Another teenager audaciously claiming to stand out of the crowd; isn't that what you expected this post to be? Nah! This one is more about the conformist (apparently experienced) adults and maverick ways of their successors.
When I; and I believe that I speak for a lot of like-minded people who would identify with the upcoming situations; choose not to bow at the sight of a temple and rather pray quietly whenever in grief or in happiness; or when I choose to be honest with my parents instead of being obedient; I intend nothing more than to figure a path for myself. It is not my fault if others headed to the same destination seldom venture to this path. Perhaps even they embark upon their own journey in a completely different direction.
What I am trying to say is that there can be more than one right ways to do the same job! I prefer being labeled as rude for having a frank opinion rather than being a hypocritical back-biter.
We are a generation that chooses to reason over dogma. Aren't things much simpler to accept with sound reasoning? While terms like "western influence" and "modern culture" are often being mistaken these days for spiritual and cultural advancement, I've realized that changing the way you dress doesn't really change the way you think!
Or to put it this way, "Modernity is not a lifestyle but a state of mind." It lies in being able to accept the different shades of seemingly plain reality. It lies in understanding that there can be more than one way to emote the same feeling and someone who does so differently is not necessarily insensitive.
A "sorry" may mean an elaborate apology letter to me while it could be disguised as a simple bouquet for someone else. For someone, supporting his mother pursue her long-lost hobby could be his synonym for touching feet. Not the action but the motive behind it conveys the intended emotion. A painting means a pious prayer while a soulful song could be the manifestation of true love. The sight of a flying bird could be someone's idea of emancipation while partying all night long could be another's.
The gist of the above instances is that with changing times, people's way of emoting feelings may change but the underlying emotions remain untouched. It is our choice to either judge a book by its cover or makes the efforts to plunge into the deeper realities of a person.
And so, to all those who think of us as an iconoclast just for the disparity in our approaches we have only one thing to say;" Sorry, I'm unapologetic".