Sana is a tomboy. She does not fancy any typical girlish pursuits. Her parents are supportive of her as they believe that everybody should have one’s own identity and make one’s own choices in life. But still they want her to understand the norms of our society. They want her to get to know how people generally are in the society we live in; and how our social life works.

Like Sana, everyone has the right to be who they are, have their own identity and dreams. But, at the same time, one must understand the people in the society and have the know-how to deal with them in a socially acceptable manner. This concept of “social relations’ education” is very important. This is because we have to deal with other people, irrespective of the way we live our lives.

We have to be polite in our daily lives, but at the same time we have to be tactful in what we do and say. Anything that we do or say has consequences. Everything we do or say also builds a social image of us in front of everyone around us.

In our daily lives, we come across people who at times act weird or say weird things. These are the people who give little regard to the socially acceptable way of doing or saying things. This is because they either live in a world of their own or suffer from complexes in their personality. We must take care so as to be not like such people.

It is hard changing oneself, but we all can adjust by making sensible choices about what we do or say. Think thoroughly before you say or do something. Base your actions in this regard on common sense, logic and wisdom. Seek advice from neutral, independent sources if you are unsure about how to approach or do certain things.

When you are conscious about your social outlook, then you are essentially working on your personality. You are striving to build positive traits in your thought process and attitude towards life. As a result, you will deal with all things in life in a positive way and your life would change for good.

There are some opportunists out there who would look to use you or deceive you or take advantage of you. They may seem nice or caring, but that’s not the way they really are. So be careful when building trust on people. Treat everyone with scepticism and limit/stop reliance on others in matters that put you in a delicate position.

We also come across people, at some stage in our lives, who are difficult to deal with. Avoid such people. Or if they cannot be avoided, then do not deal with them in any way that might put you in a delicate or difficult position. Learn to ignore or bear them. But do stand up for your rights if they harm you or treat you unfairly.

Value those people who are genuinely caring and nice. Though it may be difficult to gauge people’s sincerity at first, but with time you will get to know as they will not be selfish and will always give you good advice. Such people are rare and hard to find in life. Be nice and caring to them while making sure to stay in touch with them. Also, return the favours if they do good things for you.

Dealing with people and acting in a socially acceptable way are essential part of our lives. We need to understand our societal and cultural norms; and the way people are generally, not only to live our lives in a better way but also to stay away from trouble and problematic people.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 11th, 2020