“I’ve been working with the Health Department for a few years now. It was around the time I was 15 that I started working to support my family. Being someone who was not so exceptional at studies, it only seemed right that I grab any opportunity that came my way. I was born and raised in Chennai and was a hyperactive kid who could stay on the streets all day long, playing! One of those playful moments with my friends is what took us to imitate the stunts that the Gemini Circus troupe had performed recently in our neighborhood. We were doing summersaults and I was the only one getting it right, so I grew overconfident and started showing off. That was when I slipped, fell, and broke a bone.

While the injury hurt a lot, I think back about it now and tell myself how overconfidence can kill a person. I make sure I tell everyone around me to not be carried away by their achievements because the tables can turn any moment and we will be left in pain. I think society as a whole has to learn this too. Because we have become so overconfident in our achievements and fast-paced that we take everything for granted.

For instance, when we were all kids we used to spend time with our friends, cousins, and family and every meal we take was like a celebration because we had it with our loved ones. Eating out in a hotel was also a big deal because the whole family goes out, even if it was to a Kaiendhi Bhavan. But now ordering food is what everyone does and we all eat with our mobiles in hand.

I am sure many of them will read this story on their phones and think to themselves that they should have more conversations in person but will be ignoring the person sitting right in front of them! You might think about how this relates to overconfidence, but if you think about it, it is our overconfidence in tomorrow that keeps us from interacting today with the people around us! So, make sure you spend time with people around you and invest in memories more than on fancy phones.”

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