Footprints in the sands of time

"CLONE": The word strikes as a novelty,something which modern technology has managed to achieve. An object of wonder to some, of fear to others but the underlying factor remains unchanged- an object of curiosity. To say it in layman's terms- a clone is an imitation of a human being; it is a concept that has come up in recent times.
But let us think back carefully... Has cloning not always been going on? Have people not been "imitating" others?.....They have been...We have been....As individuals we all have different mindsets, opinions, views..... personalities...but somewhere down the line, we lose our sense of identity; our sense of self. The moment we see or hear of a success story we immediately desire to march down the same path...
Why is it so?? Why are we always running to think on the same track as everybody else?
I think it is because we are afraid....afraid of being judged; of being frowned upon....of being disregarded...of being ourselves....The word "UNIQUE" is no onger considered good. People are afraid to pursue what they really desire..professionally and academically. Instead of pursuing what we love, we tend to pursue that which society and our peers demand of us to.
People seem to have forgotten the true meaning of the word "knowledge", it does not include learning by rote from a couple of pages of the textbook. It requires understanding, to be internalised....and most imporatntly, sheer passion and love for what you are doing. It is always said- You do not go looking for success, it finds you... As children we are always told to do that which we love. Every child is born a genius, the trick is to retain it....als, we lose ourselves somewhere. Success can be achieved through hardwork, but greatness-only by passion. Success limits you. It is only by breaking free of the shackles of conventional thinking;of thinking "out of the box", can we spread our wings and soar through the sky of endless oppurtunities.
If success was the only factor, perhaps today we would not have a Sachin Tendulkar or a Roger Federer. Their aim was to live their dream-playing the game they loved; it formed their life. Success found them and has led them into numerous record books. Their passion and courage allowed them to carve a niche for themselves- to leave their
"Footprints in the sands of time".
A person's life is fulfilled when they do what they love the most. Go out there and fulfill your dream. Another person's opinion is something they are entitled to and you are entitled to accept or reject. As it was once said by Eleanor Roosevelt:
"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent".