Acknowledge, it’s not your own.

 

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.