NEVER LOOK BACK WHEN YOU LEAVE

I was dropping my daughter at the play-school when she was just about 3 years old. As she was my first child the emotions were different. She was crying and making me cry too – you know father and daughter bonding.

Finally, when the teacher took her inside the school, the Principal came and gave me clear instructions – “Go back, leave her here and don’t look back when you leave”.

I obeyed the teacher completely. I went back, left her in the school and did not look back even though she was crying and shouting – papa, papa and papa. 

Soon a time came when she was independently going to the play-school and managing other activities.

That was an important lesson – sometimes looking back makes you emotional and you tend to change your decision. The explanation could be that when you look back, you tend to have an eye-contact, and eyes speak more than words – the emotions start flowing. The psychology is simple, when you are leaving don’t look back, it would be difficult to leave then. Be detached to emotions, if you genuinely need to be strong and would want to see another person equally strong too.

Remember how the elders responded when a family member was about to leave and someone would call from behind. They would immediately react – “Don’t call people when they are going out. Wait for them to return.” 

Similarly, when people say – “I am Leaving”, they would immediately correct – “Say, I shall be back soon.”

You call it superstition, black magic or whatever – but there are many things that are not written in the books, but are largely followed by people from all parts of the world – irrespective of the cast, religion, region or gender.

When I leave home for the office or any other meeting – I don’t look back at the door. I just leave and sit in my car and drive. I have been doing this for many years. I don’t have any explanation to it, but I am doing it. When I also drop someone at the airport or railway station or even bus-stand – once I drop them and they move inside, I don’t look back or try seeing how far they have gone. I just move from there without looking back.

No superstition was invented in the large cities and towns, they all have their origin in some deep-down villages in India and all have some good reasons. You would find some beautiful fairy-tail or some story attached to such beliefs. Many such stories have given birth to some of such harmless superstitions.

If you believe in this, good. If you don’t, someday you would believe.