By Sonali Jain:
Flipping through the pages of a reputed national daily newspaper this morning, I came across the column where a renowned celebrity answers the love queries sent in by the readers. A passing glance over the section and something immediately catches my attention. Most of these people who have poured their heart out are the young boys and girls belonging to the age group of 16 to 22 years. And this gets me thinking; thinking about the importance of the intricate balance between love and career in the lives of the youngsters.
During the past century, having a boyfriend/girlfriend or being in a relationship had an unsaid limits till one became professionally stable and financially independent. This gave the individual ample and well deserved time to be devoted towards the studies and other extra-curricular, aimed at improving one’s career graph. And later in life, one had just the correct amount of time and satisfaction of being in love and enjoying all the moments associated with this immaculate feeling. This demarcation in terms of age made matters simpler, as one could focus one’s entire energy, concentration and hard work towards one thing at a time. This ensured that the delicate equilibrium between career and love life was maintained.
But now, with the dawn of the 21st century, there has been a major upsurge in the portion of the younger population of India (and developing countries in general) who is getting lured towards the so-called “cool” lifestyle of the West, majorly due to the easy access to the outside world scenario via the internet and other print media. Most youngsters want to taste the flavor of being in love AND at the same time make their careers and survive in this brutal rat race. While there are some who are masters of all trades and balance their love and work lives equally well, but most of us out here are carried away on one side.
More often than not, we dedicate more time and thoughts than required at that particular age towards love and largely neglect our work front. This is because of the fact that youngsters tend to go with their hearts all the time, and often ignore the obvious truth. The heart seems to prevail over the mind. The idea of being in love, the day dreaming about the relationship, the memories of the dates, the anger of the fights and the depression in case of a heart-break, occupy our mind continuously and this greatly affects our performance in the exams and other class assignments. So it is important that a balance is maintained between the two spheres of life.
I do not ask you not to have your share of crushes during your teen and college years; it is all a part of growing up as it gives us the strength to handle things in a mature way, but I do feel that the time allotted to love and career should be regulated. As they say, excess of everything is bad. One must remember that there is a correct time for everything, and maybe the 16-22 year range is meant to make or break your career and thus, it should be utilized in a more judicious and practical manner. It is important to realize and practice the fact that things are good when they are done at the right time. It may sound a bit preachy, but a balanced life has its own benefits. Try it.
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