30 things I believe are true

Another year went in a snap.

The year I turned 30. Like most people my age, thought I should preach some.

One can say a 30-year-old tree is an accumulation of 30 years of sunlight.

1. If you start accepting your reality, circumstances, and decisions, you will never lie. The sentence is kinda true the other way around as well. Do you really want to run from reality your whole life?
2. You do need to be really really strong to be vulnerable.
3. It’s really hard to make decisions and not hurt anyone, if you do try, you’ll end up hurting yourself. You are one of your favorite people out there, aren’t you?
4. On a weekday, a hot water bath in the morning is a bad idea
5. Time is relative for sure, have a good relationship with it.
6. In this unpredictable life, most people are looking for stability and predictability.
7. Predictability/routine actually keeps you healthy.
8. Accept that sophistication/system is a privilege, somewhere someone chose a path of chaos so you can have this. Had our ancestors not killed animals, we wouldn’t even be here. You can still choose to die for your cause, but you need to accept this fact nonetheless.
9. Between ‘having a happy and fulfilling life’ and ‘ensuring the next generation has a happy life’, choosing later may mean you’re doing exactly what your parents did. The good news is, they don’t need to be mutually exclusive.
10. Everything you do does kill you one step at a time (you age no matter whether you do anything or not), just pick your poison wisely.
11. Anything of value comes at a price. If nothing, the time you spent on it is that price.
12. You only wish for things you don’t have, didn’t do. That’s literally the definition of ‘wish’. It keeps you going but expecting every wish to get fulfilled would be a stupid ‘wish’.
13. People can’t always handle truth/facts. “You’d be the last survivor on earth” makes people feel better than “You’ll have to see all your loved ones die”. “Oh, you look very young” >> “You don’t seem to be mature enough to handle this”. Note: I haven’t figured this one out completely but seems important for survival.
14. Asking for help is normal. If you don’t communicate what you want, you most probably will never get it. But don’t expect even after expressing your desire.
15. A life without a goal is content but directionless. Be content but choose a direction.
16. You can’t trust recommendations, suggestions, or opinions of people, you can be different from them; and time changes situations, perceptions, and even facts (e.g. Pluto is not a planet anymore, the current year will not be 2022 in a few hours).
17. Hating thorns for their existence is stupidity. They don’t have any control over it. Forgive unconditionally.
18. Every life decision you make can probably be mapped to a decision already taken in past. It’s fascinating how most of our decisions are still very fundamental… family v/s self/work, risky v/s stable (less risky), present v/s future, and right v/s wrong.
19. The human body is truly a magical gift. It adapts based on the food it consumes and the circumstances it’s in. Manages all fluids, organs, concentrations of chemicals, and such. It’s a shame that we know more about body language than the language of the body. If only it can tell you that it’s having a hard time doing XYZ because you’re not providing enough Iron/Calcium/Fiber.
20. Nature is the best clock and can tell you a lot of things if you know how to read.
21. Social media shows cherry-picked moment(s) of life. Most memorable moments can not even be put into words, let alone in photos or videos. Don’t hate people for sharing their life. You won’t find daily routines/activities in a novel.
22. Innocence is the most fulfilling emotion to experience. Still trying to figure out the thin line between innocence and stupidity.
23. It’s unfortunate but even people who don’t judge will always pick a book by its cover. You can’t change it. Just don’t let the stock price deter you from believing in your intrinsic value.
24. You don’t really need much for survival but it’s the happiness of the people around you that force you to earn and strive for more. It’s not always a bad thing though.
25. Fewer assets = fewer worries. Risk and reward are always proportional. Less risk and high reward? Someone is lying or hiding (or both).
26. Perfection is a myth. It can stall you for your whole life. (Learnt it the hard way).
27. People who don’t pay taxes will have more nationalism in them (in general) than people who do.
28. Stories and words can only hit you at a particular time when you’re ready (read you’ve experienced something that you can relate it with). If you haven’t felt anything ever, no words can shake you.
29. You can’t consume all knowledge that’s out there, and it’s okay. People like calm rivers more than floods.
30. Asgard is not a place, it’s people.

Disclaimer: This article was written on the last day of 2022 and was originally published here.