An essay I wrote on the topic "An ordinary person's guide to being cool."

Comic courtesy one of my favourite websites - www. xkcd.com

Do you remember that day in the 1^st grade when the coolest kid in class was the one who had a massive 64-colour Crayola crayon set? Honestly, I would give anything to go back to that day. How times have changed.

First of all, I would like to make some things clear. I am an ordinary person only based on the fact that I have two hands, two feet, two eyes, two ears, a nose and the rest of the ordinary human-being-like physical characteristics, thank you very much. The rest of me, I’d like to think, is extremely extraordinary, unique and different, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is my guide to being cool.

Coolness is now an official quantitative measure. I remember my first day at the Cathedral and John Conon Infant School at Malabar Hill as if it were yesterday. The coolest kids were that smug little boy with the three-storey pencil-box, the other one with that Spiderman lunch-box and the pony-tailed girl with the best handwriting. As we moved on to Middle School, coolness began to take different shapes and forms. The boys who knew the names of all the top football players were so cool and the girls who wore make-up and carried Chanel bags to school were the stars. Things changed again in High School, when girls and boys started dating around the eighth or ninth grade. Now everyone looked at the coolest couples and all sense of individuality was thrown out the window. For my part, it didn’t bother me what other people thought was cool. I always behaved according to what I considered appropriate. When people started collecting Pokémon cards in the 3^rd grade, I was busy collecting shells from all my trips to beaches. When people threw away their Gameboys and switched over to PlayStations, my favourite game was still Mario Cart on the Gameboy. Its small things like that; it’s not that I wanted to act differently; it’s just that I didn’t get affected by the dreaded peer pressure.

So, my guide to being cool, huh? Here goes….

Stay fit. Okay, I’ll admit - I’m a bit of a fitness freak. I work out at the gym around four times a week along with playing football and other sports in between.  When I see someone who is grossly overweight, I feel sorry for them because I know of all the possible health risks they face. But I also feel a tinge of anger as I wonder why they don’t do something to make a change in their lifestyle?

Believe in God.  You’re probably going, “Religion. Seriously? You think that’s cool?”

Well, it is. Think about it - if we don’t bother acknowledging our Creator and thanking Him for all the blessings He has showered upon us, then what exactly is the point of living?

Also, DO NOT get influenced by your peers. Trust me, ever since I’ve left school and joined college, I’ve seen so many of my friends change drastically. They’ve started drinking excessively, smoking uncontrollably and even trying out drugs! I’m not saying don’t have fun and be a saint. But there are some lines which one cannot cross and drugs are definitely on the other side of that line. 

And finally, love the people who care for you. Your family and your friends, and never do anything that will hurt them. There you go, so put on those shades and rev up that white Lamborghini (just kidding, that’s just for me) – congratulations, you’re Mr. Cool now!

NOTE: The challenge was to write a light-hearted, yet meaningful essay on the topic within 600 words. Let me know if I was able to do so. Leave a comment!