Friday, February 29, 2008

Little Boxes

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes, little boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

The life of an average individual is so predictable. Though different in the details, everyone leads the same life in essence. Like Malvina Reynolds says, we are all like little boxes! Sure I may be a 4*4 box painted in orange and you may be a 3.75*3.75 box painted in green, but at the end of the day we are both cuboids!

And the people in the houses
All go to the university,
And they all get put in boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
And there's doctors and there's lawyers
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

Each one trying to find your own niche in the world, looking for essentially the same things. I can bet that 90% of people reading this post will have a similar list, Security, Comfort, Family, Love etc...
There is a said way to go about this. Do well at school choose a good profession and spend more than a quarter of your life slogging towards it and the rest, slogging to keep what you have achieved.

And they all play on the golf-course,
And drink their Martini dry,
And they all have pretty children,
And the children go to school.
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
And they all get put in boxes
And they all come out the same.

Many people whose blogs I follow have been speaking about love and marriage increasingly lately. Not that I'm reading anything into it but we all eventually do want to be settled and not live out life alone. Children when they come along will have their futures planned so that they in turn can be secure and comfortable.
Restarts the circle...
Little boxes...

And the boys go into business,
And marry, and raise a family,
And they all get put in boxes,
Little boxes, all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

Life goes on..

I do not venture to comment on the integrity or achievements of anyone's life but don't you feel like being a different shape sometimes.
I want to be a cone made out of mount board painted in fuchsia!
I don't want to graduate I want to paint and only paint through my life!
I don't want to care where my next meal is going to come from and whether I'll be able to retain this roof over my head tomorrow!

Well but in the end, we are all little boxes, little boxes and we all look just the same!

I love Peter Seeger's songs which my father exposed me to as a child. This is also the theme song for weeds. Do listen to the song.




18 comments:

kyamaloom said...

Thats a very interesting post. And as you must be knowing. However or whatever happens, in the end. NOTHING REALLY MATTERS.

c'est la vie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
c'est la vie said...

– colour of life do blur; at times does not come out the way we intend to paint…lines do get smudgy and look different on turf where mind and heart intersect…than what we had imagined and thought of. Life indeed is not always black n white; it withers away and eventually gets the coating of pretty pink and sunshine yellow

c'est la vie said...

We just have to make do with what comes our way and hope that fate deals us a kinder card.

wat say?

P.S. - the way u 've crafted ur "darde dil" in form of word is worth mentioning. n i wish i can write in same manner.
do visit my blogs, n 've ur say.
adieu for now.

Gunjan Aylawadi said...

great post thr!
thoughtful indeed!

Amandeep Singh said...

Now...
I so badly needed to read something like this... I ve feeling lost lately from my self..
you just brought me back...
We r indeed boxes..
but we can take a gutsy step and break the shackles..
we can..yes1

:)

Impressionist said...

that was a lovely post Sneha! :)

-I

Lucifer said...

this was a brilliant post...really like d whole symbloism depicted...it is indeed so true...we r not so different afterall...jus of different sizes n colours n make....n yet d soul is d same...d basic nature is d same...we have d same id, d same ego n d same superego...
n then again...we r all boxes n yet every1 is unique...u neva kno wat might come outta d box

ceedy said...

wow - i am really impressed with the way you have written this post - very thoughtprovokin...

just from life experiance (i am a lill older :P)
if you do want to change the shape of your box, you have to first learn not to be disturbed by negativity and ridicule from other boxes....
if you have to interact with other boxes and still want another shape - then you need to have two identities (difficult for many of us) - but possible
this is a perfect example of a post - "think outside the box"

thanks for sharing

WritingsForLife said...

a very inspiring and laid back post. I think I needed that... thank you.
:-)

Sneha P said...

@rOhit:
yea..as James Hetfield has rightly said..
NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!

@bt_crist:
firstly thank u very much for the compliment...
about the colours..
I think each one has its own beauty and whether black, white or sunshine yellow, we should learn to appreciate each hue of life.
wot say? :)

@gunj:
thanks gunj... :) :)

@Standbymind:
yea thats the spirit!!!
I'm really glad it helped.. :)

@Impressionist:
thanks :)

@mayz:
yea...rightly said in essence we are the same and yet we are unique..
but the uniqueness well only manifest when the little box opens and the magic begins, right!!

@c e e d y:
yea..but why should we maintain 2 identities for the rest of the world to accept us..thats the basic question I'm asking..
I want to be different and I want to be that without being penalized or giving any justifications.
@Raaji:
thank u for appreciating it and saying so! :)

ceedy said...

Hey,
See by two identities I meant was - one concious and one subconcious....

if you get a right group of people - you can be that different person always....but if you try struggling being different with everyone - it will lead to frustration as you will be judged etc etc and you will waste your time explaining them

simple - you know you are different - just use that credit prudently

kyamaloom said...

I'd also like to add.
"There are some who live in their own dreams. There are some who live in reality and then there are some who turn former into latter." ;)

Just by wishing to be "different" wont aid, we need to work for what we want. So when you say, I don't want to graduate I want to paint. I'm tempted to ask, did you do what you wanted? I can relate to this, coz I've done the same with myself. But couldn't exactly hold the latter part so well.

And thats where it all comes to a pause. If we end up being just another "wannabe" or compromise with our wishes. I guess there are certainly more aspects for it.

P.S.- I'm sorry this comment has got nothing related to the post, but just felt like writing it here.
I know you wont mind. :)

Aditya said...

Hey
tht was really adorable.... nd I luv ur blog

tell me how do u create this effect, I mean a stable picture on one side and a movin blog on the other... u know wat... I just luv icecreams and that stuff on ur blog made me feel like... Oh I want an icecream now at 12:49 am in nite in a hostel room with a closed canteen :( poor me ....

Great stuff...

Keshi said...

this is a great post...in the end, nothing really matters.

Keshi.

Sneha P said...

@c e e d y:
So its either that you are lucky or if you intend to survive and thrive then learn to make the best of circumstances.Isn't it?

@rOhit:
I definitely do not mind :)
and to answer the question which u asked and didn't ask...No I didn't paint instead of trying to graduate!
But I also behaved like an extreme fool and gave up painting for a while, before it struck me that I was the only being adversely affected by my attitude..
Sigh!! Your are right...we have to do something ourselves if we want to be a different shape. Or as ceedy wisely says-you know you are different - just use that credit prudently.

@Aditya:
thanks... :)
yea..the ice cream looks scrumptious doesn't it?
the effect is most definitely not my doing thats the way my template is...
thanks for visiting...I hope to see you here again..

@Keshi:
Hey..thanks keshi!!
yea..nothing does matter except this moment!

ceedy said...

Yes kind of....

Also not only learn to make the best of circumstances, learn to also make the best out of a group of people you associate with - its like being diplomatic with your exterior reactions....

Unknown said...

hey, i like the song! id heard it a long time back.. n i realy like the post.. does make a lot of sense.. n true to a large extent.. it brings perspective..