What I got by hanging myself on the cliff of death

I gripped the glossy parapet and climbed up to hang on the other side which opened into a fear-provoking gorge – running hundreds of feet deep.

Down on the slanting grass-carpeted hills, trees crookedly grew from different places as if telling that they’re stubborn and can grow up from anywhere.

Had I slipped from such a blood-tingling height, my bones would have scattered in 40 different places.

Whew!

I was in the beautiful Nainital, at a mountain peak inside a shade where other tourists too were making picnic in the pure mountain air.

Chatting with each other, they crushed fuming coffee and munched snacks, while some took pictures and played all around.

And birds, white and red and green, some big and some small, flew and chirped beneath the sheets of clouds in the wide blue sky.

Anyway, back to my foolishness: I was in my teenage then. I kept myself on the cliff of death because I fancied myself a Bollywood hero – a risk-lover.

I wanted to signal to others that I have my own idea of living in style, and climbing off the other side of the wall appeared a good idea to my head.

Yes, in teenagers the enticement of courting such foolishness runs high, but if I confine myself to accusing only the teens then it’s going to be unfair.

You know why?

Because others send out different social signals, which necessarily don’t confine to dangerous things.

Last October Justin Bieber, that superhit Canadian singer, flew to Australia in a huge jet that amounted for more than $10 million.

A huge-sized jet for only one guy and few others – doesn’t sound stupid?

He could have easily brought himself with his party to his destination in a much smaller airplane.

But maybe he wanted to signal to his fans that he has his own way of living in style, right?

Or maybe his PR team had sought to make a splash in the media by putting on this show.

Whatever, leave that guy.

Think about that crazy crowd of Apple lovers who queue up entire nights in front of stores to lay hands on the iPhone.

They know that if they wait for some time, they can easily own the product, but then they won’t be able to signal that they’re so fond of cool new stuff.

Or take the example of those fancy chaps who take to smoking. Deep down many of them want to signal to others, especially to the girls, that they’re so powerful that they don’t mind wasting some of that power in a health-harmful activity.

Yeah, you know what I say.

There’s not something inherently bad in sending out social signals, but certainly, if we risk or ruin our life to impress someone, then it would be a foolishness of a Himalayan magnitude.

However, going to gym to have a healthy body would be a good social signal. Delivering (and overdelivering) your work on or before time is going to be a strong signal that you’re passionate.

Well, now as a man in my thirties, I ask myself this question:

Is the signal I’m sending aligned to my core aims and values?

If it’s a no, I smash it on the wall. I proceed not because I have to use my resources frugally to make my dreams a reality!

Does the same apply on you also? Go figure.