Not afraid to lose - if we can all be together

One night I was playing TEKKEN 3 on my computer. I was into the final round and was struggling to win. The next moment, the screen displayed YOU LOSE and a voice played in the background with a demeaning tone. I shut down the computer and lied down on the bed with my face dug inside the pillow. The phrase YOU LOSE repeated in my mind several times with the exact same tone. "What exactly does it mean YOU LOSE", I thought to myself. Ya, I lost in a stupid computer game, but apart from that, what does it mean? What is it that I have, to lose? "Property? Money? Car? Girlfriend? Well, I don't have any of these (hoping for the distant possibility of the last one sometime soon)".
So what can I possibly LOSE? Nothing. I don't know. I mean, we lose something after we have earned it. First you have to have a thing in order to lose it. But I have not earned anything as of now. And I soon fell asleep concluding my self discussion. In my dream I saw myself walking towards a man who's back was turned towards me. I tapped his shoulders and he turned to face me. I let out a shriek as I saw myself standing in front of me. And he was holding a large golden box glistening with diamonds in his hands. I listened in silence as he spoke. "I presume this belongs to you. You might have kept it somewhere and forgot about it while moving up the steps."

"Open it and you'll see what you have earned over the years".
I took the box and opened its lid, curious, as to what could possibly belong to me? A bright light shone from within,
and inside were the photos of all those who had ever stood by my side. The other me said, "these are the people who trust you, people who believe in you, who care about you, and will do everything possible just for you. Because they know that when it comes to them, you'll do the same. The least you can do is prove them right and just feel grateful for having them in your life."
"You did not lose, but you can, if you don't realise the worth of your treasure. So tell me, have you not earned anything? Don't you have anything to lose?" Saying that, he clapped his hands and in a second he disappeared into thin air.
The next morning I woke up early and again played TEKKEN 3. But this time I won and this time I knew exactly what I had WON.

Dangerous encounter

Recently I was at home during my semester-end holidays. Feeling free from the mayhem that a semester brings along with it. A 6 month torture, continuous pestering of teachers, lectures, labs, exams, quizes and more exams. So here I was watching television and enjoying my cup of coffee when the doorbell rang. I opened the door and saw Mr. Gupta, our neighbour, standing on the porch.

Now he, was one of them. I didn't know it earlier, otherwise I wouldn't have invited him in. It was easy to tell once we started talking.

Uncle: "And beta! What brings you home at this point of time?"
I       : "Actually my exams just got over".
Uncle: "Oh I see! So how were they? How much you expecting?"
I       : "Not much. I'm not that much into studies".
Uncle: "Arey beta! What are you saying? When I was in college, I used to sleep at 9pm and wake up by 3am to study. You should do the same".
I       : Thought to myself, "we practlically sleep at 3am". Then said, "but uncle I have different interests, like sports and music and stuff, you know...".
Uncle: "Rubbish. These things are not going to help in the long run. You have to be intellectually competent, get a good job in a multinational. I know you can do it, I can see it in you".

My father enters the scene.
Uncle: "Main kya, singhal ji, I'm right or not?".
Dad  : "Baccha hai, gupta ji, dheerey dheerey seekh jayega (He's just a kid, he'll learn it eventually)".
Uncle: "This is the time to learn." Then turned towards me and said, "now you do exactly as I say".

I looked in his eyes long and hard. And then it struck me that he was a KYMS. So I was careful not to argue with him. Because there is no point doing that, in the presence of a KYMS. There are many people I have come across who belong to this particular category of people called, KYMS, when you are in their presence, you have to 'Keep Your Mouth Shut'. Let me throw some light on this not so rare breed of homo sapiens. Their population started growing in around 2000AD, during the dotcom boom. Slowly they evolved and can be found in mostly the elite part of the society. They are quite educated, mostly above 25 years of age, thinking that they have a complete idea about the world. They have an innate desire to make others see the world through their eyes.

So here I was, face to face with a KYMS and this one was in full form.
KYMS: "Do yoga at 6am, it helps absorb the formulas. And the next time I want a C.G. of 8 instead of a measly 6.4, alright?".

Now comes the question, "what do you do when you encounter a KYMS?" Firstly, don't panic. They don't harm physically, they only specialise in mental tormenting. Secondly, don't give your theories in front of them and don't argue. Thirdly and most importantly, get away from a KYMS as soon as possible, because he'll keep on speaking, like, forever. And that is exactly what I did and thanked my stars for being blessed with a second life.