THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE SIMPLE AND TRUE

There was this party sometime back but which memory cut back to my mind when I chanced upon this quote…..

"A person's worth is contingent upon who he is, not upon what he does, or how much he has. The worth of a person, or a thing, or an idea, is in BEING, not in doing, not in having." -Alice Mary Hilton

The other guests at my table were all strangers to me. Apparently they were a 'group'. So I was the stranger. I would have preferred sitting with my buddies three tables away but I came late and this was the only available seat in the room. My buddies were motioning me to move over to their table but I motioned back that I was just fine where I was. That was a lie of course. Anyway I didn’t want to call attention away from the proceedings up front (which was just a table away from me) – the presentation of the 18 roses. Yeah, you guessed it right – a debut. Further I felt that it was the polite thing to do to my fellow table mates (not that they would mind if I did).

Anyway although I was following the trail of speeches onstage, my ears were actually turned in like radar to the conversation going on around me at the table. Eavesdropping? Nah, they spoke in loud voices maybe to drown out the noise caused by the merriment …thus were much in hearing distance to most tables near us. One can’t help but hear what was being said.

So then in-between the long boring speeches and the ear-splitting music I gathered snatches of their conversation…

‘Hey look at that, they’ve invited Mr._____. Did you know that he owns two sugar plantations in Bacolod?’

‘I hear that his wife makes hefty donations to local charities. She’s with an MBA, speaks French, and travels to Paris every year.’

‘Oh, I see Gen. _____ is here too. He’s very close to the big guy at the top. Not smart to cross swords with him.’

……..

I could tell you the rest of it but everything seemed just a repetition of what was said by the first person with just a bit more of embellishments.

So what’s the big fuss bout people holding big positions, is acquainted with prominent personalities in social circles, holds a huge bank account not in just one but several banks, makes frequent trips out of the country for shopping sprees…. What are these but simply icing on the cake. I don’t think that those things will make a dent for the perfect gauge of a person’s true worth. Accoutrement, trimmings, frills – these simply work or serve to make the image more attractive, enticing, alluring, beguiling, fascinating, intriguing to the onlooker… and sometimes will mask the real person within, good or bad. Just like icing is to the cake.

I love cakes but even if the icing is so temptingly delicious and attractive I would make serious effort in trimming it off my piece of cake. The real test of a cake is in the cake itself and not in the icing.

It’s the same thing when I meet people… I am not easily impressed by what they have or do although I do recognize and appreciate authentic good deeds. Mom could always cut through that flimsy curtain of appearances. It is quite easy to put up appearances to suit some need or hidden agenda. In like manner one cannot conceal true intent no matter how much one tries. It simply slips through in some unguarded moment when one thinks nobody is looking. Well, frankly one can easily separate genuineness from show. Just trim off the frills ---then you’ll see the real person inside.

The essence of a person lies in his being... who you are in the core of your heart is truly what you are regardless of your titles or millions or what you do with it.

I want my cake simple and people authentically honest and real. The best things in life are just that – simple and true.