We, human being, tend to compare things with others like someone earn more money, buy big house and cars than peers etc, known as (upward or downward) social comparison. With digital social media, its impact is more than before. In between all this, we short sell ourselves when we do downward social comparison.

Something similar happen in childhood, when our cousin came to visit our house and started speaking English fluently. Our parents were impressed by his fluency and started worried about our future as we were nowhere close because of regional medium, which was common trend in our society. Also we got instruction to go to spoken English class and enrolled for it. Eventually after 15 years, we are leading good life in our own way after graduation. On our recent trip to native, same cousin was keep lauding about another cousin job, who lives in different city and so on. This reminded us about an incident where a security guard taught valuable lesson using his wisdom words.

Do you adore others belongings like house, car unlike your’s own ?

Around a decade back, three friends used to live in an apartment, the silicon valley of India. After graduation, initially they used to stay in different places with different mates. But with time and changing equations, they were started living together for some years. They used to have different life style, behaviour but still matching mindset with each other. One guy used to work in European company, another in Korean and last one in Chinese company. In the weekend, they used to go to nearby tea stall to have tea with famous local snacks, veg puff or chicken puff to do Chai Pe Charcha, the terminology famous after current political leader although this trend was there since ages. And sometimes for long bike drive around the city.

In an weekend, they went out for weekly Chai Pe Charcha. While coming back to their flat, they found the flat opposite to their flat in third floor, was open for new tenant. The security person was taking care of the left out belongings, doing usual maintenance to show to interested new occupants. In presence of security, we entered to check the flat. It was big four BHK house with three balconies etc. My roommate started adoring the design and size of the vacant house by comparing with the current flat where we were living. We spent quite some time and my mate was still on with his glorifying opinion about this flat. Then we asked some more queries to security person, although we knew that we would not move at all as it was very spacious and more importantly not required. Security person used to answer all our queries patiently. Finally, he said a subtle line,”Sirji, sabko dusro ke cheeze acha lagta hai, khud ke nahi” which brought to the end of our friend’s opinion about that flat and we came back to our flat for usual routine stuff.

This wisdom is valid for many things which we compare consciously or unconsciously.

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