Life’s Predicaments: Part 2

Taking up from where I had left the first part, some other observations to add on and some thoughts to pen down before they are lost as time passes by ……………...
Whenever we talk of love, most of the times we end up discussing and talking about that special someone who is already therein our life or for whom we are still waiting /tend to look out for ……. But I think, love is not only defined by our life partner. It has different stages and different aspects and it also comes from people whom we have met /lived/ interacted with during our life time. It just happens that love from those sources is either taken for granted or least accounted for.
During the course of our lifetime, which entails lots of challenges and experiences in its due course, intentionally or unintentionally we tend to leave behind our friends, relatives and sometimes even our parents, who had previously formed very important part of our lives and had shared lots of memorable moments. Its not something unusual or unseen phenomenon, rather its the law of nature and we human beings, no matter how much we equip ourselves for all the unforeseen circumstances, have always been tamed by it (mother nature).
If you see a mother bird, the moment she lays eggs, she has to try real hard to keep them warm for hatching. And once those fledglings open their eyes, both the mother and father get engaged in feeding them, teaching them how to fly and survive. And as soon as they are capable of taking care of themselves, they fly off….leaving their parents behind. The same phases even a human life has to witness at some point of time, so its quite but natural …there is nothing wrong in it. But still there is something, that is gifted by nature and which sets us apart from other creations of GOD - That is our ability to think rationally, but at the same time emotionally. However, now a days, somewhere rationality has taken a toll on the humane and emotional aspects. We talk about the things and values changing around us, little realizing the fact that we ourselves are also subtly contributing to it.
During my schooling days, I had once tried reading Charles Dickens’s “Great Expectations”, but realized that I was too young to handle and appreciate the work. This time, got a chance to see the movie. It was a little dark movie , involving lots of human nature variations and became one of the thought provoking movies for me……………..
It brought to prominence the human tendency to forget and disregard the things that are present in his life and run for the ones, which seem bright, lively and lovable, barely realizing that in his quest for those targets, he tramps on some golden moments and walk over the parents, siblings and friends, who had formed and been his world once upon a time.
Great Expectations is a story about a guy, who has led a modest and simple life throughout his childhood with his sister and brother in law. He had only two passions in life: to pursue painting and to marry his childhood sweetheart, who, unlike him always remains indifferent to his feelings, except for some signs of affection in rare cases. As time passes by and they both reach their youth, the girl goes to study further, leaving behind this guy heartbroken. The guy tries to forget her and even shuns painting, in order to erase the old time memories.
Suddenly , the Goddess of fortune smiles on him and he ends up in New York , becoming a very well known painter and also meeting up his love during this course of time. He is elated by the attention showered on him professionally and is immersed in his renewed quest to bring her back in his life. But, admist all these happenings, he forgets his sole friend, mentor and supporter of his tough times – his brother in law and is ashamed to own him while standing in midst of high class crowd.
Somewhere the demands of his profession and his love for the lady of his dreams (who belonged to the high class) had overpowered him and he had lost touch with his family and realities of his life.
At the end, its revealed that his benefactor was none other than his long lost and forgotten dacoit friend , whom he had once helped in times of need . In the quest for his illusioned love, he ends up hurting his brother in law, losing his benefactor who has professionally helped him out and last but not the least, also his lady love. The movie revolves around the journey of protagonists life and his ever changing attitude towards the people who had played a major role in transforming his otherwise unknown existence.
Its quite pertinent from the theme that, time is not merciful …..it changes and so do people. As a person advances to the next stage of his career and life, it becomes next to impossible for him to look back and account as to whom has he left behind and what went wrong during the course of that stage. The times are gone and sometimes even the person too.
Subsequently, there comes a stage, when the countdown of person’s lifetime begins. Finally the time turns back and it becomes imperative for him to take a stock of happenings in his life and the people who are no longer a part of his world.
Suddenly he is lonely and there seems no one to ask him out. No one to call him up and relive those old forgotten memories. He realizes that its too late for him to go back to his parents / friends, because this time they are gone forever …His ambitions and ensuing responsibilities had made him so engrossed that he had forgotten to take a look at his near and dear ones and see where is life taking him…….. His condition is like that of a person lost in the desert …and who is illusioned by mirage of water in the sands and senses his delusion only when he reaches that target spot.
Life is a never ending race. Every now and then, depending on the human ambitions, there would be targets set to achieve. Some will be achieved and some will require time, sheer patience and hard work to be attained. But there lies a life beyond the game of setting and winning and that life demands one to enjoy what’s already been gifted by GOD to him in the name of family and friends ….
Treasure the people who are there in your life. Love them …. Care for them …..Life is very short and uncertain……. You may never know what comes next. So enjoy and ensure that not a moment of love or fun is lost. Never regret what you could not achieve or get …just remember what you've got from life and I am sure it will definitely bring moments of respite and a wide close up smile on your face ………