A few days ago my dad brought home a lot of cherries. He shouldn’t have bought a lot because it turns out that only mum and I eat them. Though I passed a cursory glance over each of them before sticking them into my mouth, I realised that what we see can be deceiving.
It looked succulent, a deep purpley red colour and so I gave it a pass in my short quality check test. Just as I popped it into my mouth and bit into it, squishing juice everywhere, I realised I had made a mistake. It tasted horrendous, as if someone had injected mud into the centre (Yes I know what mud tastes like. I had a fun childhood). I was speaking to Rosaline about it, and she said something that dragged me down memory lane. Rewind to..
Primary School Assembly, Year 3
I always enjoyed assemblies in which a class gave a presentation or a teacher did something interesting. I remember once Mr Bristol was going to be taking the assembly. After the announcements were read out and the general business dealt with, he walked onto stage and began talking.
“I know it is against the rules to eat in assembly, but the head teacher here has said I can. Just this once.”
We were all curious. I sat there stuffing my face with polos.
The head teacher walked over to him, a tin and fork in hand. She opened the tin, stuck the fork inside and fed whatever it was to Mr Bristol. Those children who were sitting at the front, and so had a better view, let out noises of disgust. “Ewwwww!”
“What is he doing?”
“That’s so disgusting!”
“She’s feeding him dog food!”
“I’m going to be sick, how can he eat that stuff?”
As news spread to the back of the hall, the disgust and a fair share of disbelief got louder and louder and louder. The head teacher continued feeding the other teacher. As the contents of the tin were about to finish, he began talking again.
“If any of you would also like to eat some, please come to the front.” He was replied by silence. Not a single child spoke. He pointed to a girl sitting at the front. “Do you think what I was eating is nice?”
“No! I would never eat it,” the girl replied.
He pointed at a boy, “Would you ever eat it?”
The boy replied as the girl had done, “No. I’d not even touch dog food!”
The teacher smiled. “Many of you think that the tin I was eating from contained dog food in it. It didn’t.” He proceeded to remove the label off the tin and revealed another label below that showed it was actually pineapple. Everyone gasped. We had been fooled completely. It wasn’t even April yet. “The lesson I want you all to take away from today’s assembly is that we should never judge anything or anyone on what it or they look like.”
*****
Each and everyone of us portrays a certain image. We all hide behind masks so that others don’t take advantage of us, or know what really goes on beneath our skins. It is usually a protective measure. Only very few people see us with our masks off and barriers down, but even then some of them may not see our naked skin. We are quick to judge. A person that doesn’t conform to the norms, or doesn’t look good is left out, marginalised and the last one to be picked. But the surface is never really real as we only see that which our eyes are capable of seeing. People cover themselves up with make-up to hide the cracks, others distract attention from their sorrow-filled eyes by their beautiful smiles and some people walk tall even when they are broken.
I’d like to end this post with another incident from the past. Back in high school, year 10, the first year of GCSEs a guy dramatically changed. I wasn’t really friends with him at the time, but he was in my maths class and so we occasionally spoke. He was known as being a social, easy to get-along-with type of person, but as time went on he became less and less so. His friends started falling out with him because he no longer took part in their past-times and no longer shared their interests. At lunch times he would sit in the school library immersed in a book or would walk aimlessly around the school building lost in his own mind. “Neek” they called him, “they’re just stupid exams and still 2 years away. Why is he being like this?” He became quieter and quieter and quieter. No-one knew why, and so people used it as an excuse to spread rumours and taunt him. He wouldn’t reply. One day we discovered his mother had been involved in a serious car accident and was in intensive care. The penny had finally dropped. “Oh s**t, I didn’t know.” A bit late for saying sorry don’t you think?
Unless you’ve crawled inside the other person’s skin, taken a look around, seen the world from their eyes and have some sort of idea about them, the real them and not the mask they wear, be careful of what you say or do. You will never know. Just like they don’t know about you.
________________________________
Title: You’re a better man than I – The Yardbirds
Picture of cherries Dee taken from here
Picture of pineapple taken from here
Picture regarding masks was one sent to me by a friend. I do not have a link for it.
Posts
20 June 2011 at 00:10
Hey Nas,
I never knew you were into cherries lol. I agree man you shouldnt judge a book by its cover and to be honest its good to be different. Its more exciting and less conformist/boring. The incidents relate to the onion analogy also. See you soon dude.
G
20 June 2011 at 00:33
20 June 2011 at 00:34
Hey Dr. Nas,
Cherries are awesome! :D
Lovely post man! The story about your 3rd year was so cuteee! :D
You know what the pinapple story reminds me of? the email about a medical school professor touching a dead body in front of his students with his finger and pretending to put it in his mouth. Remember that one? Though the stories were similar, that one was more about paying attention, I like this one better :D
Thanks for sharing this wonderful post!
keeep posting! :) x
20 June 2011 at 03:26
(Yes I know what mud tastes like. I had a fun childhood).
^ lol.
20 June 2011 at 05:33
lol lovely post I am told I loved mud as a kid don't quite remember how it tastes tho.
20 June 2011 at 06:25
Loved the post and it does require courage to shed the fake mask and be the real you. The fear of being judged is quite plaguing for most average Joes, don't you think? It is indeed a constant feat of fitting in.
20 June 2011 at 11:11
i hate it when cherries don't taste as sweet as they look!
i never ate mud as a kid :D
that dog food/pineapple example was pretty unique, it's a great way to teach young students about how not to judge a book by its cover.
great stuff (as usual), Nas!
20 June 2011 at 15:24
I like how every post of yours teaches us something. Like a mini story with a moral. :)
20 June 2011 at 17:59
hmm thats the thing with cherries not all are sweet. well lets hope you havent tried actual mud in a long timmee!
That was an interesting assembly and you still remember it as well- (I think the little old brain cell is working fine.)
Anyways, nice post as always and hope there's more to come..
20 June 2011 at 19:32
Sometimes these masks become to close to the skin that they become a very real part of it and at times its highly impossible for the individual himself to isolate himself from the mask and peel down all the layers to touch the nude skin.
20 June 2011 at 20:53
This is a great post!
Loved the story, it has such a big lesson behind it! But these days i dont actually blame peope when they have sucha big concrete mask, (and we're not just talking about the coats of foundation here), sometimes thats all you have and thats all youve got to display.
Smiley
x
21 June 2011 at 07:27
A true story..
This definitely raises a question on "First impression is the last impression"
21 June 2011 at 10:21
This is my favorite post by far, Nas.
22 June 2011 at 02:01
Hey Nas,
And the sign said,
"Long-haired freaky people
Need not apply."
So I tucked my hair up under my hat
And I went in to ask him why.
He said, "You look like a fine upstandin' young man.
I think you'll do."
So I took off my hat and said, "Imagine that.
Ha, me workin' for you." (Song and lyrics, The Five Man Electrical Band)
Nas, my friend, another profound, thoughtful and provocative posting. And behind our 'masks' lies a pure reality that is there if we should to see.
My apologies for being so late in visiting your wonderfully written blog. I am just about back in the groove after a momentous and inspirational time in my other reality.
In peace and kindness, your way, Gary :)
22 June 2011 at 03:37
This post was both personal and thought-provoking (without the usual stab in your heart and pull it out feeling).
I like your blog really. :)
And thanks for sharing these stories from your childhood and this realization - that although simple, we all always manage to fail to see.
22 June 2011 at 21:06
beautiful post, you've got a real talent for writing.
24 June 2011 at 08:55
Nicest post ever! =)
Wow.. your teachers were cool =D
I'd been fooled by many books with great covers.. Still learning =/
Muddy cherries.. hmm.
26 June 2011 at 11:17
@ The G: Haha! Into cherries. You make it sound like eating cherries is the new hip thing to do. 8-). But you're right.
26 June 2011 at 11:18
@ Yours Truly: :D! Yes I do remember that one. Though that was more directed towards being observational. Thanks :).
x
26 June 2011 at 11:19
@ рεяfεcтℓγ▪ιмpзяfзcт: Shush you :P
26 June 2011 at 11:20
@ Amira: *hi5* fellow used-to-eat-mud person!
26 June 2011 at 11:21
@ Subtle Expressions: Of course. It is not easy to do at all. Many people would not even recognise us if they saw us with our masks down. Thank you for your lovely comment! :)
26 June 2011 at 11:22
@ Furree Katt: Haha! It's not a errm, proud thing to do, eat mud I mean. :P Thanks Furreeeee! :)
26 June 2011 at 11:22
@ Tazeen: :)
26 June 2011 at 11:23
@ P x: I know, there's always a rotten apple in all fruits. Thanks! :)
26 June 2011 at 11:24
@ y.hayat: Exactly!
26 June 2011 at 11:26
@ Smiley: Yeah, I know what you mean. Thanks for popping over again :).
x
26 June 2011 at 11:26
@ yogini Anya: To what extent to you think that is true?
26 June 2011 at 11:26
@ AcetylCholine: Awh,thanks Martian! And what happened to your blog :O
26 June 2011 at 11:27
@ klahanie: No worries dude! And the lyrics you have posted are very thought provoking as well. Thank you!
:)
26 June 2011 at 11:28
@ Bessy: Thank you Bessy :). You're right, sometimes we just don't see that which we should.
26 June 2011 at 11:28
@ Sy: Thanks Sy! :)
26 June 2011 at 11:29
@ Sidrah: Haha! I know. Good covers really fool everyone from time to time.
1 July 2011 at 19:38
:D
Good read!
And we can't show our naked selves to people .. don't ya know its HARAAM? lol
Yeah, I mass followed people and am slooooowly getting through their latest posts :$
PS - Did you find out what happened to the guy's mum?
8 July 2011 at 22:48
Personally i feel masks are necessary sometimes, because thats the only way you will be able to get through life unscathed. I know of a girl who suffers from a "socially unacceptable" illness. And the only way for her to be able to get through day to day life is to pretend in front off people. Nobody knows that this girl, who is always so "cheerfull", cries herself to sleep at night. But thats her only way off warding off societies scorn - by hiding behind her mask.
9 July 2011 at 10:22
@ lil-beeyotch: I know, I know. 8-).
She had some surgery and made it through.
9 July 2011 at 10:23
@ Niqaabi: Thank you for visiting and commenting :). I totally agree with you. We need to protect ourselves and we do so by building fortresses around ourselves.
My point was just that, we all put on such masks and therefore should not judge others as we may only be seeing the mask and not the real them.
9 July 2011 at 14:32
"My point was just that, we all put on such masks and therefore should not judge others as we may only be seeing the mask and not the real them"
I couldnt agree more!! Very eloquently put...
16 July 2011 at 00:46
What a cool assembly, with a great message :)
This post reminded me a little of the Eminem song, Beautiful, you heard it?
16 July 2011 at 10:10
i loved this.
your posts are always so thought provoking.
you had a pretty awesome prinipal back in primary school :p
24 July 2011 at 00:30
salam bro,
i don't want to be a party pooper, but dog food is actually pretty nutritious and edible...lol. i think lots of people eat dog food actually. in 8th grade i remember somebody brought in something they had cooked for the class made of dog food.
24 July 2011 at 18:29
i posted a comment, but i dont think it was published. did it get through?
25 July 2011 at 14:58
@ Niqaabi: Thank you!
25 July 2011 at 14:59
@ hijabi hippie hypo: No I've not heard it, but will check it out after this insha'Allah. :)
25 July 2011 at 15:00
@ Vice Versa: Thanks V! :)
25 July 2011 at 15:01
@ y: Jazakallah bro! That is quite something. Apologies, as this is an old post, comments need to approved and seeing as I have not been on blogger for some time, that is the reason why it took me time to approve it.
:)
26 July 2011 at 17:59
Beautiful post Nas! It's too true. That's why I'm never mean to people even if they offend me. Some people just don't know better, others have personal problems, etc. We all got our issues and people don't have the right to make it harder for us.
You're a phenomenal writer~ I love how all your words flow.
& thanks for the follow back : )
30 July 2011 at 11:18
@ Ʋƨɐɠɪ: Thank you very much for your lovely comment and kind workds. And you're right, we can never know what someone is going through.
:)
15 December 2011 at 06:18
i mention u to start again, look u have very good person inside of u but there is a bad person either, it's just for u. like i;m still fighting with me to release,, we have our own bad either our own good. people used to comment they dont know is it exactly right or wrong either me.
but we do follow means we all have some relative feeling not with u, with the way & and things u do.
i really like those points
Dhave.L Tholkamudali (face book)
tholkamudali@yahoo.com