Man? Middle-Class? Marriage? Wait till you’re 30!

Being a middle-class, limited resource man means you ought to marry late (at least after 30) for some very obvious reasons. Gone are the days when you would see a happy family – with a woman in her early 20s carrying an infant in her arms seated along her husband riding the motor cycle. ‘’ With a complete round of doses of extravagance depicted through the T.V. Soaps, every woman has gradually understood to live her life no lesser than Queen Elizabeth.  At the same time, men have learnt that they must hunt for a partner who is independent, supportive, highly intelligent and educated, and to top it all, look very similar to Angelina Julie, or Katreena.

 

The increasing globalization, the depleting resources, the horrible Malthus’s theory of population explosion and its consequences, the soon approaching end of the time as per Mayan’s calendar,  and the MOPW campaigns have all convinced us it is seriously uneconomical, dangerous, and fruitless to continue the traditions of marriage and family making. Even if some of us do not find these negative potentialities of family making, the thought the we would not be able to feed our grandsons (and their grandsons) is strong enough, at least, to delay marrying until things turn favorable.

 

The economic hardships and unreasonable expectations are not the only causes of a delayed marriage. Education also plays a vital role in building up a mass of hapless, spouse(less), medium-income adults. For aligning our HR standards with international benchmarks, employers are seeking bachelors who have at least completed 16 years of education. This naturally makes it impossible for students to graduate before they age 23. And since most students of the middle-income families opt for a master’s degree as well, fresh post graduates are 25 before they start off their careers. 4 years are too little to get a position (and a salary) you could rely upon for a sustainable and decent living. So there you go at 30 – ready to hunt for your dream partner. But remember you are looking for Angelina, and this is no easy job!

Purpose of Existence

Do you know the purpose of existence?

Of the 72 year old who spent 35 soldier years in his country’s defence

Who, as a lieutenant, served his dearly mother country;

Dealing with challenges to save his Indian territory;

The man now has no one to depend on;

For an accident has deprived him of his wife and son

Having been retired from his work recently

He wishes to spend his end-of-life decently

He loves to experience the chilly morning walk

He loves the company of Yoga class friends and their talk

He visits a temple to read his prayer and love his god

He helps those read who he keeps dear a lot

As he returns to home after his morning affairs He devours the food he prepares

A paralyzed old aged neighbor also takes a share

From the retired man’s food and his sense of care

Hours they spent talking and sharing stories

For old agers relish their past and their past glories

When done with the lunch he heads for a cause

Into a non-profit organization that works without a boss

He helps the poor kids in their work and studies

For he understands and feels their poverty and miseries

He hands in gifts and chocolates to them on occasions

He helps them in their projects and helps them learn their lessons

Lessons which would reflect learning from his army life

Lessons which would help reduce their degree of strife

Some of these inculcate a spirit of patriotic devotion

Some of these reduce their unwanted emotion

When at times he misses his deceased son

He looks at those children with whom he has gotten no blood relation

He feels their unconditional love and calms his heart

And feels so cared for though his real son is apart

When in the evening he goes to an aged care centre

He visits his friend and read a newspaper together

And often engages in wood crafting with the other elderly

He builds his art in many shapes and forms

The favourite of which are towers, planes, boats and dorms

He assists arranging the wood craft fair at the centre

Where old age people would explore each other’s artistic wonder

This fair exhibits the height of his old friends’ celebrations

A prize for the best art-work gives reason for jubilations

He does not sleep for the sake of sleep

He does not accept that his future is in the soil’s deep

He finds his happiness in the service of others

He would die one day, but he never bothers

He deceives this reality with the happiness’s resistance

And this is what he says is the ‘Purpose of Existence’