A message doing the rounds of social media is that good morning messages will attract exorbitant taxes. It was circulated widely by many who hoped it was true. Many more were unbelievers, common sense dictating that it was too good to be true. Others rooted for it silently. Some supported it as a patriotic cause, since it would have enriched the coffers of our national treasury. Good mornings would naturally lead to achche din, they reasoned.

Rather disappointingly, the news turned out to be false. A harmless April Fool’s prank.

While I have no sympathy with the creators of fake news, I must confess I was secretly supportive of this particular cause. After all, it was in the interest of humanity! Nothing can ruin your morning more effectively than a slew of bright greetings in your inbox when you have barely swallowed a gulp of your morning brew. In fact, it can be quite tiresome. When it occurs day after day, one is apt to feel rather annoyed. I felt a deep kinship with the creator of the video. He/she/they must have hoped that natural fiscal prudence would curb the subscribing finger of the good morning messengers.

However, they had greatly underestimated their opponents. The senders of these good morning messages are made of sterner stuff. I strongly suspect that these are the guys who when they opened their mouths in childhood were told to ‘zip it and keep it zipped.‘ Now was their Whatsapp-given chance to exact revenge! They simply pooh-poohed the circulating video and sent out a dozen more messages spreading love and light!

Motivational Mondays and No-Brainer days

For those of you who are spared these good morning messages, stay blessed. For those at the receiving end of these messages, have a good day. Which is code for ‘may you receive only one today.’ A good day for the sender, on the other hand, is the day he gets to sent as many as three or four. He’s happiest if the day happens to be a festival – which happens frequently in a festival-rich country like ours. Cheery ‘Good Mornings’ are then packaged with those celebrating the victory of good over evil; those bursting with patriotic and religious fervour ;or those celebrating birthdays of gods, saints and heroes. Or celebrating Rosogolla Day, International No-Brainer Day, Be Nice to Bugs Day or Thumb Appreciation Day. Expect to see a lot of thumbs-up for the last!

Even a normal week has special days which merit special greetings. There is a veritable onslaught on Friday – in anticipation of the weekend and relief at having survived a full five days at work! Saturdays arrive with breezy messages on how to be happy and crazy and have fun. Sunday bulletins are suited to the splitting hangovers that follow Sinful Saturdays – serene and pious thoughts that do not tax the brain overmuch. Motivational Monday Missives deliver that extra punch that is required to get back to work. I’m sure it motivates many, but two cups of coffee works quite well for me, thank you!

keep smiling

While all this gives the impression that I am a grouchy old hag, that is so not true (even though I say it myself)! As you will recall from a previous blog, I set out on my morning walk with goodwill towards man and beast, ready to greet the world with a friendly good morning.

But apparently such face-to-face greetings, even when accompanied with a smile, are simply not good enough. In fact, as ‘100 best good morning quotes’ informs me – it is downright callous and cold. A good morning message must be accompanied by a thoughtful, insightful, personalised message, which you can then impersonally broadcast to all your contacts. I received one yesterday which exhorted me ‘not to let the world change my smile‘. Today’s message tells me to ‘change the world with my smile‘. Tomorrow’s will probably urge me to ‘accept all changes with a smile.’ And so on, till my smiles are all exhausted.

Mystifying messages

What is truly mystifying about these inspirational messages is that they never seem to have the slightest effect on the senders, the receivers or the world at large. The huge volume of messages spreading positivity, gratitude, love, and enlightenment spectacularly fails to counter the negativity and hatred – often spread by the very same fingers. Kindness towards all ‘humanity‘ apparently does not translate towards kindness to individual ‘humans‘.

Yet, along with the warbles of the birds, the cool morning breeze, and the first rays of sunshine, these harbingers of the new day will continue their messages. And every once in a while, there will be one that is oddly touching.

“And sometimes, against all odds, against all logic, we still hope.”

Anon

Have a wonderful day!