, with a smile on your face. And that is how your family finds you,
with your eyes closed and a fixed smile on your face. Alas, your soul
has departed from your body just a little while back…
It's funny how
time flies, how you constantly wish for something to happen and then
when it finally happens, you simply want more. Optimists call it ambition;
pessimists say its greed; ordinary people don't even consider it long
enough to give it a name. My message which I wanted to convey through
this relatively long article is simple…
live every second of life to its limit. Do anything and everything
you want, because no matter what the consequences, life is too short
to waste.
