Flirting as a way of life

Before commenting a single word on this, I would like to make a point clear.

Neither do I propagate flirting nor do I oppose it.

When someone asks me about marriage & I give them my usual reply, ‘haven’t given a thought to it or 5-6 years later, maybe’, they are taken aback as if I have said something which is prohibited.

I just can’t figure out why people are shocked at my answer. Had I said something wrong or is the world going to end in the next 5 or 6 years?

Absolutely clueless.

You might be wondering what’s this guy trying to prove or what has this got to do with flirting. Well, not much. This’s just a faint indicator of my attitude towards marriage.

For many like me (hope there are at least some), flirting is an art, yet to be mastered. This doesn’t mean that we shun from talking to girls or stay out of their sight, at a distance of at least 10 kms.

It’s just that we don’t go out of the way or talk to them just for the sake of talking.

Once a close relative of mine remarked, ‘when boys of your age are constantly on the lookout for the slightest opportunity to talk to a girl, you are here playing with your pets and roaming with friends. A different boy, you are, indeed’.

For a moment it seemed as if I were an outlaw who has defied the rules of his land.

I didn’t know how to react to this. Just gave a weak smile.

A thought then flashed across my mind, ‘is not flirting a crime?’

Why are people (who don’t flirt) looked upon normally, yet differently?

The answers lie in the manner in which flirting has garnered an increasingly important space in our social as well as private lives.

Flirting, today, has become such an integral part of the mainstream social life that it has come to be accepted as a way of life.

Beaches, parks, restaurants, cinema halls, college canteens, 0ffices, temples (even god’s residence isn’t spared) and possibly every nook & corner- have become the breeding grounds for flirting

Whenever we visit these places, we become the odd man out, truly.

We are forced to stare helplessly (even of we don’t like it) at those on the other extreme. This can’t be denied. We’ve to admit what we do, even though it’s not what we want to.

You can call this as a lack of opportunity or our inability or hesitancy or anything you may deem to be fit. But this is what, ‘what we are’.

I never mean to hurt others’ feelings or sentiments. But I can’t deny this fact, whether you like it or not. Men, nowadays, are becoming more and more of metrosexuals. The worse part, in fact, is they are willing to be so (according to me).

I’m not claiming or insisting that this is something wrong. But there’s a clear difference between genuine love & care and showering excessive attention on your girl.

Lingering on the mobile phone for long hours, calling at least 10-15 times a day when there’s practically nothing more to say (telecom service providers, make use of the opportunity fully), meeting whenever possible in a single day (Thank god! The day was divided only into 4 intervals)

Does true love demand all this? I don’t think so. Rather, signs of an obsessive infatuation, I feel.

Ultimately, it all boils down to the concept of one’s own life.

‘It’s my life. I decide what it is’. Absolutely right.

However, people don’t seem to realise what they are losing. The little joys of life usually pass by unnoticed. Neither time nor money can bring them back.

So what im trying to put forth is, flirt with your girl. It’s your life, pal.

But also try to spend a little more time with all your near and dear ones (besides your girl).

There’s only a single life. At no point should you regret that you’ve missed something in life. Nothing can be more painful than that.

At least if there is a time machine to take us backward to our past, we can afford to take liberty at present.

Unfortunately, there’s none.