When was the last time you did nothing? I mean literally nothing,
not even thinking? When was it? Can you remember? Was there any such moment? If
you are sane you wouldn't be able to recall any such moment.
Let me tell you a story so that you can understand what I'm trying
to suggest.
Far away from
the constant echoes of the city traffic, besides a plush green field was a
beautiful little mansion. A farmer lived there
with his wife, cherishing every moment of togetherness. Like on any regular day the
moist air kissed his cheeks while he gazed at the waving crops. The sun was
going down and the night wasn't far from falling. The coldness of soon
approaching winter could be felt in the atmosphere.
A few feet
below his legs that caressed the bosom of the earth, there was someone else who
knew winter was not far. A mouse - It took the mouse several weeks to carefully
gather his food that was kept in a burrow to keep the food safe and to keep
him breathing all through the winter, towards the end of which the mouse would
again embark on its wild goose chase for food.
Neither of them was
aware of each other’s existence yet they both were happy and enjoyed every
micro second of what life offered them. The following evening, the owner on his
regular routine took an archaic wooden stick to which was attached a rusty
plough and started digging the ground for he had to embed some seeds in the
chest of the earth which he'd harvest post winter. Little did his innocence hint
him that there lay a mouse with its winter secured & comfortably numb to
the incoming sabotage. He was patient and in his usual style started to plough
the ground foot by foot. It took only a handful of minutes for the entire
winter food of the mouse to be tumble upside down while it ran in haste to save
his self. The mouse and his entire winter have been compromised in a few blows
of plough and it still ran without a trace of understanding into the oblivion.
The farmer totally unaware of the catastrophe he just committed, calmly buried
the seeds, leveled the mud sprinkled water and went back into the mansion to sip some tea in the warm arms of his wife.
How often are you caught oblivious in our lives like the mouse of the story? How often do your plans fail? Are you now used to embracing pain & grief in life? Do you continue to live for the promised joy? Do you always find yourself alone while you wait for Godot? Do you have a backup plan for life? How often do you spend time thinking absolutely & literally nothing? Do you readily accept defeat? Are you a fighter? Are you free?
Do you dream of providence when you find yourself in such a scenario? Do you introspect? Do you invoke divine intervention? Should you? Ponder!
(inspired by the poem 'To A Mouse' by Robert Burns)
(inspired by the poem 'To A Mouse' by Robert Burns)