Is it wrong to smile always? Some feel that always smiling is lying. Champa takes a close look at people who are often judgemental. She feels that there are Different Truths and all shades and hues of it should get a rightful place. It’s that person’s life afterall.

Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow                  
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through
for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness

Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you’ll just
Smile

I remember reading a post on a friend’s Facebook page, where she had voiced her disbelief in what she read and saw in most other Facebook timelines. “How can everyone be so happy that they are smiling always,” she had exclaimed. A chain of comments followed, calling and branding the people posting happy statuses and photos as pretentious and liars. They said that it is nothing but a ‘show off’ of a kind where people post smiling pictures on their social networking profiles just to make others suffer from envy and low self esteem.

Though no name was mentioned, I felt a prick somewhere. I sat back and thought for a while. I know I am one of those who always sport a smile in all my photographs. Do I then lie? Let me then give a small example. When I went for a holiday last year, I was nursing a badly injured foot. As a result, I had to limp around in the bitter European cold in the month of December, wearing a pair of open shoes, without the socks. Only I and my fellow travellers and companions knew how much I had to suffer due to it during my entire trip. Yes, I did keep posting many photographs in Facebook of that holiday and in each one of them I was smiling, as usual.

In none of my photographs did I for once mention about my hurting foot. I did not rant and complain about my pain and discomfort. In fact, I had cropped most of my pictures before posting so that the hideous looking bandage did not show. Does that mean I was pretending and lying? I do not think so. I was genuinely enjoying every bit of my travel inspite of the limp and the ache. And it was that happiness of mine that was reflected in my photographs. My smile surely did not lie!

The past year had been tumultuous for us for many reasons. We lost people close to our hearts. Our near ones had to deal with diseases and accidents but I tried not to talk about my anxiety and concern on my Facebook timeline. I kept posting pictures and statuses about meeting long lost friends or children visiting home. Did that mean that I was trying to hide anything? I was actually trying to keep my restlessness and distress very private and not share it on the public forum. I was not being secretive, nor was I lying. Even though my heart was breaking, I did love to continue with life with my trademark smile and I still do it.

Each one of us is different as individuals and, therefore, it is only natural that our social networking profiles and pages could also never be the same. If some of us love to display all our grieves and disappointments, out in the open, and relish on the sympathy messages we receive, there are many others, who prefer to shed all our tears, in private, but love to laugh out loud with friends and try to live to the fullest every moment we breathe. It is indeed bad of us to start judging our friends and acquaintances on basis of what they put up on their social networking profiles, worse is to accuse someone of lying just because (s)he could not stop from smiling, every time they get clicked.

It is high time for our generation to mature enough and learn that to laugh or cry on our Facebook timeline and every other corners of life should be entirely our own choice. Stop making assumptions on other’s lives and actions, if their choices do not coincide with yours. Life indeed is a mixed game. Each one of us wins some and loses some. None of us can claim to be forever happy or forever sad but we can definitely choose what we want to share with all and what we want to hold back only for the ones whom we consider to be near and dear.

I personally believe in celebrating life in my own way, I find out some joy or other to keep me smiling every day. I may not be your kind. My shameless display of teeth may not please your eyes and your mind. But hate me not for this is my personal style. Please let me live to my heart’s content.

Pain, hurt or tears, let me smile away the blues!

Pix from net

Champa Srinivasan

Champa writes on various blogs and magazines on real life issues and incidents. She is a Post Graduate in English literature from Jadavpur University and has taught English in an Undergraduate college in Kolkata. Champa loves spending her time by reading, writing, gardening and learning classical dances. She now lives in Chennai.

See Full Bio