Aesop's Fable - With a Twist
I am sure all of you out there would have read the famed Aesop fable about a father and son trying to travel with a donkey and how the whole show got spoiled by advice from all and sundry...And well, for those of you who haven't read it during childhood, someone or the other would have recounted the story to you at a very frustrating moment in life and given advice (unsolicited, ofcourse) on why you should never go by someone else's advice....(by then, you would have made a royal mess of things and the gleeful look of superiority on the storyteller-advisor's face is the last thing you want to see!!)
I was reminded of this fable recently when I launched into an easy and fairly quick step(or so, I thought) of changing my profile picture in orkut! It originated with an innocent wish on my part to give myself a fresh look in orkut. I thought I had the freedom to portray the way I look especially if it is not offending anyone's religious/moral/ethical sentiments...But I soon realised that there is a sentiment much stronger than any of these...it's called the aesthetic sentiment...and my snaps have a natural way of offending the aesthetic sentiment of all my friends without exception !!!
My friends are all unique individuals and I always prided myself on my eclectic collection thinking that they don't have even one common trait. However, the past few days made me realise that they all take a very keen interest in my prospects in orkut, which they legitimately feel depend heavily on the face I put forward (afterall, most of us respond to ASL as 21,F,Hawaii)...
Anyway, so the advice started...the first one was that I was too skinny...I usually don't pay much heed to these things so I left it with a humble acknowledgement of the fact...However, my friend was persistent...he kept reinforcing the message through all possible electronic channels - IM, orkut, mailboxes-nothing was spared...Finally, I succumbed to the pressure (afterall, although Roark is my idol, I am still a few steps away from his enchanting disinterest in what others think, feel and talk about him)
And so the picture changed..this time to a more close-up version, so that I portray a healthier look..and within a minute came a scrap from another buddy- "don't thrust yourself on my face...is this an ad for some toothpaste?" This time I was clever enough and hence without waiting for stronger messages through multiple channels, I promptly changed the picture - to a professional one, thanks to my recent wedding...and was almost sure that no one would dare say I look awful in it...afterall telling someone that they looked awful on their D-Day is like inviting permanent harm not only to your relationship but even to your own self...Well, the calm before the storm lasted exactly 47 hours and 56 minutes...And pat came a scrap from my teenage cousin...
"You better change that picture..it has too much gold and too less you in it"....
Well, I am still contemplating my next course of action....
I was reminded of this fable recently when I launched into an easy and fairly quick step(or so, I thought) of changing my profile picture in orkut! It originated with an innocent wish on my part to give myself a fresh look in orkut. I thought I had the freedom to portray the way I look especially if it is not offending anyone's religious/moral/ethical sentiments...But I soon realised that there is a sentiment much stronger than any of these...it's called the aesthetic sentiment...and my snaps have a natural way of offending the aesthetic sentiment of all my friends without exception !!!
My friends are all unique individuals and I always prided myself on my eclectic collection thinking that they don't have even one common trait. However, the past few days made me realise that they all take a very keen interest in my prospects in orkut, which they legitimately feel depend heavily on the face I put forward (afterall, most of us respond to ASL as 21,F,Hawaii)...
Anyway, so the advice started...the first one was that I was too skinny...I usually don't pay much heed to these things so I left it with a humble acknowledgement of the fact...However, my friend was persistent...he kept reinforcing the message through all possible electronic channels - IM, orkut, mailboxes-nothing was spared...Finally, I succumbed to the pressure (afterall, although Roark is my idol, I am still a few steps away from his enchanting disinterest in what others think, feel and talk about him)
And so the picture changed..this time to a more close-up version, so that I portray a healthier look..and within a minute came a scrap from another buddy- "don't thrust yourself on my face...is this an ad for some toothpaste?" This time I was clever enough and hence without waiting for stronger messages through multiple channels, I promptly changed the picture - to a professional one, thanks to my recent wedding...and was almost sure that no one would dare say I look awful in it...afterall telling someone that they looked awful on their D-Day is like inviting permanent harm not only to your relationship but even to your own self...Well, the calm before the storm lasted exactly 47 hours and 56 minutes...And pat came a scrap from my teenage cousin...
"You better change that picture..it has too much gold and too less you in it"....
Well, I am still contemplating my next course of action....
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