My Life, My way….

This would be the attitude that a lot of us have today. We may follow a set of rules for a while, yet mostly would find a way to bend it to suit our way. In such an age, it’s a constant struggle, suddenly to be faced with so many people who are astute in making you do things and you are equally good in reading it, yet not knowing a way out, or at least sometime. The fundamental need for every ‘average’ human is a degree of financial security, a house, a small car and a reasonably presentable spouse. Thanks to the advent of globalization and Indian Economy being ‘Free’ and Open, which has in turn brought many opportunities which would not have been there; say 20 years ago. This means that earning big bucks is no longer an issue. Yet some how we still don’t have the house, a home loan of 20 years is certainly not for your retirement plan, and I hope so. We have the worlds cheapest car, thanks to lack of hind sight by Tata, Budha and good sense yet ill timed one of Mamata it is only slightly cheaper than say Maruti 800. So to own a car would mean that we have to shell out almost 1/5 of our take home, not even taking into consideration other expenses that a car brings with is, one of them being long drives (remember the petrol/diesel prices) Ok so we have a home loan, a car with no petrol, what about the financial security? Well when your month salary is almost what your dad earned in 6 months, you gotta be doing well. Yeah you would think so, only if everything you want cost so much more now. Good pair of jeans (which does not last forever like before) cost you 1/10 of your salary. Watching a movie with family, followed by dinner at a decent (not even up scale or posh) restaurant would cost you enough that you would consider it was someone’s birthday and you were the guest there. So what about the presentable spouse bit, if you don’t have tall dark handsome, government employee, engineer and bla bla bla as your expectation you got to be getting a match with ease. And with the zillions of social networking sites, parties, discotheque, pubs, clubs, parks. You ought to have found a match. Well yeah, of the same sex. With it being 4^th on the list of priority and the financial security and home seems to have got you in a vicious cycle of waiting for pay day, everyday. So we don’t really have time to really spend on either of these avenues. So what good has this globalization has done. Well you have so many comforts. Flat screen TV, DVD with home theaters, automatic washing machine, microwave oven, mobile phones which are strangely called ‘tablets’ perfume from all over the world. But you see I don’t have any cash left after paying the huge insurance and some investments to try save some tax. Well why worry when every other banks credit card is there in your wallet. Yeah right, I should take advantage of these big sales that these big mall are having. Wait a sec, am I missing something. What? The fact that they have set the prices so high that even after 50% discount you need the plastic? So what as if you have to pay now. You have up to 50 days to pay back the full thing and you pay no interest. You’re smart and I know you would be able to use borrowed money for free, so shop away. Get all that your heart desires. Ok! What if suddenly something came up and I can't pay the entire thing, well then you can always pay the minimum. Wait a sec, does that not mean that I would be charged exorbitant interest rate? Well that's a risk you need to take. Look at the flip side, you can have it all. And say 'My Life My Way!' So why is it that I am soo worried all the time, keep tap on the world news more than what's happening at home? Not likely that China would attack us, they only want a parts of our land. Why is that I follow the distant European Markets or the US Job figures. My life is not dependent on their stats, not directly at least. My life, my way, only on weekends or when I am off. My life my way, only when I am not worried dead with the debt. Today I have a need for things that I did not even know existed 20 years back. Today I worry about things which were not even invented 20 years back. So how is it better? Is it my life my way, remember.