LOL: Life Of Leo

AI Generated Image There’s a quiet, beautiful kind of heroism in those who refill the coffee pot. Or the kaapi filter, for us South Indians. Or the Moka pot, for fancy coffee enthusiasts. Although the title suggests this, trust me, this post is not about coffee. It is about people. You know the type, those rare angels who, upon taking the last sip, pause, rinse, and refill so the next caffeine-deprived soul doesn’t suffer the heartbreak of an empty pot. It seems small, almost trivial, but to me, it’s a gesture that represents something bigger: the philosophy of “Make it easy for the next person”, something I firmly believe in. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately - how the people I admire most, both in my life and in the world, are the ones who turn around and smooth the road for the person behind them, instead of walking away like it’s not their problem.

Image Source This incident happened more than a month ago and it still refuses to leave my mind. I'm neither a fan of Chris Rock or Will Smith, the sheer audacity of what happened is what stays with me. What Will Smith did was wrong, there is no doubt in that. But, what Chris Rock did wasn't right either. As a comedian, you have the liberty to make fun of a lot of things. Physical appearances and illness not included. The way we look is what people see first, anything a little out of the ordinary hurts our self-confidence. More so because people ensure to point it out. It hurts no doubt. Now imagine being mocked for it. I wasn't aware of Jada's alopecia areata until this happened. Maybe even Chris Rock wasn't, after all not everyone immerses themselves in social media all the time. Will Smith should have handled it off stage than talk about the dangerous things that love makes us do. I mean this was the man who won hearts by forgiving his cheating wife. The reason ...

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Sri Lanka - March 2016 If Animals Spoke, Humanity would Cry. ~ Manuj Rajput

Image Source "When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind" - I read this in R.J Palacio's brilliant book, 'Wonder'. While I'll review the book later, today I want to talk about kindness. When I read this quote, I thought how can one be right or kind? Why can't it be right and kind? Then I realized that only in some cases the 'and' can be applied. What exactly is kindness? How does one apply it? Is being nice the same as being kind? Is it something that requires a forced effort? Is it something that is expected to make you feel good? Does it come out of pity or genuineness? All these questions plagued my mind. But soon I had the answer to it too. Being kind is a simple act of doing something good for someone else. What the recipient or the crowd feels, is secondary. Kindness should be like an inbuilt reflex in us humans, sadly it is not. Honestly, I wouldn't say that I am the kindest person on the planet. I...