Why I love to hate Birthdays
For me, birthdays have been one of the most uncomfortable days of the entire year. Not only do we grow older and end up closer to our death, we are forced by societal norms into celebrating this day, as though its an achievement!
And even though it might be your birthday, it certainly doesn't give you a leeway card to chill out for that entire dreaded day. No - you're forced into going about your daily chores, except now you're supposed to be HAPPY about it because guess what - it's your birthday!
There are a million reasons that come to my mind about why I detest birthdays but here are my 5 favourite reasons explaining why I love to hate birthdays:
1. You grow older - I turned seventeen today, to some it might be a nice young age but to me it's one of the worst things that could possibly happen. I'm now a year closer to dying. Not that I really mind the idea of death, but you can't deny that it's still unnerving. Now that I'm seventeen there are a hundred more expectations piled on top of me. I'll be treated as an adult by my parents when they want me to work like a slave for them, or they'll tell me I'm a kid - a year short of eighteen - when they refuse to let me do what I want. *Sigh* it's going to be a year of extreme manipulation ahead!
2. You're expected to be happy - Yes, I agree it's my birthday but that doesn't mean that I'm going to act all cheerful doing the very same things I would do on any other day. I have nothing against happiness - it's all very pleasant but the idea of faking it nauseates me. Even if I'm pissed of on my birthday, let me stay that way as long as I don't trouble you. But no, people can't stand that. They'll poke and prod you till you're forced into plastering a fake ass smile on your face and smiling and laughing till the sun sets.
3. The idea that you cannot be not celebrating - "Wait, did you just say you did NOTHING for your birthday? Did I even hear you right?" The shocked expression and the preposterous tone ringing in the concerned questioner's voice that follows this question makes me want to roll my eyes every single time. It's my birthday, for God's sake! If I want to do nothing - if doing nothing makes me happy, please let me be! But the thing is, we as humans find it abominable that another person with tastes very different from us, a completely polar opposite personality and a starkly different mindset - doesn't find enjoyment in the things we do! I know it's hard to grasp, but it's high time some people understood this.
4. The endless calls from people you haven't heard of in decades - Why do you even feel like talking to me, when you yourself barely know me let alone recognise my voice? Not only do some people enjoy inflicting torture upon themselves by calling up random relatives to wish them on their birthdays but they also like torturing the said random relative. You both know you don't want to talk to each other, the conversation is beyond pointless and boring but it still happens every single year! How many times do I answer the very same questions in a single day, how many times do I say 'Thank you' and laugh? I know I should be grateful that these people are sweet enough to even think of wishing me but sadly I don't. Feel grateful, that is.
5. The overrated idea of 'birthday gifts' - Your friends' who do manage to remember that it's your birthday are forced into purchasing a present for you under the utmost pressure. And then when you receive it, you face the pressure of wondering if you'll even like it and if you don't you hope that your lousy facial expressions don't give it away, because you don't want to hurt the sentiments of the three people that actually bothered to remember that it was your birthday!
I realise how pessimistic this post is. And although birthdays make me cringe and have been quite awkward for me, I do enjoy when I get to go out with my family or hang out with only close friends where we have no expectations or demands from each other. Where you're not supposed to act a certain way just because it's the day you were born!
In conclusion, I feel like birthdays should be spent in doing what you enjoy doing the most - even if it's spending all day studying, or if it's lying in bed with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. It shouldn't matter what the ideal situations your birthday should be spent in are - ultimately it's your life, and you should live it the way you want.
And even though it might be your birthday, it certainly doesn't give you a leeway card to chill out for that entire dreaded day. No - you're forced into going about your daily chores, except now you're supposed to be HAPPY about it because guess what - it's your birthday!
There are a million reasons that come to my mind about why I detest birthdays but here are my 5 favourite reasons explaining why I love to hate birthdays:
1. You grow older - I turned seventeen today, to some it might be a nice young age but to me it's one of the worst things that could possibly happen. I'm now a year closer to dying. Not that I really mind the idea of death, but you can't deny that it's still unnerving. Now that I'm seventeen there are a hundred more expectations piled on top of me. I'll be treated as an adult by my parents when they want me to work like a slave for them, or they'll tell me I'm a kid - a year short of eighteen - when they refuse to let me do what I want. *Sigh* it's going to be a year of extreme manipulation ahead!
2. You're expected to be happy - Yes, I agree it's my birthday but that doesn't mean that I'm going to act all cheerful doing the very same things I would do on any other day. I have nothing against happiness - it's all very pleasant but the idea of faking it nauseates me. Even if I'm pissed of on my birthday, let me stay that way as long as I don't trouble you. But no, people can't stand that. They'll poke and prod you till you're forced into plastering a fake ass smile on your face and smiling and laughing till the sun sets.
3. The idea that you cannot be not celebrating - "Wait, did you just say you did NOTHING for your birthday? Did I even hear you right?" The shocked expression and the preposterous tone ringing in the concerned questioner's voice that follows this question makes me want to roll my eyes every single time. It's my birthday, for God's sake! If I want to do nothing - if doing nothing makes me happy, please let me be! But the thing is, we as humans find it abominable that another person with tastes very different from us, a completely polar opposite personality and a starkly different mindset - doesn't find enjoyment in the things we do! I know it's hard to grasp, but it's high time some people understood this.
4. The endless calls from people you haven't heard of in decades - Why do you even feel like talking to me, when you yourself barely know me let alone recognise my voice? Not only do some people enjoy inflicting torture upon themselves by calling up random relatives to wish them on their birthdays but they also like torturing the said random relative. You both know you don't want to talk to each other, the conversation is beyond pointless and boring but it still happens every single year! How many times do I answer the very same questions in a single day, how many times do I say 'Thank you' and laugh? I know I should be grateful that these people are sweet enough to even think of wishing me but sadly I don't. Feel grateful, that is.
5. The overrated idea of 'birthday gifts' - Your friends' who do manage to remember that it's your birthday are forced into purchasing a present for you under the utmost pressure. And then when you receive it, you face the pressure of wondering if you'll even like it and if you don't you hope that your lousy facial expressions don't give it away, because you don't want to hurt the sentiments of the three people that actually bothered to remember that it was your birthday!
I realise how pessimistic this post is. And although birthdays make me cringe and have been quite awkward for me, I do enjoy when I get to go out with my family or hang out with only close friends where we have no expectations or demands from each other. Where you're not supposed to act a certain way just because it's the day you were born!
In conclusion, I feel like birthdays should be spent in doing what you enjoy doing the most - even if it's spending all day studying, or if it's lying in bed with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. It shouldn't matter what the ideal situations your birthday should be spent in are - ultimately it's your life, and you should live it the way you want.
Comments
Post a Comment