Is our world an illusion? Are we ready for the reality awaiting us outside the gates? We always manage to get through the hurdles of this life but in that world there are no cheat codes.
As I stepped out of the gate, I could feel my entire being smile. No rules to bind me, no security hovering over me, I was elated at the thought of being completely free for the next six hours. Suddenly I felt a hand tapping my back and turned around to see a liitle boy asking me for money. In his small person all of life’s reality was suddenly staring me in the face.
When we are in the university campus, we form a world of our own. A world full of friends, 9 to 5 classes, 5 to 7 DSA, and nothing to worry about except the CAs that we have every other week. We tend to forget about the real world, a world that is on the other side of the gates. Everything like poverty, child labour, physical abuse and other things that we read about in our textbooks, exists there. Inside the university, we live in luxury that has already been paid for by our parents but when we step out of the gates that is when reality strikes us. That is what happened to me when I stepped outside the gates for the first time after my arival at LPU.
There is a difference of heaven and hell between the worlds on either sides of the gates. On this side, we live in a clean, drug free environment; that side little, bedraggled kids beg on the streets to survive. This side has 21year olds studying to get through their exams, while there are 8 year olds on that side working hard to earn for their families. This side has a dustbin after every ten steps while the walls on that side are considered public toilets by some. While this side takes pride in its cultural diversity;on the other, a different appearance makes one an easy target for discrimination.On this side, we have security to watch over any nuisance we create but on that side, girls get raped every hour.
Is our world an illusion? Are we ready for the reality awaiting us outside the gates? We always manage to get through the hurdles of this life but in that world there are no cheat codes. Each one’s on their own, one against the world. Perhaps we should wake up, smell the coffee, and start preparing ourselves.
