Practice what you preach

It’s all around us. The ‘Free ka Gyan” - The 'Quotes'. We see it being shared by all and sundry on Facebook, on WhatsApp, on Pinterest and everywhere else possible. The ‘Chanakya niti /neeti” quotes, the friendship quotes, the quotes on living right, the quotes on love and the like.

It’s there with the good morning post on WhatsApp groups when you check your phone first thing in the morning and it’s there on your news feed when you check your Facebook account during the day and its again there as a thought for a day or good night message when you are ready to crash at night and all times in between.

And I hate it. Ok, hate here may be too strong a word but I surely don't like it. Why? Not because the quotes are not good, but because most of the times, I know the person sharing it is himself / herself doing just the exact opposite in real life. It’s almost as if they are saying “Oh! I know this and do not follow it. But you should. It’s not for me. It’s for you.” Feels like all the cramming we do as children in school, just to vomit it out in the exams, but not really understand any of it. “Give me good marks because I remember it. So what if I don’t understand or follow any of it.”

Take a simple quote like 

I have seen all kinds of people who share this simple quote but are partying with their friends or colleagues, or are busy at work all nights and on their cell phones and laptops on weekends, while their spouse / children / parents are eating dinner alone.

Someone I know shared 

and all her friends know that she bitches about everybody behind their back. So I guess she’s not a “True friend” to anybody else but by sharing wants them to be true friends to her?

The other day I heard a father quote this famous one to his daughter 

and he himself does not sleep till way past midnight or get up early in the morning. Remember children learn more by example

Now am not saying that ALL people who share these thoughts & quotes are not following it themselves but we all know most are not as we know these people. I use a lot of such gyan & quotes myself in my blogs, in my posts and at times even in my headlines. But I do it knowing that either I am following it myself first or at least making an attempt to. I try not to preach what I do not at least make an attempt to practice. We may not be able to do all we agree with but the least we can do is try? 

Whether it is about ‘Living Life’ or being happy or positive thinking, what I write about I try to follow first. In fact, writing about it helps me understand it, debate it and most importantly, follow it.

So here is a quote for all the people who share without even making an attempt to internalize and follow what they share ;-) 

And I hope they don’t JUST share it again.