The Fluff

 In Cityscapes, Travelscapes

Sharing a night street scene taken a while back during my visit to NYC. It was still pretty crowded late into the night and the bustle of the city gives the place a particular flavor.

Walking among the city reminded me that it wasn’t too long ago when I was convinced that climbing the ladder in the corporate world was the way to go. It felt so prestigious to be able to work in fancy offices and to walk among the elites but now it felt so distant. There is coldness among the four walls and a strong yearning to break free and walk out in the open.

We all need a bit of fresh air sometimes.

Most people do not like to hear the truth. I don’t know why that is but maybe there is a glimpse of hope in lies. Even though most people know in their gut that something is a lie, they still try to believe in it hoping that something good might come out of it—that in itself is such an irony.

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

When I was still working in the corporate world, I learned an amazing word called “fluff”. I had no idea what it meant during that time but I was getting the idea that you can say anything you want in order to get the required results, even if it meant lying through your teeth. The idea is to clinch the deal first then worry about the consequences later. A company run by such philosophy ends up having a lot of consequences to deal with, just because it cannot deliver on its promises.

The dictionary explains fluff as something empty, such as a verbal statement, without any particular meaning or value. It also meant irrelevant details that may cloud the issue of main concern. What this means in simple terms is that it is all talk and no substance; it is really like trying to sell ice to Eskimos. If you look hard enough, you will find that the world runs on fluff. It is always trying to promise you something in the future by asking you to sacrifice your immediate moments. You are not encouraged to live in the moment, you have to live for the future and since no one can guarantee what the future brings, your squander your whole life for an illusion.

Do you know what is the easiest thing a normal healthy human being can do…it is just to talk. You can say anything you want under the sun and the best part is most of the time you are not required to back it up. You can always push it to someone else or somewhere else in the future and it is understood that you shouldn’t be able to prove what you are saying right now. What I am essentially saying is that talk is cheap, action is another thing altogether. I can say that I know this tree will grow and I am done, but how long and how much effort does it take for the seed to sprout into a magnificent tree? The one that is talking is always effortless, the one that is doing is always taking the bulk of the hard work for things to happen and yet the attention is always on the one that talks. Remember, the grunts are always the ones perspiring and they deserve our respect.

What I am suggesting is to take a good look at your life. Are you talking or are you doing? Talking and gossiping also takes up a lot of time but at best it is empty, it doesn’t change your circumstances. When people give you advice, at most it is empty too. You are too unique to execute exactly the same approach as another, there is just no way to copy and have a guarantee of the same results. The only person you should talk to and listen to is yourself. Nobody understands you as much as you do and if you don’t think you understand yourself well, shouldn’t that be the first step you should take in life?

If you have to make a choice in your life, look at the doing versus the talking. The only true value belongs to the doer. The talking remains in the mind of the thinker and it is of no use if it doesn’t get out of the head to materialize something in the world. At the end of the day, all talking does is to mess up your mind and cause more confusion, there is more clarity in doing and you get results faster.

Do not be tempted by fluff, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. What we need is for you to come alive and do something, that way we will all benefit from your authenticity and the value of the changes you bring into the world through your creations.

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