I QUIT!
It’s time to say goodbye to my hobby of writing stories for people to enjoy
Before channeling my inner thoughts onto this last draft that the public would most likely read, I believe it is pivotal to shed some light on the events that prompted me to begin penning down my thoughts and experiences for people to read. I was having a conversation with Mahnoor, a friend from university, and she argued that wholesome people who give weightage to the simple things in life have suddenly disappeared. Upon hearing this, I presented her with some accounts from my daily journal and she insisted that I begin writing as my simplistic but to-the-point method of narration was ideal to become a storyteller. From that day onwards, I began writing stories, initially only for my friends, and eventually stepped up by using Google Medium as the platform to approach the general audience. In the beginning, my stories weren’t able to attract the audience I wished for but with time, the viewers substantially increased and I can proudly say that “FERRA NOVA” and “Hello! I’m your captain….” were read by more than 100 people respectively. However, like any other fantasy, this one also has to end and today, 20th August 2020, I announce that I no longer would be writing stories for the few people who whole-heartedly accepted them despite the flaws. I QUIT!
I QUIT as the hatred I earned at the end of the day far exceeded the love or support I received. Be it a close friend, acquaintance, or even a stranger, we as a society tend to suppress any form of appreciation and hurl abuses the moment we find the slightest opportunity. You can write a million good things about someone, but the moment you point out something contrary to what you previously wrote, you would be welcomed with the most gruesome and appalling messages that shook you to the core.
I QUIT as we look for hidden messages between the lines and establish them as the “real story”, bashing the author for things he never referred to. Sometimes I would be stunned with conclusions people arrived at and could only admire the utter stupidity they were showcasing. You can study in the most prestigious school or university, but if your heart is filled with hatred and envy of someone, your eyes find meanings that never existed. From there onwards, it’s purely brute force as you confront the author for something very petty and presenting it as a sinister crime.
I QUIT as I value my self-respect and dignity. The characters mentioned in most of my stories are my friends (were in some cases) and mentioning them was a gesture of my love and the importance of their existence in my life. The abrupt and rude manner in which they reacted, made me realize why society prefers shushing all the praises and kind words we were earlier taught in our childhood. Apologizing for things I wasn’t guilty about or even at fault served as a slap on my face as my “good boy” traits prevented me from fighting fire with fire.
I QUIT as the main cause of writing which was to entertain bored people in quarantine. Even my description on Google Medium can validate this point. I began when Quarantine was taking a toll on the mental health of most people I knew and my sympathetic side compelled me to come to their aid as reading something wholesome/funny/inspiring generally tends to satisfy the endorphins inside our body to automatically turn our moods to something better. Since the situation of Corona has relatively eased, with many people dinning out as if Corona never existed, I believe it’s the ideal time to bow out with honor and dignity.
I QUIT as consent becomes a barrier. You can write a million stories involving someone but the day you write something which isn’t in the line of the formal praises you had been showering, you will be texted that you never had the right to use their name or even mention their existence. While it’s easier to reply that if consent was an issue, then why were you replying with positive messages to all the earlier stories that included your character? However, you can leave it for destiny to decide who’s wrong or right but the fact remains that we as a society are very aggressive with zero tolerance to hear the other person’s point of view.
I QUIT as I have been welcomed with threats. If I were to be rewarded with a dime every time a threat was hurled at me, I would have been a billionaire and even be competing with Jeff as the richest person on the planet. I am pretty sure you may be surprised to read this particular point but it’s a solid truth that cannot be denied. Sometimes I wonder if they even realized how wrong they were in their case but then again, as someone once said, “The wound of the sword can be filled but wound inflicted by your tongue can never heal”.
I QUIT as my memory was better than the rest. Sometimes, I ask me if my ability to remember even the slightest and smallest details from incidents that occurred years ago, is a blessing or a curse. I can frankly tell you, there is no benefit whatsoever of such useless information occupying your cerebellum as in the end, if the other part forgets it, your memory would be considered as a lie which cannot be proved despite your insistence or even protests. So, whenever someone asks you something from the past, act all dumb and pretend you weren’t even there as the society is full of wolves looking for their prey.
I QUIT as my stalkers have found a hobby with my writings.
I mean, technically, I am entertaining them too and they are helping me increase the number of readers I get per story, yet their habit of trying their best to trap me in a web of propaganda won’t die. You can block accounts but the problem with social media is that you hardly require more than 5 minutes to come back with another fake account. Despite moving on with life and hardly caring about their existence, they still believe they are relevant in my life and jump back acting as my ‘real friends’. If only they could understand that blocking means they are no longer wanted.
I QUIT as more people want to see you fail than happy. Moreover, there is no place for decent men in such indecent times. Despite addressing the top-tier of the country, the responses have compelled me to believe I was addressing a herd of cattle in some instances. There is no place for people who express empathy, sympathy. No room for those who express concern for their friends and regularly check on them. Smiling while expressing all of your shinny teeth would be considered a crime in the modern era. As my friend Mashal once said, “No one’s worth investing time and effort”. The bitter truth is that at the end of the day, it’s just you and your family who’ll express real happiness on your success and achievements.
Although I would’ve been extremely blissful to continue with this journey and leave after publishing my 50th story, there’s a stark difference between my wish-list and what my mind believes is appropriate. I would like to express my gratitude towards those few who regularly read my stories, provided reviews, and constructive criticism, and fueled my desire to write at a consistent level. I know all of you and I just want to tell you that you all are amazing people with beautiful hearts. STAY THE SAME!!!! One day you will realize that the person who broke you and made you believe you aren’t good enough would suffer one of the most brutal punishments for their actions and on that day, you’ll be admiring how you progressed even if they punched you down. While this farewell oozes negativity and indirectly asks you to suppress from expressing yourself, I would like to tell you that YOU ARE AMAZING AND PERFECT IN THE WAY YOU ARE! IF SOMEONE ACTS LIKE A JERK, KICK THEM OUT OF YOUR LIFE.
I QUIT AS SOCIETY WON!
