Saturday, November 29, 2008

What makes the world go round?

Think the answer is love? Think again then. The saying has changed a bit over the years. Many opine that money, is what makes the world go round, around which the earth rotates, around which it revolves. Probably thats what would be taught to school kids a few decades from now. Now, what triggered off this train of thought, was an extremely pathetic movie called "Yuvatha" about four guys and two girls and their friendship. Let me now not get tempted into reviewing the movie here but a couple of scenes really got me thinking. The guys were supposedly the best of friends, living for each other. Now, they have a plan to rob some organisation, and a couple of them go, one backs out, and one is injured. The guys who go to do the job are tricked, and they end up wth a jail sentence and no money. Whom do they suspect? Obviously the guy who backed out, because he was nowhere to be found. Not one scene showed them even giving a thought to what happened to him. In another scene, in jail, the two best - friends have a squabble and one guy blatantly tells the other guy that he's been "tolerating" him just because the guy had no one else and because he pitied him. So four best friends. Friends for life. Until the money issue. Where have we not seen such things? "Friends" flock to an easy-spending guy, relatives flock to you if you have lots of things to gift away in your will. Sometimes it seems, that all this advancement, technology, has made life so easy, but what a price to pay! We probably wouldn't have been too badly off as cavemen, a cave to himself each, with a barter system, having what we need, not what we want. Heck. What i talk about may not sound too sensible. But where are we without a few notes of currency? Things (whatever) required for life would now be stated as 1. Air 2. Water. 3. Food 4. Money. For without money there is no food, no water. We all know, money can buy medicines, but not good health; books, but not knowledge; a bed, but not sleep; a house, but not a home etc etc.. but what about those with no money to buy medicines, books or a house? What about those who cannot take some treatment because of financial constraints? My point is, the poor guy looks at the rich one enviously, thinking he'd be really happy if he was in the other's place, but the rich guy would never ever wish he would have been poor, though he faces jealousy, envy, resentment and what not, all the other evils money would bring. If you remember, Shania Twain said, 
"We live in a greedy little world
That teaches every little boy and girl
To earn as much as they can possibly
Then turn around and
Spend it foolishly
We've created us a credit card mess
We spend the money that we dont possess
Our religion is to go and blow it all
So its shoppin every sunday at the mall
All we ever want is more
A lot more than we had before
What have we become?
Yuvatha also made me think about friendship. Love is the weakest relationship. Couples split as easily as they bond together. Even blood relations break off. But friendship is what stays. Once a friend, always a friend. Friends stand by you, when even your own family thinks twice. Friends are always there, near or far, to throw in a word of comfort or two. True Friends are rarer than we think they are. People change unbelievably over time, and thats what makes us realise, how no amount of money to get a friend stand up for you, when all you can see are accusing fingers pointed straight. Indeed, there is no bond like the one you share with your best friends, in fact, even your boyfriend/girlfriend would be your best friend first. Dil Chahta Hai was such a fine showcase of this beautiful bond. Dil chahta hai, kabhi na beetey chamkiley din, hum na rahein kabhi yaaron ke bin. Friendship, is what makes the world go round.