I do sometimes follow the ‘Times Of India’ ‘The Speaking Tree’ article, though I won’t read it completely, because most of the times the spirituality mentioned here gets over my head. But sometimes the facts and thoughts mentioned are so true that you feel somehow related to what is said.
I liked this particular article about being ‘O.K’ so thought of adding few of my own thoughts on this topic.
Pasting an extract of the article here…
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OK – the term that is sometimes written as okay – keeps creeping into people’s conversations ever so often. When did we first start using this term that looks more like an abbreviation?
The two letters were first used by the Democratic O K Club in the mid-19th century. Martin Van Buren, the then US president, was born in Kinderhook, a village in New York state. So people gave him the nickname, ‘Old Kinderhook’. The name became popular when he was seeking a second term. His friends thought he had done well as president and endorsed him for another four years in office. So the letters OK came to existence which means ‘all right’ or ‘correct’.
‘How are you?’ people ask and many do not even wait for a reply! Sometimes you, too, reply without applying your mind. You say “I’m OK!” What do you really mean when you say that? Perhaps this calls for a bit of self-examination. “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation,” observed Henry D Thoreau, and his observation continues to be relevant in the 21st century as well despite all the comfort-aids we have invented for ourselves with the help of technology.
Why is it so easy for us to say “OK?” Do we find it is a convenient term that means neither this nor that? “
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Now to add something here..I totally agree with the above thought. We have got used to say ‘I am o.k’ when we are asked this question ‘how r u?’.
I usually say ‘I am o.k’ when I want to mean neither this nor that. By this statement, I just leave it to the other person to just pick out of ‘am doing fine’ or ‘am not doing good’ or ‘am not doing that good’. So if he/she is really bothered about me, then the next question may pop up ‘why just o.k?’. So now I would be interested to tell why ‘I’am just o.k’ and not ‘fine’ otherwise the conversation would be just a formality. So such powerful this term ‘o.k’ is for me … that it can totally change the course of the conversation.
So guys n gals its upto you how exactly you want to interpret this term ‘o.k’.
Now pasting the last part of the article…
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It is being repeatedly proved that the things of this world and our own possessions will not be sufficient to keep us happy if there is no love felt within us. In the race for bigger and better worldly pursuits, we tend to neglect relationships – we forget to love one another; this is what causes us to feel a ‘quiet desperation’. Let’s not give up meeting one another and encouraging one another because we need one another. Love is the binding force that helps us feel connected and secure.
So when you put the question to some one: “How are you?” pay attention to the answer. For the answer will show whether he is keeping the flame of love burning or is letting it go cold. "
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So, how abt u? what exactly you mean when you say ‘I am o.k’ ?
You can read the complete article below
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIBG/2010/07/12&PageLabel=10&EntityId=Ar01003&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T
