Acknowledge, it’s not your own.
There was a Kannada movie in the early eighties
called Guru Shishyaru. It was a comedy movie with lot of humorous scenes. Being a kid of late seventies to early
eighties we usually exchanged the movies as stories to pass time, of course other
than the time we played outside. When
this movie came and many had seen this movie, it went viral among the kids chat
with so many micro comedy scenes as stories.
This topped the chart staying on top for months.
And as I heard these stories repeatedly over months from many kids around me I
already had the movie in my mind and could tell the whole movie story without
having really seen the movie. I went around telling these stories to the ones
who had not heard or to the ones who wanted to rehear that one as if they are
watching it for the second time or third.
I really saw the movie later in life, definitely
after having shown that movie to many in my own words.
This I call my Guru shishyaru moment, which is goes
like whatsapp university in this era.
We tend to hear many stories and news from others,
either directly or through social and main stream media. We tend to believe
blindly about various topics, we listen and many times we blindly believe and
join the dots and come out with our own analysis and start to play to the
gallery and to the unsuspected audience and convince them of the view we have.
Over the years we may have seen some people
copying others thoughts or ideas and going around talking about it and showing
it off as their own. While they will not have much further to add we do find
many of them fighting to the idea, what they heard from others. If you want to
know whether they are genuine or not, all you need to ask is what do they read.
You can ask them what they have read, novels, digests or authors. You will know
by then what they are really made up. They will divert quoting their unusual
read, by accident and go on claiming they have the stuff.
There is this guy who copied me and using my
views as his own personal one, in front of others. Funny thing he has told me
few ideas of mine which I had talked in front of him as his own to me.
I remember a friend from Raipur telling me about
a person who always did write the climax of a movie on the medical college
notice board to watch the fun after first day. And the same person used to
implant a made up story and wait for that news coming to him. How will you
feel, someone who uses your idea and tells you over time on your face as if it
is their own.
One day over a drink I told this person, to
acknowledge by telling a story about how I learnt something from one friend
first time and I did quote him for that story. It goes this way, while in my post
graduation I met two seniors in a juice shop and over the chat I told you know “
I am a rolling stone, going over places in life, like rolling stones never make
a mass “ For this one senior told me why do you think that way, rolling stones
get polished. That was the first time I had heard this and I was impressed.
That moment I got it immediately, as a rolling stone you may have not become
definitive in life but you have learnt a lot over those places you have been.
Every time you are moving you are finding something new and something not you
expected while staying in one place in fact may help you achieve faster and
bigger but you lose out having not read much of life experiences which are to
be experienced.
I told the story quoting my senior who was the
first to tell me that quote, which I had not come across before or after that
day. I was trying to communicate that you should acknowledge what you get from
people, not just copy and play it along as it’s your own. Many people copy your
views and ideas and pass it around as their own.
It has become common to plagiarize from others
and pass it off as their own. It is very common in social media, people copying
without acknowledging the original person from whom it originated. It is common
among many around you who struggle to have their own identity who will be trying
to impress and use everything possible. Invariably they will pick your ideas,
views, use new uncommon words in English try accent and only the real ones will
know, other than the lackeys.
People without any class have this habit of
using all means to achieve the higher status. They do it by copying you in
every aspect and they will be literally you when you are not around.
Acknowledge,
acknowledging a person from whom you have got that specific knowledge goes a
long way in your class and upbringing. Whoever it is, who has had made a
difference in your life.
Many times it would make a teacher emotional and
proud when you acknowledge or quote for those rare things you picked up especially
from them, whether it is an idea, advice or any specific knowledge, which made
a difference in your life.
Stop lying to yourself and the world, while you
wear it on your sleeve that one which was not yours at all if not for that
specific person.
