The Rat Race

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Where is the finishing line and who is tracking time? We have all been running so fast for so long that some of us have clearly forgotten the ‘why’s.

We were born and asked to join the marathon and sure, we did. Where are our kids, spouses and friends? I saw some of mine run past me and some are left behind. ‘To each his own’ and ‘you snooze, you lose’ define most of our core purpose at least at a superficial level. We have been asked to win the race, no matter what. We are allowed to push our friends, our fellow runners and take their spots, it’s OK to shoot and stab people where it doesn’t kill them to grab a more favourable position in the race. Who started it? Who gets to call the shots and choose the winner? Out of the corner of my eye I see a few onlookers with ecstatic faces and glowing lives. They are the ones who opted out; they are what ‘the runners’ call ‘losers’. I see them have time to sing, dance and smell the rain. I hear their laughter, I sense their bliss; but they don't live in palatial houses or drive cars that resemble space crafts. They are just a bunch of simple, soulful people who followed their hearts before reaching Level 3 where runners traded hearts for worthlessness. They don't count because they are not mainstream. Let's call them unlucky or crazy because in our universe, money matters. So does an address in the city’s most popular township and the school your child shares with that of a celebrity.

I pray for the existence of a finishing line. I hope there are multiple winners and they get all their wishes granted at the end of this race. The prizes better be worth the sacrifices we all made. After all, we make the world- we are the middle piece of world's bell curve. We always obeyed, followed and lived with perseverance in anticipation of a grand finale or a trophy that will validate our struggles and wins when we are teeth-less, breathless and, who knows, may be lifeless. I hope these tracks are not drawn around the globe, going in circles and making the thoughtless majority run all their lives only to reach where it all started.

Comments

  1. Anonymous6 November 2017 at 02:43

    I doubt if we have a better option out there than running this race especially once you got a family to feed and you can't make all the decisions on your own as it wouldn't just affect YOU.. at least I'll not "shoot and stab people" in this race... however, I can think of many who do this everyday :-P

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