Letter from a Brother in this Modern World

(Letter to my brother)

Date: 19th of February 2018. 

Dear little kid,                                                  

  You may have grown up, but still I cherish all the moments I call you a little kid. In this modern world where more of the world is lost in voice messages and short text over the Whatsapp, Messenger, etc., I have taken the pen and paper to write to you something you should remember forever. You have become a youth, and so you know the nature of the world, and have seen some of it. You have grown in your judgement and in the matter of gadgets and technical skill, you are far better than I am. But in this world, there is something that is constant and irreplaceable, and that is the purity of this sibling relationship. 

Now is the time you will have to face the world on all your own. The world has changed, and we have been in touch over the phone, and therefore this letter maybe more of a surprise to you. In this modern world where people have lost the feel and touch of a letter, the emotions that is attached to it, I am just reviving some of the old memories. 

We had a relatively quiet childhood, without cell phones and all the noise producing stuff of the present times. That was fortunate for us, that we had each other as playmates and not some virtual world and separated from the reality by these electronic gadgets. And I had the advantage of being the older, and so was the cleverer, stronger and would cheat you often in our little games. But those were childhood times and I loved you more than any brother could love, and I cherish those beautiful memories and the lessons we learnt. Though we fought on many occasions, but then against others, we always supported each other, and you never failed to support me. And in the long run I could give you nothing but free advice. And the advice for you is to be a better man, a good responsible citizen who can do something for his country, the human kind and all the living things. 

You had failed numerous times, and at all times I had told you not to lose hope, for great success comes after great failures to those who persevere. And only those can relish the joy of success, who have withstood the daunts of failure. Now, that finally you have achieved your dream goal and will become a doctor, by clearing the entrance exam, you will start a new chapter in your life.  I will however make suggestions, some based on my own experience for you will tread the path I did years ago, and others based on knowledge gained from others.  

And I will not ask you to be careful, young man. This is the time when youthfulness will overcome your sense and you will have a great desire to conquer the world. It is alright to have this feeling and strive out to fulfil your greater ambitions. But in the race never forget the virtue of compassion, kindness and love. Never lose your morale and resolve to unethical practices to achieve great success, for history has been very unkind to those who opted for a shortcut path to success. 

I will tell you to strive out and experiment with life. Now is the time to make mistakes and learn. You are a human, so be humane and err like a human. Learn from your own mistakes and it is still better to learn from others mistakes, for you will spend a lifetime trying to learn from your own which won’t be sufficient enough to have a good experience. And live well and live hard! Life is all about living, and those who have lived are the real successful ones. 

I won’t advise you not to touch alcohol or cigarettes. Your experience will teach you that. Getting addicted to something is very easy but getting out of it requires a lifetime. As a doctor you should know that risk of lung cancer increases in smokers. But then, it is not like that non-smokers do not get lung cancer. Alcohol consumption has ruined many lives and families, being a risk factor for heart and liver disease. Then lives and families have also been ruined among people who don’t consume alcohol. You will know that moderate consumption of alcohol is beneficial for the heart. 

But those who drink, they omit the moderate word and just drink.

 Self-restraint is a great virtue, and in the hands of a privileged few, and those who practice it are real successful men. Only experience will teach you best and I leave it to your choice. 

You will have numerous allurement, and if they appease you, it is well and good. The fairy tales we read as a child are not false. People do seek out for success, but the beauty and youth of this temporary world bewitches them and makes them forget their goals. In this alluring life, maintain your dignity and chastity. Chastity is a great virtue. It equally applies to us, men. If you expect your woman to be chaste then it will be hypocrisy if you yourself are not chaste. But if you know more harm will be done trying to be chaste, it is always better to play safe.  

Fall in love, for it is the best feeling in the world and will give colour to your life.

 It was quite natural to fall for someone in our early teens. That was just a beginning to understanding ourselves - what we prefer, and our individual choices. And those times weren’t seriously taken, for in most cases (though not all), the feeling was sort of infatuation. But now, you will know the meaning of commitment, and staying loyal to your partner. The relationship will be permanent if both of you put effort in it. Never compromise with yourself and never take your girl for granted. And it is still best you give thought on your career as you build your stable relationship- for a sound career keeps a woman and her family happy, and helps you stay sane. 

Life goes on, never get so much engrossed in your studies and work that you forget your other duties, for work and man has stayed shoulder to shoulder from prehistoric times to the Last Day. In this busy life, you have to find time to enjoy. Never postpone enjoyment, thinking that you will accomplish something and then enjoy at a later date. Believe me, the later date never comes. You may or may not accomplish what you aim for, but you will certainly lose your one precious time, which you could have lived to build beautiful memories. 

In this modern world where we experience sexual content all the while, having a self-restraint behaviour is again a great virtue. It is always better to have real entertainment than virtual one. At your age, where knowledge seeps in at a very high rate, it is best you guard yourself of the vices present in the virtual world. Know that the mind is your best friend and a very good servant (the subconscious part). Do not give the mind your weaknesses so that you become a servant. 

It is better to stay connected to a person in real than to connect with random unknown people in the virtual world. Hanging out with unknown people in the virtual world is more of an addiction, an attention seeking behaviour. It was and will be always be better to seek reality than virtuality. 

Never post your personal and private life moments on the social media. Making a publicity out of your privacy will make you hollow from within. You have seen why Superheroes are adored and worshipped – it is not because they have super powers, but because they have kept their anonymity from the general mass. Nobody really cares what goes on in your life. And those who care, are within your reach. So, try and stay connected with them.  

 It is better to read a book, than to seek garbage on the internet. The addiction for short posts and memes have decreased the attention span of those who frequently log in and log out of the social media. And it will be no wonder that someone will establish a correlation between the short posts in the social media and the short relationships in our life due to the decreased attention span. The spread of falsehood and rumours (which frequently takes place in the social sites) is as abominable as accusing a woman of her chastity, and therefore always cross check any post before forwarding and/or sharing. 

This is the golden period of your life. Live every minute of it. Be creative, because these are the best of the times when the best of the thoughts come as well as the worsts of the thoughts cross the minds. Try to capture the best thoughts and make use of them. 

You will end up living your hobbies and your life. And fall in love with a book, a bird, a flower, anything. Love helps to ease pain of life when sometimes we face loneliness and difficulties and builds an everlasting memory.  

The times have changed and everything is incredibly fast. Yet in this race, it is best you stay true to yourself, and not get lost in the crowd and race. People forget themselves while running the race of this world, and when they realize that what they really wanted was not what they were running after, it becomes late. This world is a fool’s playground. Everyone will advise you, when they take least heed of what they say.  

In this generation where sleeping late and waking up late has become the norm, following a normal routine, I dare say you will make you successful. It is good to see the rising sun, breathe the cool fresh morning air, work during the day, relax while the sun sets, and repose at night. It was good and will always be good, both for mental and physical health. 

The company that you keep is your symbol. And you with your knowledge know that birds of same feather flock together. Where half the world spends the time and resources in its own greed, getting loyal friends is a boon. And loyalty is bilateral in friendship. There will be knaves out there, willing to cheat you and make the best out of you. Never be of those people to take advantage of another man’s distress, to make your own profit. For oft a little blessing from a grieved heart is worth than all treasures on earth. Be true to yourself and know that the friends you are making now will last a lifetime. So, make trustworthy friends, so that you can help each other out in times of trouble. 

I have written quite a lot and yet your experience, your judgement, and your own wit will help you out in numerous trying situations. Remember the crooked doesn’t get a second chance in the crooked world. In the generations to come, informal letter will be restricted to classroom, for the teacher to read and correct. And that is strange, because informal letters are meant to be as you as “You”. People do not understand the gravity of the situation, wherein we can see how informal relations are gradually becoming formal. And it is best to maintain your dignity and make a grand exit, then to be stuck like a fool in this round world. The sooner you exit, the better you exit! 

Your loving brother, 

Yours Oldie.