Thursday, January 03, 2013

Curious Me

I am always thinking. Constantly. No matter what I am doing I keep thinking about something in the back of my mind. This was once a reason for my sleeplessness. Thank God, at least all the day-thinking makes me tired that I get good sleep nowadays.

I see a stranger on the road, I try to guess his age, his marital status, his profession, number of kids if married, and I even go to an extent of taking guesses on what kind of person s/he might be. My obsession pushes me to extremes where in I strike a conversation with a complete stranger just to know where I stand with my guessing. Of course I am not blunt in asking them direct questions. But most of the people give away lot of information. Few including my husband find it irritating when I am constantly questioning, wondering, or even observing. But it is not that I am pre-occupied or absent minded or lost, this activity just happens in the background, sometimes without even my consent.

For example, I visit a bank, I make a conversation with the banker, and you know what he sends me greetings for every festival/ holiday. But what's wrong in that? It actually makes me not stand in queue on a Saturday, or get things done just by a phone call not needing me to visit the bank and at times he even acts as my financial adviser telling me tips on FD's, e-RD's etc. I just became one of their priority customers, only cause of my curiosity not cause of my bank balance for sure( since the EMIs).

On the other day my husband and I visited this *local* Electronics shop, and the shopkeeper's daughter studying 8th at XYZ school in ABC Layout, was also there. How did I know where and what she is studying? Again, my curious mind that wants to talk, ask and know. What did I get? Probably nothing in this case. But another guess that the shopkeeper is doing well to have his both kids studying at XYZ school. A local shop that is. Most of the times I see him sitting idle doing no business, but I was wrong. Likewise vegetables vendor, car cleaner, a co-worker, and so on.

I do not know why I do that, nor do I know what I am trying to solve. But the theme seems to be people, people's lives. How they live, survive, succeed or fail. I sweep through this heap of data to find a story behind every person. May be constantly reassuring myself that one CAN SURVIVE no matter what. Or am I comparing my life to theirs? I hope not.

Many say that I am a good listener. Not because they are interesting or they are telling me an interesting story, but cause I simply find it interesting to know everybody or anybody. To analyze ( to use the right word ) them. To reason. Psychology or Philosophy, or simply an obsession. I just love doing this.


No comments: