FOUNDATIONS | ANIRUDH RAJAGOPALAN

Foundations

January 2023

What makes a healthy life? What constitutes the platform you choose to lead your life? “Foundations” explores the little things that are so often overlooked that we sometimes do not realize their value until later on.

Photographer: Anirudh Rajagopalan

Editor: Anirudh Rajagopalan

Model: Anirudh Rajagopalan

|1| Conversations

Who are you and what do you stand for? Our generation is so obsessed with fitting in while also standing out. Through social media and all these outlets we have at our fingertips today, you are more aware of the connections we make, virtual, or face-to-face. But are they really the same thing when you compare these two? While social media has broken huge barriers and allows us to maintain larger networks, is it a real alternative for those friends we see face-to-face? What do open conversations reveal that virtual “likes” and comments do not?

|2| Introspective

The world is always moving, but you don’t always have to. Self-mediation can definitely help calm your mind down especially during the toughest of times. I’m sure the past couple years have been challenging for my generation, with finding jobs, losing friends and others, personal issues, etc.. What if we take some time each and every day to reflect on ourselves and how our actions impact others, no matter how close they are to us? What if we reflect on ourselves and what we choose to be more than what others think we are or say we should be from the outside?

|3| Acceptance

Accepting yourself and finding others who accept you can be a challenge. As we navigate this crazy world, we meet so many different people with so many different ideologies of life and acceptance is a key part of navigating it all. Why live life the way others perceive of you? So what if you are different from someone? When we realize that we all share the gift of life, it can inspire us to look for ways to help others see their true selves as life is the most precious thing we are all given. There is an indescribable vibe in freedom, of being oneself openly. Real acceptance is seeing someone the way they are and allowing them to grow with you, to change with you, to connect with you, and for you to believe in them as much as you believe in yourself.

|4| Competition

Life from high school onwards can feel really competitive. We are thrown into this crazy environment where we all want to be at the top of something. Being 24 now, I think high school was ridiculous. It was baffling to see a large number of teens try to take every single AP class an institution could possibly offer, and try to maintain some magic GPA. But what did it all mean at the end? Competition is endless. At the end of the day, losing sight of yourself and trying to constantly compete is just not worth it. Valedictorian? Class President? Student Body Treasurer? BuckeyeThon President? DDN Head Director? The list can go on. But…it's all meaningless…There is always an opportunity for everyone to live happily, but competition can dampen the joy of life. There have been many good changes, but we still have a long way to go. But it is important to remember the history that got us here and the hole that we all fell into at some point. What if we see each other, not by qualifications or degrees obtained, or job position they have? What if we see each other by the values we share?

|5| Saudade

In recent years, I have been listening to Portuguese Fado, a genre of music that specializes in an indescribable melancholic feeling, and sometimes longing for something you once had. Each chapter we encounter, there is always something we miss no matter what we retain each time. Is there someone you met and whose presence you really enjoyed, but now you truly miss? Do you just cry thinking about them? Those moments that have become really special to define yourself? Living in those distant memories reminds us of the value of those moments and what it made us see of ourselves. So what is the impact of distance? How did these memories really make you a better person and how did they change the course of your life? How did they change the way you see people now than how you saw them before?