Late 30s syndrome

Late 30s is a difficult period in a man's life. From childhood, people were busy pursuing some short term goal or the other. For example, we kept ourselves busy to cross matriculation, get thru Entrance exams, to graduate, to get a job, to find love, to have kids.. then comes the late 30s when you suddenly realize that you have been going through some routine for sometime now, without a significant goal in the vicinity. And on top of it, if you are slogging at work day in and out, all of sudden you become philosophical.... "What life is this, and What am I living for?"

When rest of his old classmates are suffering from this "late 30s syndrome", Thambi Aliyan has found a unique way to stop people going philosophical. The free time he gets between scratching two itching patients, he uses his emails to scratch his old friends' old wounds (with subjects like, "ഒരു പുല്ലും നടക്കില്ല"). That brings old buddies like Kaimal Mash, Ponnangala, Jackichayan and others back to the smoking tree in Baby Beach, secret place in Kotta (Fort St Angelo), Favorite Sitting Place (in Kotta Maidan) and fight each other with all that adoloscent vigor.

Sometimes, I think, Thambi is a Master Genius. He could have made a great politician. That's what they do too. Replace real issues with emotional black mail of general public, like a bomb blast happening immediately after a massive bribery case.

But you know, I have made it a point that if Thambi does something, I will have to see things negative about it. That's why I relate innocent Thambi's unsuspecting act to that of a crooked politician. Hence, despite all of Thambi's emails, I sometimes tend to remain on my philosopher's stone rather than moving with him to the neighbourhood of old SMS.

"What is this life all about?", "What is wrong with Thambi and the society?", What can I do to change Thambi and the society?", "What is the big deal if I just live, I die and I am forgotten like billions before me?".

I am deep in thoughts at times, my wife thinks this is sheer laziness. She cribs I am sitting idle when she calls out for help in household chores. If I don't find an answer to my questions soon, I know, the only way to survive with family is to be like Thambi, acting like a teenager throughout my life. But my ego does not allow me to be like Thambi.... Thambi and I should be poles apart, no matter what!