But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Kahlil Gibran
I saw a movie tonight, where, for a long moment, the camera was transfixed on sea shore... and it captured the waves breaking
constantly on the shore. Each wave looked similar, but one can tell none of them were identical. Each one touched the shore in its unique way and soon disappeared dissipating its energy, as if it never existed. Another wave followed suit. It was impossible to make out whether the shore was being affected by this constant arrival and disappearance of the waves. Well nothing can remain unaffected, right? Everything, living or non-living, has a tendency to react to the forces it is subjected to. Long ago, good old Newton came up with a mathematical expression explaining this phenomenon. But I am here not to talk about the physical forces that control our world but rather to express my thoughts on what philosopher Gibran in the above mentioned lines regarded as the moving sea between the shores. The forces which transcend the boundaries of physical theories and define our world. The relationships which might appear as trivial as the continuously breaking waves at a sea shore or others which sometimes become instrumental in changing the course of one's life.I would like to extend the analogy of waves and sea-shore to human relationships, and try to see if it provides an insight to understand how and why we feel, see and experience the things, the way they appear to us, and is this the only way that it can and should happen. Or in other words, is there a possibility that sea-shore can also affect the waves?
Well, we all know that the movement of waves is a consequence of earth's motion, the wind over ocean water and the gravitational pull by moon (tidal influence). But just think for a moment, wouldn't it appear nonsensical if they were not to move towards the shore. It would be an aimless wandering and not a purposeful journey if it were not towards a specific direction. And no one can deny that the whole process seems logical since it follows the formation, movement and then end of the existence of waves when it reaches sea shore. Thermodynamically, its a mechanism of siphoning off energy from deep oceans towards the land (high to low energy system), waves just playing the role of a trusted transitory aide. The point that I wish to emphasise here is that everything, living or non-living, has an inherent unfailing relationship and inter-relationships with every other thing on the face of the earth, and possibly even beyond. It is an entirely different thing that only few things make sense to us. And for all those that does, we assert our claims exhaustively while for all others we are fearful even in acknowledging its existence. It is complex, and one may not necessarily invest all the time and energies in understanding these, but it would be worth the effort if one recognises that while the waves are shaping the shores, waves too are, may be just momentarily, affected by the shore.
Now, the interesting aspect of this argument is to analyse our own situation in the light of above mentioned analogy. When one sees him/herself what does s/he find? Whether they are like the shore, or more like the waves. What is the degree of impact they are causing in the life of others and how they themselves are being affected by the presence of others. Does the moment of impact brings about a positive change in you or does it creates unwanted noise. In actuality none of the situation is better or worse than other and at different times people may see themselves switching positions. The important point, in my view, is to recognise our identity, role and purpose for being there, and to make sure that the moment of impact, when the wave strikes the shore, instills fresh energy so that it is etched forever in the memory and is not relegated as a transient event subjected to erosion with time. Since there can be no moment for the 'shore' to lament the disappearance of the last wave because the next wave might just fulfill the void, and waves might not wait by the shore to see how they affected it, but there will always exist the unique and transitory moment of their unison, which defined their relationship. One should live to create as many of those fateful episodes, where one impacted the life of others and both lived the joyful moment of togetherness. Everything, afterall is related, and relationships never die, even if the waves dissapear or the shore erodes!!!
(Photo: A designer card with Kahlil Gibran words, (c) rkb)
