The Virtue Compass

A couple of days ago I found myself on the bathroom floor, in the middle of one of my monthly (worryingly becoming weekly) crying sessions. Nothing particularly sad happened that day, but I was listening to The Scientist, and all the frustration and despair filled inside. As the tears welled up, I removed my glasses and muffled my sobs. In the silence of the night I didn ’t want to wake the house. After I felt better, with a lighter heart I heaved myself up, and caught my reflection in the mirror. I froze. My eyes were red, my hair was a mess, and my face was ugly (not the natural unattractiveness, but my face showed that I was frighteningly vulnerable). This wasn’t the me that anyone knew. Who would have thought, that under my layers of pride and class, under all that mask of anger and bravery was a boy who just wanted to correct his mistakes, a lad that wished for simpler times and better friends. Almost as if he was embarrassed that he caught himself crying, the reflect...

O ne of the traits I find the most repulsive is the habit of talking behind someone's back. I do not mean the criticism of someone without them knowing. I do not mean teasing him while he's there, something like pulling his leg, or even gossiping. When someone teases another person, in that person's absence, that's what ticks me off The other day I was in class when my friend Steve* commented on the absence of another dude Derrick* (here's a background on Derrick. He's one of the most gentle people I've met and plans on being a lawyer and having an arranged marriage at 25).  What Steve said was something like "Derrick is probably absent because he got married lol" and smirked. Usually he would say this to a bunch of people for a cheap laugh. (I remember I was absent one day, and the next day someone asked me if I secretly adore washing vegetables, like it was my secret hobby. Later I came to know it was just Steve having a laugh about me ...

L et me preface this post by admitting that I have not given  justice to the blog name. Lazily, I would type out a rhyme, call it a vent and publish it in an “educational” blog.  So here’s some actual virtue for the week: One of many inexorable faces of life is that each of us have got our own personal lives. This reality hits us from time to time, when we grow apart from friends. What one should understand is that life is   a bitch . Fortunately, there are enough fun people to hang out with. If your best friend leaves you, simply talk to other dudes that you’ve always felt were cool but just did not have the time to talk with. As you meet more people, classify them (in increasing order of friendship) as acquaintances, friends, mates and besties. Give time to grow your clique and have a distinct circle. Do this every time you lose friends. Replace your best friend with a mate, your mate with your friend and so on. Next time, you won’t feel a gaping hole. B...