Once upon a time, long long ago, I came across a vicious snake, but not one who was easily discernible, it was a snake in the skin of a Homosapien. His very existence was contingent upon his resume, and everything drew its value from its monetary gain and constant comparisons. He pretended to be a friend as long as you were of utility, speaking in pure philosophical terms, he was the most cliched utilitarian to have ever existed. He was an ungrateful wretch, a reprehensible coward, to be unparliamentary, he was a self-congratulatory asshole.
I did become his friend, an unfortunate circumstance however, persuaded by his extremely convincing role of an actual human being, but alas, I got to know about his real putrid self due to unforeseen situations. He was a deeply insecure individual, one who couldn't sleep at night without telling himself of his numerous achievements. His life was full of perpetual chest- thumping, on a few occasions, I actually had the great displeasure of seeing him in action, running from pillar to post, beating his chest, about how brilliant and outstanding he was. Knowing him was the biggest mistake and the biggest eye-opening of my life simultaneously, it was a mistake in the sense that I considered him to be a friend, a revelatory experience in the sense that I understood the superficiality of life and existence all at once, it came to me almost like an unsolicited epiphany not to trust anyone, especially someone like him even with a barged pole. He could beautifully masquerade the role of being a friend, a masterpiece in itself, until you saw his true colors, the man changed colors faster than a goddamn chameleon.
The beauty lay in the realness of his pretense, he could talk to you for hours, and actually convince you of his inherent goodness, while being a snake throughout. I sometimes think that he was an actually anthropomorphized version of a snake, but it seemed too filmy and fictitious, and frankly idiotic as well, so I dropped that notion. He could start attacking you any moment, and destroy everything you deem important and hold dear to your heart, he could shatter everything you ever had at any given moment, completely out of oblivion, and leave your heart in shambles, he was monstrosity personified. A stammeringly beautiful person at once and at the very blink of your eyes it could very well be biting you to death with its vicious teeth lodged deep within your muscles and nerves. He was the purest evil and the deepest devil one could envisage.
His method of causing hurt was unconventional and conventional both at the same time. He became your friend, got close, learned everything about you, you could be a fool to think that it's natural and obvious, but it wasn't for him, everything was precisely orchestrated, meticulously and thoughtfully planned. He got close, so as to know your deepest secrets, so that when it came to causing hurt, he could be the most efficient at it. Someone has rightly, only a true friend can become a true enemy, he got to know you, so that he could attack you from all the places that you couldn't even think of in your wildest imaginations. Getting close was a trick, indeed.
But with the right vision, one could learn a number of lessons from this as well. 5 lessons I learnt:
Trust no one, not even your best friend, it could very well be a farce, never let your trust be blind, it is the closest friend that become your closest enemy, for he knows things even your parents don't.
Perseverance, true heroes emerge from the deepest conflicts, the ability to bounce back is highly underrated in today's age.
Self-Dependence, being dependent on someone else is a sure-shot route to heartbreak and depression, care for yourself and your family, no one else matters.
Validation is a myth, the truest visionaries were always projected as insane people, validation is of no use, one who needs it will be perpetually disappointed, as no amount of validation is ever enough for the shallow soul.
The art of being ignorant, it's the most beautiful art an individual could possibly have in their armory, if used with care, ignore superficial things and superficial people, ignore the vain displays of possessions, as well as the abject glorification of poverty, let the consumerists consume, let the communists revolt. You be steadfast, recognize the grand irony of existence, this joke we call life, never let your ego get in the way, it's a petulant little child with dolt tendencies.
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