"The most important thing you wear is the expression on your face" – author unknown
We often tend to underestimate the power of expression. Anger, love, frustration, despair, passion, rhythm, music – every single aspect of life comes with its own unique expression, and such expression can be a potent force. Expressions are inherent to us; as human beings, the most sophisticated of all creatures, we have complex expressions covering a diverse plethora of emotions. Say, for example, the frown. A frown may be angry, it may convey worry, it may be a sign of deep thought. A smile can be weak, bright, vapid, warm, fake. There is so much we can do merely through expression. One cold look can freeze an aspiring eve-teaser. A genuine, comforting smile from that special person in your life can lift your mood in the blackest of days. A single look of anger from Mother can bring on remorse. A word of love can keep you warm from within even when the world turns against you.
Which is why I fail to understand – why on earth do we tend to suppress our emotions so much? Everywhere around me, I see people wearing tense, controlled expressions on their faces. Social intercourse is rarely spontaneous; there is always an element of caution. People never, ever say exactly what is on their minds, preferring instead obvious lies which fool nobody, but are accepted by everyone. Spontaneity, I would again like to reiterate, has been gunned down somewhere down the line. And is life any better? I need not even bother answering.
Gone are those days when love would be impulsive, natural and artless. Instead, love today has become a complicated science – there is a correct age, a correct time, a correct process. People rarely respect the sanctity of that particular word – it is either thrown carelessly (like trash in a dustbin, to use an apt simile) or not used at all out of fear. And we wonder why relationships are becoming so shallow? The answer is simple – only because people never express what is actually on their minds.
In politics, diplomacy and lies has always been the accepted way to go. I, frankly, am tired of the same rhetoric being spewed out at us in endless different ways. Why doesn’t anyone speak out openly when things are so obviously not correct? Why does no politician oppose reservations even though everyone knows they are ethically wrong? Why are people allowed to get away with communal rioting? I, for one, know I am not the only one who feels like screaming in frustration – Express the truth, Goddamnit!
We need to be exactly what we are. By that, what I mean is that we have to act exactly the way we think. If you’re feeling happy, smile broadly and laugh and sing, just like you would do when you were a two-year-old. If you’re sad, sit alone and cry your heart out. If you’re angry, vent out. If you’re in love, let the other person know, and never mind whether he/she reciprocates – after all, you express first and foremost for your own sake. Being blank and expressionless is actually the worst insult one can throw at anyone, as it shows that the other person is not even worthy of reaction.
All those magazines and self help books which tell us to hide our feelings, and try to create a mysterious aura around us deserve to be binned (if not banned). A naturally reserved person should just be happy the way he/she is; similarly, someone born expressive should not try to cover up his/her intrinsic personality. Such brutal murder of the spirit should never happen; it is a sin.
All said and done, life has no meaning without expression. Imagine a danseuse moving mechanically with no spark of emotion on her face. Imagine an actor merely mouthing dialogues with no feeling. Imagine a singer only keeping tune and rhythm without putting any soul into the song. And, lastly, imagine being blank all the time. A nightmare society of zombies is certainly not what humanity is about. Which is why I always thank God for Mr. Bean, Meena Kumari and Mithun Da. For even over-expression can be a lot better than nothing-ness!
So what we need to do is – just be!
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