Hey there, my Steemit friends!
I got on board mid July 2017. Was kinda testing the waters before deciding to hang on!
Well, during the past 2 weeks, I found the Steemit platform as an extremely dignified & interesting space. Being an introvert, I have always shied away from social media and do not exactly like being in the limelight. At Steemit, I found that my views & opinions are valued more than who I am. This goes well with my personality type.
I am aware of the optional verification requirement, though I believe this is more for persons claiming they are someone of repute or some kind of celebrity.
I claim to be neither. A famous Indian author & cartoonist, R K Laxman created the caricature of a ‘Common Man’. For over 50 years, a daily comic strip featuring the common man has graced the front page of ‘The Times of India’ newspaper.
I probably find my identity in the common man. Just a face in the crowd.
I am just an ordinary guy living in India, leading a simple life or should I say a common man's life. I enjoy DIY projects & am reasonably tech savvy. I strive to keep myself well informed and I do have an opinion about most happenings that affect people across the globe. And I enjoy having a discussion on such issues in a healthy & respectful manner. Steemit seems perfect for this.
Professionally, there is not much to talk about. With just a basic university degree, I have been in & out of jobs trying to find my niche. After several jobs & 50 odd summers, it is not exactly game over, but life at this stage does not hold much promise either – at least in terms of a regular 9 to 5 job. I am still exploring . . . and my foray into Steemit is as much as trying to make some money as my passion for writing & exchange of ideas.
In terms of entertainment, apart from reading, I am a sucker for ‘Super Hero’ movies of the likes of Superman, Spiderman, Iron man etc., Perhaps the need for fantasizing stems from experiencing helplessness at various stages of life much like Clark Kent & Peter Parker - the alter-egos of Superman & Spiderman – I have had my share of sunshine as well as the storms. And have realized that neither lasts. Life goes on and we learn to take it one day at a time.
I believe that Life is not about success or failure. It is about living with conviction & not in doubt. The outcome can be anything.
As our lives are all variegated, our opinions, attitudes & responses to situations are usually based on our experiences in life. Through the highs & lows, a philosophic approach to life has granted me a sense of equipoise & insulated me from bearing grudges or being negative about life or people in general.
I must admit though, that it has been a comedown of sorts from a ‘can take on the world’ attitude in the past to a more somber present ‘take me along, world’ attitude!! 
And much like we can control the voting power in steemit, I would like to reduce the power of the word ‘somber’ to around 5%. No negativity intended there. I considered using the word 'sober' but it may have conveyed a different message!
From an incorrigible optimist, perhaps I now see myself as a realist.
Looking forward to a meaningful journey with fellow steemians!
Welcome to Steem Community @cryptopal! As a gentle reminder, please keep your master password safe. The best practise is to use your private posting key to login to Steemit when posting; and the private active key for wallet related transactions.
In the New Steemians project, we help new members of steem by education and resteeeming their articles. Get your articles resteemed too for maximum exposure. You can learn more about it here: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@gaman/new-steemians-project-launch
Welcome to Steem @cryptopal I have upvoted and sent you a tip
Thanks for the gesture!!
Great post, and good luck to you!
Thanks! @tamacvet. Wishing you good luck too!
Hi @cryptopal , welcome to Steemit. I do hope that you have a wonderful time on this platform, if you have any questions or if there is anything I can help you with do not hesitate to ask, I will be more than happy to help.
If you would like to stay in touch please Follow me @pastorlea
Thanks for the warm welcome @pastorlea. Will follow you & interact.
What do you think about steemit so far?
I think it is a great place for meaningful discussion & exchange of ideas. Thanks!
If you want to be followed and upvoted by people more than what you have seen so far, you can join SteeFollower and you will be amaze of how fast you will go here. Here is the link, just click it and follow the instructions: https://steemfollower.com/?r=430
Will do, thanks!
Welcome to steemit :)
I am elizabeth From Holyhead, United Kingdom
@elizabeth302
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Thanks Elizabeth! Will follow you & check your recipes too!
Hello cryptopal,
So nice of you to help the steemean who was having difficulty uploading images! I clicked over to see who this might be and glad I stayed. following and upvoted, hopefully you will see value on my page as well.
Love and Peace,
Melissa
Thanks for the kind words @joearnold/Melissa. I suppose that is expected of members of a community or family - to help each other & share our knowledge. You made my day reaching out with this simple message. Do have a wonderful day. Will check out your page in a moment.
You have a good artist brush I notice as well. :)
Not sure if you are referring to the illustration of the 'common man'- the first one is the original created by R K Laxman the author I had referred to in the post and due credit is given. And the copy of the illustration at the bottom of the post was done by my wife. So no credit for me either way.
Or were you using some kind of figurative expression which I totally missed!!?
The large paper pad on the easle. So maybe it is your wife with the good hand, either way someone has way more talent than I. :) picture is straight above.
It sunk in late! I can be a bit slow in the uptake at times!
The good drawing may be by my wife but the 'good hand' is indeed mine - though my wife thinks otherwise!!
And you have a great sense of humour :)
Great written and filled with insights! I like that, life can be hard and it takes us where ever it wishes to take us. For god or bad, I guess we are better of just letting go of our resistance and just follow the life stream. Realism is good, but with a touch of optimism, don't you think?
Thanks @kerlund74. I agree optimism is always better. Realism borders on having a defeatist attitude. But you are spot on when you say realism with a touch of optimism. Or maybe the other way around as well.
And yes, the more we resist, the tough times tend to persist.