I remember, in my first year I was quite close to a department senior named Ayshwarya. We used to talk about a range of topics, and once I complained to her about how I was barely getting any time for myself, what with lectures for eight hours a day, two to three quizzes each week (as part of the much-hyped "continuous evaluation system" here at BITS) and two hours of department work. She assured me that I was leading the "ideal" BITSian life, and that departments had after all been created with the aside of giving jobless BITSians something to occupy themselves with, there being very little to do here, what with we being in the middle of nowhere and all.
My main gripe at that time was that I had no time for introspection, for thinking about where I was and where I was headed. Now, I find myself in a situation wherein I have more spare time on my hands than I know what to do with. Life is indeed ironic to the extreme.
Anyways, talking about senior-junior relationships, it's occurred to me that "ragging" (although what happens here can barely be called ragging) is probably a unique way for losers to increase their own self-esteem. Ok, I realize that the above statement was really vague, so let me make myself clearer.
Basically, to the gullible juniors who come on campus, seniors come across as have-been-theres. Meaning individuals who've "been there, done that". I'm not exactly sure as to how this comes to pass, but most seniors, even those individuals whom you would judge to be complete losers under normal circumstances, come across as larger than life heroes (and heroines) during "interactions", as a consequence of which most juniors end up regarding their seniors as their own personal heroes, their mentors, someone they look up to and seek to emulate. In the junior's eye, nothing that the senior does could possibly be wrong, and they are correct and infallible in every possible way.
So what happens when these illusions are shattered? When the juniors come to realize that their seniors are human after all, and that they have their own weaknesses and glaring faults?
Well, just ask my juniors.
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5 comments:
"shattered illusions" is a harsh way to describe it. I've been through the disillusionment too, of realizing that the people I'd spent 3-4 semesters trying to emulate weren't all that perfect. Worse, when we became closer friends, I got to see the warts too close for my liking. But I'm glad it happened.You'll get over it. The seniors who've survived this process with us, we'll learn to see them as humans and equals not some infallible gods. And it's much much better that way. And hey, the older person will never get to know how his/her initial impressions on the mind of the junior have evolved. And in the best interests of their self-esteem, they shouldn't.
Well, you know me, I'm the very soul of discretion :T
More than coming across as 'larger than life heroes' or people they wolud like to emulate, i think its more about seniors coming across to juniors as someone they actually arnt. Their perception about the seniors is very different from what they are whether it leads to them seeing the seniors as someone they can look up to or not. Thats because when you meet a person you only show them the side you want them to see based on which they form an image. And when after getting to know them more if that perceived image doesnt seem to match with the actual one they just feel betrayed. and more than betrayed they just feel sorry for themselves for being wrong in judging people.
"i think its more about seniors coming across to juniors as someone they actually aren't"
But this is applicable to everyone you meet, isn't it? And like you said, whenever you meet someone, you only show them your good side. This rule applies to everyone you meet. But then you don't end up admiring every other person you meet, do you? You only end up admiring your seniors, and that's the something that I'm trying to write about here :)
"You only end up admiring your seniors"
thats not true either. and you dont admire all your seniors. and thats the case with everyone...you dont admire everyone u meet but only a certain set of people. and its when those people turn out to be so diferent than you'd expected them to be, you dont feel too good about it. i think you got the point :)
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