Is everyone around me happy? They hit a shot of vodka or say any other hard drinks and they forget everything instantly; at least they could have done that gingerly. They become insolent, so-called social animals unveiling their wildness, proving the social norms and values have chained them, tangled them into knots of responsibilities and disciplines, which they alone cannot escape. I have been around those kinds of people for a profound period and it has hit me every time I sit to share a bottle. While they take a real satisfaction ogling at the voluptuous women in one of the music videos, I think of how materialistically gender have been used in promoting and producing the best hits of the decade. Well, to make things much more vivid, I stand alone with some melancholic tones inside me, while I see others living the carefree life. All they needed was a shot of vodka.

Moreover, I have also shared a bottle with the other groups of people with their own peculiarity of reactions toward a shot of vodka. Yet another gloomy day accompanied with the drizzling rain and a horde of lads gathered at one of my friend’s apartment. What else would you ask for when you have these combos perfectly adhered? Vodka, and some JD to make things more happening and intriguing. Why would one settle for a beer when a shot of vodka or JD would make you forget the regrets, the melancholic past? Right? Moreover, here we start, the second round followed by the commencement. The frowning face after the shot and the popping of lemons, for me, is a scene more appealing than the three-pointer from the half court. Minutes went by, the silence broke out, the wildness ready to be untangled, the heads almost ready to let go all the assigned tasks, responsibilities, and more importantly, the boundaries set by the society.

The madness begins. The unheard stories unfolded, the secrecy, which one’s vowed to keep secret, now a secret amongst the twenty, and the melancholic past all unraveled reverently. The pains and sorrows of the past, the dreams that turned folklore, the creativity that burnt down due to societal and family pressure, all outbursts in the form of tears. Moreover, here I am in the corner listening to all the talks, making sure I am a good listener and a consoler, avoiding the outburst of tears. Sometimes, all you need is someone to hear of all your pain and sorrows to establish peace within your heart. All that was needed here was a shot of vodka.

Might be, I am deluded with the way people are meant to be happy or the way we are to spend our life. We open our hearts when on booze, and make it a shell of conspiracies on coffee. Why don’t we share these feelings, these mind sucking mammoth of everlasting failed decisions, the narrow-minded society which still seeks respect according to the profession? Why do we spend most of our time talking peoples, talking lascivious desires over a girl on the TV screen or on the street instead of admiring her beauty even when sober? Why don’t you clamor when needed, when you were snitched the chances of following your dream when you were under the societal pressure of following your brother’s profession just because he was making more money while you were interesting in becoming an artist, in painting the eternal truth of life? Why only on vodka? Why only on JD? Why only in cannabis you find the real you hidden within yourself? For this I believe, you have to have a better understanding of you yourself and make changes within you. You failed to follow your dream, but you can help someone to follow his or hers. You failed to respect him or her, but you can help someone to respect others. It is just about bringing a change and as Michael Jackson says the change should start from the man in the mirror.

Poudel is an undergrad student at the University of Mississippi.