“Opposites attract” is an axiom we’ve been hearing since time immemorial.
From my ‘astute’ observations– it’s not just a concept related to magnets, nor is it limited to the realm of romance. As much as I detest physics and everything that involves memorising scientific jargon, I’ve noticed that this holds true in my personal life, through the manifestation of my friend group. Perhaps friend group is a loose term in this circumstance– more accurately, it’s a group of my closest friends, upon whom I have gradually forced interactions and reasons to communicate.
Contrary to what you may think, I’m not entirely selfish and sadistic, throwing a lot of (somewhat) awkward Gen-Z teenagers into an uncomfortable social situation in the form of a group chat to forcefully reply to my inept, rambling rants. The five of us have studied in the same school, coincidentally belonging to the same grade 7 class, yet coming together much later– and making the decision to stay this way, letting our sense of commonality, like-mindedness and friendship tie us together.
So, how is a group of chaotic teenagers (who are currently trying to figure out what exactly the effects of not going to college might look like) linked with harmony? The answer is as chaotic as their grades: it’s not the mere presence of one of these individuals that creates an atmosphere of harmony, but rather the group as a whole in which our personalities balance each other out, displaying a semblance of a harmonious community.
What are these qualities and quirks that each of us has, you may ask. Let’s take a deep dive into each one of our psyches, shall we?
You have the first individual; we’ll name her ‘Ms. Calls herself Philosophical’ or Ms. ChP for short– after all, it is the time for acronyms. She is a self-described ‘lazy perfectionist’, which to a great extent, captures her spirit accurately. She accompanies this talent with her sharp tongue and biting wit, her strength, consideration, immense ability to love, and of course, her great demonstrations of hypocrisy and shatteringly low self-esteem. She is a biased woman, often letting her care for me get in the way of her sensible choices.
Our next entity is ‘Mr. (barely) Tolerable’. Mr. T is a wonderful human being, or that’s what he thinks of himself. However, he is the most objective and unbothered of this circus: he is patient, persistent and practical (also add other adjectives that don’t begin with a ‘p’). He is clever, perhaps a little cold and closed off, but he always has accurate insights and yet somehow remains tolerant of the architects of the mayhem of the group.
Coming up third we have the dry-humored, ‘Mr. Arbiter for Lack of Emotion’. His sarcasm and precise perceptiveness, although used most often to attack me, contributes to his depth. Mr. ALE is uncharacteristically understanding and profound, often surprising me with his masked care and consideration. Perhaps the most hard-working of us all, he still has the inability to estimate his self-worth correctly, often not realising his importance.
The next persona belongs to the wild, the creative ‘Ms. Self-Sabotage’. There is more than meets the eye for Ms. S², although projecting herself as loud and carefree, she is more innocent than she lets on, one of the most genuine people I have had the fortune of meeting. She is beautiful inside out, keeping me in awe of her silent strength, even though her habit of wanting to go through things alone infuriates me to no extent. I am grateful to have her lively, yet borderline crazy presence.
Lastly, there’s me, another self-sabotaging hypocrite. I’m the volatile ‘Ms. Cares too Much’. Known as the empathetic and emotional oddity, it is in my nature to be as protective and mother-y as a 17-year-old can be. As the helpful people pleaser, I possess the time-consuming habit of being a perfectionist who messes with her priorities, which of course accompanies my indecisive tendencies. Underneath all of this, however, I have a creative and kinder-than-I-seem, core.
It is our contrasting characteristics, our differing perspectives and our solutions that ultimately stabilise one another and resemble a harmonious façade. The ‘rational’-s and ‘objective’-s come to rescue our unrealistic expectations, and we help them to inculcate a sense of humanity in their well-intentioned idiosyncrasies. The hypocrites balance each other out, and when one of us is resembling the melancholic state of a character from a Shakespearean drama, the others lend their constant strength and reassuring support. This combination of complementary traits is what results in the essence of harmony.
– Vaagisha Kanwar, Indus International School, Bengaluru
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