PORTRAIT OF IMPERFECTION CALLED MAN

Can the water ever be absolutely clean? Can the air ever be completely pure? Impurities are as much a part of life as it in nature. The strange part is that all of us sometime or the other think that we are perfect or set an expectation that we are perfect and can never go wrong.

Seldom do we realize that perfection is not a state of being, it is a goal to live for. A goal all of us strive to achieve in our lives. Sometimes we achieve it in some sphere of life but slacken in the other. But the key never lies in achieving it, it lies in striving for it. Just like they say the destination doesn’t matter what matters is the journey. Similarly, how we gradually remove the impurities in us matters more than bliss we achieve at the end of it.

And there is no guarantee that we will not slip up. We will fall again and again but how quickly we get up and start walking truly signifies progress. All this is easier said than done and somewhere it is true that only when you experience rough patches in life do you realize how to overcome them. You will never know what fire can do till the time u touch it.

If the purest things in nature like air and water can be impure then we are mere mortals and are full of impurities. But the man who all his life strives to remove these impurities is the man who truly has lived his life and will be remembered and respected not for his feats but for the person he became.

ACHIEVING PERFECT HARMONY: MAN & NATURE

It was early morning; I could hear the birds chirping in a distance. The soft sun was showing signs of arrival and the warm golden beams were illuminating the earth.  The gentle winds made the grassland sway with joy as if welcoming day break and exuberating happiness. The soothing breeze, the delicate scent of the earth and the cheerful chirping of birds conveyed a sense of how peaceful nature was with itself. The peace of the environment was such that it could soothe a person with ruffled nerves.

source: http://grahamettridge.blogspot.com/

Man and nature have a stark resemblance. While we have mood swings like rage, sorrow, happiness; nature too exhibits itself through storm, cold winter, parched summer & a warm morning. However serenity and peace lies at the heart of existence. 

We need to look inwards to find peace and solitude. Calming the rage within, sorting the internal strife sometimes of the heart and mind. Being at peace with your soul.

 Just as we chance upon a perfect morning that leaves us mesmerized, similarly we come across some people in our life who radiate peace. The look of serenity on their face leaves us awestruck. That is perfect harmony! Perfect peace!

The serenity within, creates an atmosphere of its own. The brightness in the eyes, the glow of the skin and the warmth of a smile is quite like the ‘The soothing breeze, the delicate scent of the earth and the cheerful chirping of birds.’ of a warm early morning.

Semblance between man & nature to find perfect harmony within.

WHEN THE SEASON REFLECTS HUMAN PERSONALITY

Scene 1: It was a bright sunny winter morning. The soothing rays of sun affectionately caressed the grass, the leaves, the bark of the tree and possibly everything it fell on. The warmth of the sun gently sapped the wind of its chill. Birds chirped in the bright blue sky and the children played in the park downstairs. All basked in the glory of the sun.

Scene 2: The fog has thickened. Icy winds slyly chill you to the bone. The untimely rain dampened the spirits and any ray of sunlight (read hope). The birds duck themselves under a window pane. The smog, the rain & the wind has a dubious femininity- beautiful, mysterious yet merciless. The man on the pavement shivers helplessly trying to withstand the onslaught of the merciless winters.

This absolutely mystic and opposite shades of nature depicted in one season has undercurrents of unpredictability and also shows the varied range of its existence. I am urged to think how wonderfully, man and nature seem like mirror images of each other. Warm and benevolent and then cold and merciless- winter in its paradoxical shades reflects how beautifully similar it is to what we call split personality of mankind.

MYRIAD FORMS & POWERFUL SOUNDS

I can hear it fall gently drop by drop and settle itself on the leaf. I can feel its magnanimity when it flows royally. I can relate to its naughty and free form when it drops down like a ‘fall’ and sometimes even feel the tranquility of it in a puddle.

The beauty of water lies in its myriad forms and sounds.

The sound of raindrops pelting, almost deafening and incessant; enthralls all life forms.

The sound of the river –loud and powerful permeating the air subtly conveys the magnanimity of it. The river is considered pious in some places and therapeutic on some occasions. The constant sound of the water gushing along in a river overpowers man and sometimes says, ‘I rule the land and am worthy of worship’.

Far on the highway I see a waterfall, water racing down free, loud, mischievous, and frothy white. Hitting against the rocks, mist all around, softening the edges of the rocks with its aggression, dominance and force. Amidst the lush trees, I hear the wild sound of the water interspersed with the docile sound of the wind. I am awestruck by its wild and carefree form.

It has rained, the water has settled. In my balcony I see a small puddle of water. Silent and still, glistening in the sunlight.

I look at it and smile in amazement, at the paradox that exists when you look at the wild waterfall or the powerful river and now this silent puddle. Such diverse form and sounds makes me wonder about the unfathomable variety that exists in just one illustration of nature.

It makes me relate it to the inexplicable temperament of mankind- profound and beyond comprehension. Sometimes wild as the waterfall and sometimes calm like the puddle. Man and nature similar in a lot ways yet pools apart.

WHEN YOU LOOK LEFT & RIGHT FOR HAPPINESS

We often hear people say ‘you made my day’ or ‘meeting you was so much fun’ and similar such statements which denotes that we as human beings attach happiness to situations, people and activity. It might be true that meeting friends and loved ones makes one feel happy or an instance makes us feel ecstatic, but seldom do we realize that this happiness is momentary and the source of this feeling does not lie in us. The source of this happiness is external and hence the feeling is momentary.

Opinion on this varies but, the truth is, that happiness lies within us. In our heart, mind and the environment WE create.

The rain this year created havoc in our lives. The overcast sky, the glistening raindrops, smell of the rain and the cool breeze would soothe ruffled nerves and give joy to some. On the other hand, some found the rain depressing and gloomy. This is a perfect example of how we perceive our external environment differently and associate the feeling of joy and sorrow with it.

When bogged down by daily chores and stuck in the rut of life we tend to let the circumstances and situations overpower us. Our happiness and sadness at that point is not governed by us, it is dictated by the situation.

It’s important that we step aside and adopt an inside out approach. Delve deep within us and find the resolve to be happy. Create an environment for happiness not just for us but for everyone around us. Only if you are a happy person will you be able to share happiness.

If you are a negative person who cribs and complains, you are unconsciously creating a similar environment around you which reflects the same. This is when you start depending on external sources for happiness. Sources that will give you joy, which unfortunately is short lived.

With the break of dawn you wake up, consume fresh air and soak up the sun. You reconvene with yourself and connect with nature. Sync up your mind and soul and make a simple resolve. Open your eyes look at the beauty around you. Be thankful for what you have. Offer gratitude for what you are blessed with, seek forgiveness for the wrong you have done (Am sure there will be coz you are after all human) and acquire strength to do the right thing and make your environment happy and peaceful.

I am by no means trying to preach. Neither am I saying that you should become religious. What I write above are not pearls of wisdom, but often while walking on the road of life we tend to forget the simple meaning of introspection. We are so busy running that we forget to pause, breathe and take a sip of water to rejuvenate.

Introspection and looking for peace and happiness within oneself is the ‘pause’ we all know that we need to take but for some strange reason we don’t. We spend most of our lives looking at what others have done and seldom look at what can I do to restore happiness & peace  for myself.

 At the end of the day, happiness is infectious. You tend to spread it only if you have it. So smile J J

Thoughts in Dhanaulti

It took me eight hours to reach heaven. The land which spoke volumes about purity and tranquility was symbolic of the peace we seldom find in the hustle bustle of city life.

The long and shapely oak trees, the chirping birds and the daunting hills all whispering in my ears, “This is my land and here you shall live the natural way. Come and experience simplicity in my lap”.

The trees overpowered the presence of mankind. The loud rustling of leaves dominated any other sound that you would want to hear. Amidst the noisy and rebellious wind the birds were chirping and were party to the dominance of nature.

It’s beautiful to see how nature in its purest and simplest form is like a child. Innocent and unblemished. Happy and rebellious wind is like a naughty child playing, chirping of the birds reminds me of the peels of laughter in childhood and the purity of the air is like the innocent and simple heart of a child.

I feel like a puppet in the lap of nature, the wind playing with my hair, and I somewhere begin to believe that nature has numerous untold tales hidden in the soil and the trunks. Tales of life the way God meant it to be.

Life was meant to be as simple as the luscious trees, happy like the chirping birds and carefree like the rustling leaves, but as we come down the ages, nature retained the meaning f its existence and with held the simplistic form but mankind fell in the rut of a commercial a life.

WHEN THE DREAMY EYED SPOKE…..

A sunny afternoon in Delhi. The market crammed with people, the atmosphere choked with the hustle bustle of a city life. A regular summer week day and suddenly change in scene: green grass, cool and clean breeze, dense woods, the sweet smell of rain and the purity of the rain drop glistening on a luscious leaf.

The people have disappeared, replaced by a happy and simple couple enjoying by the lake. The hustle bustle of the city has given way to the chirping of birds and the soft rustle of the leaves. A regular summer workday has been ridiculed and shunned in the face of a tranquil and content life wherein mankind blossoms in the lap of nature. The man sees his child grow, and the women experience again the innocence of childhood with her children.

A simpleton living, in the lap of nature, away from the capitalist realm of reality. A dreamy eyed man with his close knit family basking in the glory of a content and peaceful life. He looks at his children being nurtured and groomed by mother earth. The flora and fauna become their best friends, teaching them the naughtiest of pranks and sharing with them the deepest nuances of life.

The family earns enough to have a respectable life; they do not have ambitious dreams and unfulfilled wants. They have happily given up materialistic cravings for the love of nature. They live in their cocoon and let the universe be their guiding light.

On a sunny afternoon in Delhi, I a realist saw life from the eyes of a dreamer. For a minute I felt the cool breeze, for a second the chirping birds soothed my nerves. Life from the eyes of a dreamer has the power to make you smile and make you live that selfless life, even if it is make believe, yet it makes you experience existence which is naturally simple & beautiful.