The Shrugging Off Purpose

My cynisism towards people that are commonly hailed to be successful and/or important is legendary in the (extended) family. Not that it's a great quality. But previously on this blog I have, in a tediously long post, talked about why I am generally not impressed by most "successful" people who know all the "right answers"; or why "I believe in those who know the right questions more than those who know the right answers". A lot of family members, in their turn, are generally not impressed by my cynicism.

The other day we had got together for the festival at my uncle's place. I and my father (he's also cynical to a fair extent) were our usual selves mocking and simpering at anybody who appeared on the TV: serial actors (I mean actors in TV serials), advertisements, successful corporate people and, of course, pontiffs (swamis/jagadgurus). After a while, an aunt asked, with a combination of irritation, rhetoric and humour, mostly because we were disturbing her serial watching, "What are you doing? At least, they have achieved something: money, stardom, huge number of disciples. You are just sitting here doing nothing but talking.What is the purpose?". I was about to say something when my father replied - and he put it across in a much better way than I could have - thus: "Precisely. We are doing nothing but talking. But despite they having achieved so much money, stardom, disciples, and we having achieved zilch, it is we who get to dismiss them away within half a second [and not the other way round]." Indeed. Can there be a better purpose than shrugging off?

And I could have added that I get to blog about them whereas they don't. :)