Drinking, Smoking, Eggs and Non-Veg
I do not drink. Neither do I smoke.
I guess that has to do with my growing up years. I went to the best school in the world. Best for me. D.A.V Public School, Shmla. A lot of what I am today has to do with that school and its teachers. As the name suggests, its a Vedic school but not overtly so. Emphasis was always on knowledge and ethics and values. It was taught that do not accept, follow or believe anything that you just hear from someone even if he/she is highly respected or you read it somewhere. Find out everything about it from multiple places, listen to both good and bad sides of it and then form your own opinion.
Apart from that my mother was a believer in Radha Swami, Beas. In fact, most of my mother's side is a believer in that. Hence, there were never any egg or meat made at home, no smoking, no alcohol. The only exception was that my father used to drink a bit of alcohol once in a while.
But probably the most lasting impression that kept me away from it was made by an uncle. He was an addict and had ruined his life. Once you see that sort of a thing with your own eyes, you will never get close to alcohol. Thankfully he has abstained from drinking since 10 years now, is happily married and had two beautiful kids.
When I was a teen, many of my friends used to smoke and sometimes while roaming with them, they used to hand me an ignited ciggerate. So, I'll hold it in my fingers and just to check my resolve I would bring it close to my lips, very close, just half a millimeter away, almost touching but never quite touching. Never did I felt like taking a puff even at that time too. So, I would just blow air out my mouth to pretend that I was smoking. They used to laugh at this and sometimes deliberately hand me the ignited ciggerate to see my antic. None of my friends ever forced me to do it.
After I was 22-23 years old,it became an impossibility that I will ever smoke for the rest of my life. I have asked many people why they smoke and what kick they get out it. No one ever gave me a satisfactory answer. Most said that its just a habit which they want to stop but unable to do it.
As far as drinking is concerned I have tried it a couple of times but have never drank more then 1 peg at a time. Most then anything it was just an experiment to find out what really happens and why so many people do it. The first problem I always faced was its taste. It tastes yukkk..so bad. Why should I torture my tongue with such a bad taste. Just because other people do it. Yes, there is that feeling of being carefree and loosing control. But, that sort of a thing I can manage without drinking and better and long lasting too.
So, its like this now - I can say that I have tested it and do not do it because I do not like it.
Eating eggs and non-veg
I have crossed some barriers in it. You see if a person has never eaten an egg or meat he will not be able to eat it the first time. He'll just vomit it out. I have crossed that barrier. I have eaten and can eat eggs as well as meat - only chicken.
But I do not eat it because of the principle involved that no living thing must be killed to feed me. But if a rare condition arises [for e.g. once I was at Seoul, Korea and nothing was available to eat so I went to McDonald and ate a burger there] I can eat non-veg. Else I do not do it.
My younger brothers are ten steps ahead of me. The fools don't even drink tea.......beer, non-veg is a very far off thing....
I guess that has to do with my growing up years. I went to the best school in the world. Best for me. D.A.V Public School, Shmla. A lot of what I am today has to do with that school and its teachers. As the name suggests, its a Vedic school but not overtly so. Emphasis was always on knowledge and ethics and values. It was taught that do not accept, follow or believe anything that you just hear from someone even if he/she is highly respected or you read it somewhere. Find out everything about it from multiple places, listen to both good and bad sides of it and then form your own opinion.
Apart from that my mother was a believer in Radha Swami, Beas. In fact, most of my mother's side is a believer in that. Hence, there were never any egg or meat made at home, no smoking, no alcohol. The only exception was that my father used to drink a bit of alcohol once in a while.
But probably the most lasting impression that kept me away from it was made by an uncle. He was an addict and had ruined his life. Once you see that sort of a thing with your own eyes, you will never get close to alcohol. Thankfully he has abstained from drinking since 10 years now, is happily married and had two beautiful kids.
When I was a teen, many of my friends used to smoke and sometimes while roaming with them, they used to hand me an ignited ciggerate. So, I'll hold it in my fingers and just to check my resolve I would bring it close to my lips, very close, just half a millimeter away, almost touching but never quite touching. Never did I felt like taking a puff even at that time too. So, I would just blow air out my mouth to pretend that I was smoking. They used to laugh at this and sometimes deliberately hand me the ignited ciggerate to see my antic. None of my friends ever forced me to do it.
After I was 22-23 years old,it became an impossibility that I will ever smoke for the rest of my life. I have asked many people why they smoke and what kick they get out it. No one ever gave me a satisfactory answer. Most said that its just a habit which they want to stop but unable to do it.
As far as drinking is concerned I have tried it a couple of times but have never drank more then 1 peg at a time. Most then anything it was just an experiment to find out what really happens and why so many people do it. The first problem I always faced was its taste. It tastes yukkk..so bad. Why should I torture my tongue with such a bad taste. Just because other people do it. Yes, there is that feeling of being carefree and loosing control. But, that sort of a thing I can manage without drinking and better and long lasting too.
So, its like this now - I can say that I have tested it and do not do it because I do not like it.
Eating eggs and non-veg
I have crossed some barriers in it. You see if a person has never eaten an egg or meat he will not be able to eat it the first time. He'll just vomit it out. I have crossed that barrier. I have eaten and can eat eggs as well as meat - only chicken.
But I do not eat it because of the principle involved that no living thing must be killed to feed me. But if a rare condition arises [for e.g. once I was at Seoul, Korea and nothing was available to eat so I went to McDonald and ate a burger there] I can eat non-veg. Else I do not do it.
My younger brothers are ten steps ahead of me. The fools don't even drink tea.......beer, non-veg is a very far off thing....
posted by Navjot Kashyap @ Wednesday, August 03, 2011
6 comments
