Day 17: Cut. Copy. Paste.

Today’s Prompt: We all have anxieties, worries, and fears. What are you scared of? Address one of your worst fears.

Today’s Twist: Write this post in a style distinct from your own.

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We all fear something in life. Sometimes more than one fear at the same time. It could have a fear of failing in class, a fear of “what-if?”, a fear of dying alone and lonely, and so on and so forth.

I’m no exception. I’ve had my fair share of fears. I still do too. But somehow as each fear arises, solutions also manifest that help me overcome. Sometimes, it’s easy. Sometimes I need to sleep on it. Sometimes I’ll have to talk it out with someone who’s faced it. No matter the method, a solution is always available. The fact is that this too shall pass.

So I am going to voice out on only one of my greatest fears. Simply speaking the name itself is going to place a shiver on your necks. The fear of plagiarism.

We all have experienced it if you’re a creative person. Either the fear of being copied. Or the fear that we might unconsciously copy someone else. I had this fear for quite some time until I voiced it to someone I knew. He’s a casual poet who posts his stuff online but nothing beyond that. So I guess, he’s a poet in his own right. He gave me some golden words of wisdom. It was with those words embedded in me that I confidently posted my content online. Simply put, he said,

“There are going to be people who copy from you – no matter where you come out of your shell. But the reach you achieve will outweigh the plagiarisers. If you are plagiarised and you can do nothing about it, just sooth yourself thinking that the one who did copy thinks so highly of your work that they rip it off. Imitation is the greatest flattery. Tell me, who gets copied from during an exam? It would be the brightest kid in the batch.”

People of yore believed the moon to be bright
But it wasn’t until later that we found it was borrowed light.
The moon isn’t trashed for an accidental copy
As long as it uses the light in a manner differently

The river does reflect the aura of the moon
To think that the river is luminous is being a loon.
The river has a beauty of its own right
Which it attempts to enhance using a heavenly sight.

Well, that wasn’t the exact advice, but I came close enough to what I could remember about that day. What do you think about this “fear”? Also, here’s another post on a very similar topic: Musings of a Muse.