School Reunion

by Rajesh

Jan 6, 2007

I attended an alumni meet of my school recently. We were meeting each other after about three decades. It was very interesting to see how nearly thirty long years had changed people and what each of them had achieved in life. The week before the meet was filled with excitement and anticipation. Finally the D-day arrived and I went to the hotel where all were supposed to be put up. To put it mildly, I was not prepared for what I saw. I could not recognize some of them. They had grayed, fattened out, or become bald. Looking at the wear and tear the years had claimed on them, I felt time had been very kind on my looks. I was instantly recognized and hugs and handshakes followed.

However, looks apart, when we got talking a strange pattern emerged. The fellows who had been overly ambitious and the fellows who were too casual had not done well in life. The fellows who had wanted pots of money had not done too well and were living on shoe-string budgets. It was the middle order batsmen who had made the centuries. I wondered why this had happened.

From their talk I could gather that the overly ambitious people had considered themselves too good for their jobs. They had not been satisfied with what their employers gave them and had changed employers frequently. They were ultimately jobless and were trying to open something of there own at this stage of their lives. Even after so many years they were still strugglers with an uncertain future but very certain responsibilities towards their families. I concluded they had an attitude problem. At the other extreme were those who took things too easy in life and ended up in a low profile existence. Perhaps they were too distracted to concentrate on what was important. Again I concluded there was an attitude problem.

The people who had followed the middle path had done best in their lives. They had worked hard at their respective jobs and, slowly but steadily, had risen up the ranks to occupy important positions.

I concluded that the grabbers had got little and the tension had claimed its toll on their looks as well. On the other hand were the givers, who worked hard loyally through thick and thin. They were the people who had got a lot from life. They seemed satisfied, good humored, relaxed and friendly. It seemed funny. The people who ran after pots of money were on shoe string budgets while those who led less hungry lives had far more to spare.

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