Ali's life had taken an unexpected turn lately. These past few days had taught him lessons he never thought he'd have to learn. This chapter felt foreign compared to everything he'd lived through before.
In previous hardships, Ali always found someone standing beside him. But now, he stood alone in the silence. The thought crept in, perhaps he was in the wrong this time, since not a single soul came forward to defend him.
What Ali uncovered cut deep, altering his perception of reality. These weren't small revelations but ones that fractured the very core of his beliefs.
Ali lived by a strict code about others speaking behind his back. He never allowed it in his presence. While he could face criticism directly, he believed people should speak well of him when he wasn't around.
"Doesn't everyone want this?" he questioned himself.
"We all pretend we don't care about whispers behind our backs, but in our hearts, don't we all hope to be spoken of with kindness?"
He figured everyone must face such disillusionment at least once. Lately, he found solace in old melodies about betrayal. Hemant Kumar's "Jane Wo Kaise" and Vital Signs' "Aitebar" felt like they were capturing his exact emotions, as if written just for this moment in his life.
Ali tried clinging to the belief that everything happens with purpose. Though what he faced now felt unbearable, he consoled himself that experiencing it later might have broken him completely.
The lesson hit him like a cold wind: never expect reciprocity for your goodwill. Life rarely works that way. People can wound you without a second thought about what you've given them. This generation seemed to have perfected the art of taking things for granted.
A verse from an old poem kept replaying in his mind:
"Bichar gaya har sathi de kar pal do pal ka sath"
It dawned on Ali that introspective souls like him rarely find genuine connection. On the surface, everyone seemed to know him. He exchanged warm greetings with countless faces, discovering mutual connections wherever he went. Yet if someone asked whether he ever shared his true self with any of them, he'd have to admit he hadn't.
Among all those who surrounded him, Ali moved through life wearing masks. He feared making others feel excluded, so he treated everyone with kindness. Perhaps he dreaded hurting feelings too much. That's why he'd offer elaborate apologies for minor matters, avoiding conflicts that ego might create.
Every few years, Ali would meet someone who seemed to truly understand him. It would feel like finally finding that person who would remain by his side as a true confidant.
But inevitably a pattern emerged. Ali realized he was either more mature than his years suggested or somehow less so. Both qualities, from his experience, brought more pain than joy.
People initially gravitated toward his authentic nature. They'd share thoughts, grow closer, and gradually he would reveal his vulnerabilities. But Ali never remained stationary in life. His relentless drive meant he often surpassed them in various aspects, usually without intention.
What began as inspiration, what Ali simply called "envy" in plainer terms, transformed over time. They would attempt to mirror his achievements. Most couldn't, though Ali never thought they needed to. Their inability to reach similar heights converted their initial admiration into something darker, jealousy.
"Jealousy from those closest to you is nothing short of devastation," Ali reflected.
As jealousy took root, their friendship would maintain its appearance while deteriorating beneath. They grew reluctant to defend him in his absence. His successes became bitter pills for them to swallow. The person who once inspired them now served as their cautionary tale.
Their social circles worsened matters, comparing them unfavorably to Ali. This despite the principle that in physics, similar charges repel each other. Ali believed people with different intellectual perspectives connected most meaningfully because they always had something fresh to exchange.
Ali's mind always circled back to one conclusion: people like him were destined to walk alone.
Phrases he once dismissed as melodramatic now rang with truth:
"Trust no one in this world. I mean absolutely no one!"
He realized people would dissect his character until he couldn't face the world. Though anger burned within, he remained silent, having revealed his heart's most fragile corners to them. It felt like emotional entrapment.
Ali accepted that carrying the weight of his thoughts alone, however painful, was preferable to mistaking anyone as worthy of hearing them. As the saying warns, "This world is false, people will use you."
No matter how genuinely he wished others well, people would still wound him. They convinced themselves they possessed something special that made him care for them, conveniently forgetting they had approached him first.
He learned that privacy holds value only to its owner. To others, it means nothing. People would casually expose your vulnerabilities for amusement without the slightest remorse.
Ali kept others' secrets too, but could never bring himself to humiliate someone publicly. The very idea horrified him, but sadly, few shared his principles.