"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle" - Plato

On my facebook home page, I come across status messages put up by my College juniors where they talk about how epic their three years in College have been. It gives me immense joy to see people who see their past three years, and perhaps earlier, as a dream, or a journey. It is heartening to read about people looking back fondly at a 'great battle' that they have just fought. It is hard for me to imagine my life minus the story that I have weaved it into.

I look at my life as a great battle too. There have been three instances where I 'leased out' a part of my life to someone, and in each case I ended up getting terribly bruised. You do learn about people on the other wise, but that learning is too specific to be of much use. More importantly, I learnt more about myself, about my value systems, about what matters to me and what doesn't.

I discovered that the best 'metric' of love is the ability to withstand pain and still love. I think I've done quite well on that front. What I now begin to wonder is whether it is worth it. I believe there's a tendency in each one of us to take this 'great battle' analogy too far, and then to drown in, and enjoy, this pool of self-pity. At some point, we need to step back and ask ourselves whether it is worth it.

I have unfortunately had the best and worst experiences with people. I've met people who've filled my life with love, and who've been a pillar of strength, without knowing it. Then there are those who have sought to have control over my life and dictate the way I live my life. It has given my life a new direction and a new purpose - free will.

What constitutes Free Will:

(1) The right to dream without constraints

(2) An unprejudiced society to discuss the dream

(3) A nourishing atmosphere to pursue the dream

(4) The right to fail, and not be branded for the failure

(5) Most importantly, the right to start afresh

These ideas are now quite dear to me, because I have been denied at least one of these at any point in my life, and that is the source of discontentment and disillusionment in my life. I value these, and I hope to dedicate the rest of my life to these 5 principles.

I intend to interpret these as both personal and societal objectives. It is as valid for me as an individual, as it is for my idea of an ideal society. I believe it is necessary both for my personal happiness, and our society's welfare. Perhaps this is what Plato meant by being kind. Everyone is fighting his/her own great battle. The least we can do is to let them, and support them.