As you sow, so you reap

An Emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you." 

 

The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here after one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!" 

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. 

Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. 

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. 

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "What great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!" All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!" 

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. 

How could he be the new emperor? Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. 

But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.

If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory. 

If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.

If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.

If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.

If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

But 

If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.

If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.

If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.

If you plant envy, you will reap trouble. 

If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.

If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.

If you plant greed, you will reap loss.

If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.

If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles. 

If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

  

So be careful what you plant now, It will determine what you will reap tomorrow, The seeds you now scatter, Will make life worse or better, your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits, or you will pay for the choices you plant today

The Wheel Turns

Twenty years ago, the cricket stars were the GENTLEMEN, who used to play seasonal cricket and did have alternative careers. Today we see cricket as an emerging alternative career option with what all these young cricketers becoming role models for today’s youth. They participate in brandishing products, sporting fashionable looks, attractive hairdos, flaunting latest gizmos and define themselves as a perfect style icon apart from being aggressive at the field. What with the team comprising of youngsters, more and more young blood is being preferred vis-à-vis experience.

Earlier we had all the politicians who were some sixty years of age and had very little exposure to the actual progress going on in the world and the country was run on traditional policies resulting in more consumption than production in the economy as a whole. But now we have the “Lead India” movement initiated by the Times Of India which is inviting young aspiring India not only to be a part of the political mainstream but also to be a part of socially relevant projects.

Hence we see that the wheel is turning now. What was not acceptable in the yesteryears is becoming the talk of the town now. This is universal law. The wheel turns itself and takes 180 degrees turn. The participants become spectators and spectators step ahead to participate, the tormentor takes a backseat while the victim becomes vindictive. Numerous such examples can be found.

Pakistan has been facilitating the spread of terrorism on the Indian soil for centuries, providing logistics like weaponry, manpower, funds, intelligence, training camps etc. And now we are seeing a spate of terrorist activity and jihadist camps on the Pakistani soil, political instability, and finally emergency being declared there with the dissolution of the constitution. What Pakistan has been propagating for so many years in its neighborhood, is now surfacing in its own ambience. The resurfacing of the Taliban in its Frontier Province. The wheel has turned.

For years the Fairer Sex has been oppressed and tortured, but now we see more and more girls are coming forward taking up challenging opportunities dealing a crushing blow to the male ego. But slowly it has been accepted. The title of the “TORMENTOR” was ubiquitously attached with the Sterner Sex, and that of “VICTIM” with the Fairer Sex. But now we see the wheel turning as more and more husbands are coming up with horrifying tales of harassment at the hands of the police. judiciary and the legislative executive because of false and frivolous complaints of dowry harassment from their unscrupulous and vindictively vicious wives. What with popular and dignified news channel like IBN 7 showcasing such real life stories of tragedy and trauma on their program “Zindagi Live”. The wheel has turned.

Today's Woman

All the characters referred to in the below blog are fictitious and bear no resemblance with anyone living or dead whatsoever. Any co-incidence is purely co-incidental and unintentional.

Jahnavi gets up at 5 in the morning. She has got two hours with herself before her office cab will be arriving to pick her up. Before that she has to prepare the breakfast and make preliminary lunch preparations in addition to the daily chores. Some days will be more hectic when she might have to cater to a couple of e-mails as well from office. It will take an hour’s ride to the office and it is no less hectic after reaching there. Working with one of the top-notch software companies in the world, workload is never less. Being in the troubleshooting department, issues can come up any moment. Meetings need to be organized, juniors have to assigned work, boss wants the updates on critical issues and so many other issues needs to be handled. Jahnavi does all this with a firm resolve. The day’s work is wound up by evening and she has to take the evening 6:30 cab to reach home. In the evening’s traffic she will reach home by 8 or 8:30, and after reaching there she has to again cook. Her dad is waiting for her to return. She is fully exhausted and stressed out with the hectic day in office and also has a long list of chores pending before she can blink an eye. After cooking and finishing off in the kitchen she has to prepare for her GMAT and also finish some pending office e-mails. By the time everything finishes, it is almost 12 midnight. Tired she goes to bed. But sleep eludes her as she has got one more thing to worry about. She has got to think of something about Siddharth, her estranged husband, who is trying his level best to bring her back but she cannot stand him a moment in her life. Her parents, her cousins, some of her close friends, all have been trying to convince her to give Siddharth one more chance. But Jahnavi, who is completely shattered and disillusioned with Siddharth’s indifference, insensitivities and a one-sided relationship, is fighting her fight alone. So it seems it is like an agony being a woman, a working woman. We will come back to Jahnavi, but before that let us have a look at Kamini.

Kamini on the other hand, has just finished her college in Arts and is nowadays at home. She is the only daughter of her parents and has been pampered a lot since childhood and all her wishes have been fulfilled even before she sneezes. She has a younger brother as well. She is very arrogant, stubborn and ill-disciplined. Just after she finishes her studies, her parents find a match for her. A software engineer, working in an MNC in Bangalore and he is the only son of his parents. Jignesh is a dream son-in-law for anyone as he is a very family oriented person and wants to give his family nothing but the best. But Kamini has her own dreams, getting married to a software engineer working in am MNC, having a decent salary, owning a flat in his own name in Bangalore, all she could think of is a life full of luxury with no restrictions. She also had this confidence in herself and in her so called “Love Gestures”, that she would be able to convince Jignesh to live separately from his parents. Her parents also coaxed Jignesh beyond limits to achieve this goal. But Jignesh was a hard client. He would never do something that his conscience does not allow him to and strongly objects to Kamini’s and her parents’ unjust demands. They subject him and his innocent parents to mayhem of mental cruelty by not only maligning them socially but also going to the extent of filing false criminal cases against Jignesh and his parents and force them to come to a compromise. But Jignesh is a fighter and vows to fight back but does not give in. And so it may seem like it is an ecstasy being a woman as the law allows her to get as vicious as she wants and can have the confidence of making her unjust demands conceded to by shedding crocodile tears and unleashing a string of fabricated lies. But little does Kamini know that she herself is her biggest enemy. Time will teach this lesson to her.

So here we have two different women. Jahnavi who has given everything she could do to not only make her relation work, but also to prove that a girl can handle office and home simultaneously. And we have Kamini who has only known to lie and shed crocodile tears to gather false sympathy and trap Jignesh. Jahnavi knows very well that in the current legal system she can easily force Siddharth for a divorce, but she is a woman of substance and principles, who will not want her husband to go through legal hassles, and neither will she ever separate a son from his mother, “because a mother is a mother”. These are two examples of “Today’s Woman”, or is this title itself a misnomer. They are just examples of the different facets of the “The Fairer Sex”, and since it relates to the timeline of “Today”, may be it is convenient to refer to them as “Today’s Woman”. But it is not the woman alone. Kamini could not have done all this without her parents’ illegal support and faulty upbringing. Jahnavi’s parents also realize that their daughter is not happy with Siddharth, still they are advising her to re-consider him, for they know it takes a moment to break and years to make. And is it not the fact their upbringing is also reflected in the fact that Jahnavi, though disillusioned by Siddharth, still wants the divorce to go through peacefully. She is fighting with her parents for Siddharth’s sake. Hats off to Jahnavi and her parents. In spite of these agonies Jahnavi should take pride in her strength wherein she has put herself at stake for the betterment of people she loves. To me it is an Ecstasy being Jahnavi and an Agony being Kamini.

Negativity works

All the characters referred to in the below blog are fictitious and bear no resemblance with anyone living or dead whatsoever. Any co-incidence is purely co-incidental and unintentional.

X: “Hey you know A, she seeing B these days.”
Y: “Oh really!!! how come you know about it?”
X: “I had been closely following the two, and then rounded up A over it, initially she was hesitant but I was insistent, and she succumbed, admitted to having seeing him, but says they are JUST FRIENDS and that’s it.”
Y: “Oh I see. Interesting.”
X: “But it stays between us, right? I’d promised A not to disclose this to anyone, but you know we share everything, so just told YOU.”
Y: “Yeah don’t worry.”

Both of them sign each other off exchanging pleasantries. Exactly similar conversation takes place after some time between X & Z and Y & W.

X: “Hi, blah blah blah”
Z: “blah blah blah”
X: “But it stays between us, right? I’d promised A not to disclose this to anyone, but you know we share everything, so just told YOU.”
Z: “Yeah don’t worry.”
Y: “Hi, blah blah blah”
W: “blah blah blah”
Y: “But it stays between us, right? I’d promised A not to disclose this to anyone, but you know we share everything, so just told YOU.”
W: “Yeah don’t worry.”

so on and so forth, the word spreads. Almost every body comes to know about the on going JUST FRIENDSHIP between A and B. B does not like it. Men never like it and women do not want it to happen but it still happens. And it happened here because A trusted X and confided about her relationship to B but on condition of concealment. X promised but went back on her words. And then the same thing happened with Y, he also went back on his words and so went back all those W’s, Z’s et al. who not only spread the word about the relationship of A and B but also other stories started making rounds. A and B remained the hot topic of discussion in the office for some days until someone said that the VP had been seen at a dinner at the Taj with his secretary and the focus of gossip shifted, a hotter topic was available, but in this case there was neither any element of concealment present, nor its presence justified, but in the earlier case A had told X not to disclose, but still X did, so what prompted X to do so?

Jealousy towards A for having gotten B, excitement, anxiety, some grudge against either of A or B or some other cause. Well all of the above causes do find their respective share of justification in the explanation for X’s behavior, but still all the above are circumstantial, the presence of which might / might not have triggered the spreading of rumors as also all / some / none of the causes might again not apply to the behavior of the Y’s, W’s et al. So there has to be some sort of commonality in the behavior pattern and so arises the obvious question as to what is it?

Well the answer is ‘Its negativity’. The element of negativity in all the conversations is fairly obvious yet unnoticed. Let us have a look at the following statements.

But it stays between us, right? I’d promised A not to disclose this to anyone, but you know we share everything, so just told YOU.

This is the negativity involved. X thinks, why is A telling this to me. And there is an element of forbiddingness in the statement that provokes. As a natural tendency human beings tend to do forbidden things first hand. If history is to be believed then supposedly this element of negativity explains the propagation of human race. Eve was forbidden to eat the APPLE, but the element of negativity in the forbiddingness compelled her to do the FIRST SIN and rest is history and ever since it has been this element of negativity that has served as the driving force between all the major events so far, constructive or destructive.

As a destructive tool it is the easiest method to spread rumors and falsities about anyone. The statement, “DO NOT TELL ANYONE” is a self-provoking one. It sparks a plethora of questions, the first one being, “If it is not meant to be told to ANYBODY, then WHY AM I THE CHOSEN ONE.” and some other obvious questions as well, “What are the implications if I spread / keep mum / or discuss with someone in private. The first two options might seem a little dramatic, but the third option most often rules the roost.

Discuss with someone in private, but the irony here is that paradox involved in the underlying negativity element which slowly includes everyone in the ambit of someone and the word is out. But negativity is not about spreading rumors or a mere characteristic behavioral pattern of gossip-mongers. It has many positive effects as well. The mandate of negativity is to generate curiosity and this can work in a constructive manner as well.

Let us get back to the start of the world. What if negativity did not exist in human nature and Eve had not taken that APPLE, Adam and Eve would never have participated in the first ever creation process and human race would not have propagated. It was the negativity element in Eve’s nature that she, on being forbidden to have the apple, got provoked, had it and then time witnessed expansion of human race. So is negativity a boon in disguise? A question too hard to answer. Even in mathematics the sign for positive ‘+’ is formed by crossing the sign for negative ‘-‘, which clearly shows the endowment of EVIL prior to the bestowment of GOOD.

The Rose and the Stem

All the characters referred to in the below blog are fictitious and bear no resemblance with anyone living or dead whatsoever. Any co-incidence is purely co-incidental and unintentional.

Mary was in a fix. She loved Aditya very much and he too loved her and both of them had decided to tie the knot. But she had not told her father about it. Being motherless since childhood, her father meant her world to her. He had been both a mother and a father to her. Mary wanted both Aditya and her father Joseph, but the possibility looked remote as Joseph had a wish to get a good Christian husband for his daughter and it would be hard to convince him for Aditya, but Aditya was irresistible for Mary. She could no longer take the guilt of having let down her father for falling for a man outside Christianity, as Joseph had always boasted about Mary’s principles in the community. She decides to confess and heads towards the church. Her mind is set on fire, a tsunami raging in her breaths; she is racing through the Saint Anthony’s Church and finally reaches the confession box. She looked around the walls of the confession chamber, they seem to be cursing her you have befallen yourself in your father’s esteem; they seemed to be telling her. The walls seemed enclosing her and she was getting drowned in her own self-remorse and guilt and from inside her conscience was biting her. She felt like running away from the confession box, when a voice soothed her down. Father John’s voice was like honey to an ailing patient.

Father: “Tell me my child, what pesters you?”
Mary: “Father I want to confess something, I have done something terrible. I can’t believe I could have done something like this.”
Father: “Relax my child, HE is very generous. Spell out your heart. HE is there, HE shall guide you.”
Mary: “Father, I lost my mother in childhood, I do not remember her face now. I was just 2 years old when she died in an accident. Since then my father has taken care of me and he has been a darling father any daughter could have. I have never felt the loss of my mom as he has been both a father and a mother.”

She stopped for a while. She had to gather strength to spell her heart out. The priest consoled her.
Father: “Do not worry my child, have faith on HIM. Tell me whatever you want to. I am sure HE will guide us.”
The words poured lifeblood into her suffocating soul. She regained strength.

Mary: “He always taught me values, principles, truthfulness and strong adherence to Christianity. He had also cherished a small wish to get me a good Christian Husband. But I love Aditya, Father. I love him very much and he too loves me very much and also respects my father’s wish a lot. Now I am confused how to convince my father about Aditya as I know he might agree if I act stubborn but he will be torn inside. But my love for Aditya is pure father. I am feeling so bad that I failed myself as a daughter.”

Her tears, breaking the dam of self-control, reflected the shadow of her pain and her agony. Father John tried to pacify her.

Father: “My child you are just in love. You have not done anything wrong. HE does not teach you just to love people from your religion nor does HE teaches you not to love people outside Christianity. HE is the messiah who is here to spread the message of love. You have not committed any SIN my dear child. Come out of the self-remorse and guilt. Love is a very great and pure feeling, my child, and it knows no boundaries in terms of caste, creed, religion and such man made human dividers. So please do not think you have not acted as per HIS wish.”

Mary was feeling a little better but still she was thinking as to why life had become so difficult for her.

Mary: “I know Father, I fully agree with you. But why is Life so difficult. I had taken it lightly; I was blindly following the fragrance of the rose and forgot that it has thorns as well.”

Father: “My child life is very much like a rose. It is beautiful, spreads fragrance and adds grandeur by its presence and is a symbol for the establishments of new relationships but it has thorns as well.”

Mary was listening dumbfounded. Father John continued.

Father: “The beauty, the fragrance et al of the rose is the happiness in our life and the thorns symbolize the unwanted grief in our life. So if you see the flower of rose, its beauty, fragrance and its thorns are always present. Similarly, happiness and grief are always present in life. We are so much astounded by the goodies of the rose that we tend to ignore the thorns until it pricks us when we take it in our hands carelessly. Same with life, we take life so easily that we tend to ignore the problems in life. Had we viewed the rose flower in its totality, taking into accounts its beauty as well its thorns, and had handled it carefully holding its stem properly, we could have enjoyed its beauty and at the same time escaped the pain of its thorns’ prick. Similarly if we take life seriously, and not ignore its problems and take into account the fact that problems and happiness are part and parcel of life and they just need to be handled properly. So now coming back to your problem all I can say is remove your guilt from yourself as you have just loved and that is no SIN my dear. Your father also loves you very much, tell your heart to him sincerely and he shall understand. Give him his time as he will be parting with his life’s savings.”

Mary: “Thank you very much Father, I shall remember your words. You have lightened my burden. Thank you so much Father.”

Father John gave a sweet smile and left from there.

A new and transformed Mary left the premises of the Saint Anthony’s Church that day. She was beaming with joy as she had learnt so many things today. Indeed problems and happiness are always present and we just need to handle it properly. Hold the stem at the proper place, enjoy the beauty and escape the thorns.

Bitterness - A form of Love?

All the characters referred to in the below blog are fictitious and bear no resemblance with anyone living or dead whatsoever. Any co-incidence is purely co-incidental and unintentional.

Tring Tring!!!!

Jignesh calling. Jahnavi’s heart always skipped a beat seeing Jignesh’s name on the calling screen of her mobile. And Jignesh would never miss any of her calls even if it meant to stop his bike while and attend to the call, or even an SMS. Were they laying more importance on each other than needed? No, absolutely not, both of them needed this importance, though they always maintained a stand contrary to this to each other. Do not give me so much of importance. Gathering herself, she picked up the call.

Jahnavi: “Hello!!!”

The words spelled magic and poured honey into Jignesh’s ears. It was like an oasis in a desert.
Jignesh: “Hi, what’s up?”
Jahnavi: “Nothing, I am in office.”
Jignesh: “Can we meet in the evening?”
Jahnavi: “Ummm, ok.”

Jignesh had been mustering courage for the meeting since the past few days. How on earth is he going to tell this to Jahnavi that they will not be meeting after today, probably not or at least they are not going to talk on phone. They will be buddies, but buddies that’s it, might be chatting, blogging and commenting on each other’s posts. It was not all happy in Jignesh’s family about his getting close to a non-Gujarati girl, so he had to take a decision. Either tell his family that he cannot give up on Jahnavi and lose all credibility or tell Jahnavi to sever ties with him forever so that there are no problems in his family. But Jignesh has been known to find alternative and un-thought of solutions to serious problems. He knew Jahnavi would understand him, and support him. He was waiting for her in the corridor, thinking about how to put his thoughts across, just when he saw the hurried steps of Jahnavi racing towards him.

Jahnavi: “Hi, how are you? How was the day?”
Jignesh: “I am fine. The day was fine. How was yours?”
Jahnavi: “Hmm it was OK types. So tell me, what is it? your breath sounded a bit tensed.”
Jignesh: “Yeah…. actually, just wanted to ask you….”

Words were playing games with Jignesh, or was he trying to play some games. Jahnavi was petrified knowing that still Jignesh needed to think before speaking to her. Though she fought off her irritation, and put it straight across to him, as she knew it had to be only one matter.

Jahnavi: “Everything’s fine at home I guess?”

Jignesh was almost taken aback, Can she read my thoughts, telepathy!!!. The thought was both a boon and a bane for him. Boon as half of the work was done, she knew the matter at least, it will be easy to carry over from here, but the bane part of it was more perilous as it highlighted how close they were emotionally, mentally, spiritually and it will be all the more difficult for them to increase distances. But who said Life is easy. He had to carry on and so was the case with Jahnavi as well. She had a tougher life he thought. He had always thought this.

Jignesh: “No, not everything is fine. Actually that’s why I called you to say, we might not be able to continue the way we have been going. We need to increase distances, if you want me to put it straight.”
Jahnavi: “Hmm I can understand Jignesh. I had been fearing this day will come soon. Good that it came while I was unprepared, otherwise you know the fears of a lurking danger are more fatal. It is OK….”

She almost fought her tears, damn it. Do not pour out now, I will grant you a more private moment, she seemed to be telling to her tears. This time they obeyed.

Even Jignesh was no less aware of the mental condition of Jahnavi. He also thanked her tears, otherwise it would have been more difficult. He took control of the situation, using Jahnavi’s words to console her.

Jignesh: “I will not call this just love as it limits our relationship and this is what we don’t want to do. You only told me that ours is a complete relation which covers all aspects of a relation between not just a male and a female but between two individuals. And is it some kind of a rule or what, that whenever there’s Love between an unrelated male / female it has to have a romantic angle. I do not have any qualms saying that Love exists although there exists no logical explanation to justify its existence. And in the absence of such an explanation, society just picks up the easiest one, ROMANCE, huh?”

Both of them were surprised at the flow of words coming from Jignesh. Jahnavi had at least not expected this. But Jignesh had more to say. He continued. Jahnavi listened, awestruck.

Jignesh: “The easiest way for this is Bitterness, Jahnavi. If I start getting bitter with you, things can be easier, right? But the saddest part is that even our bitterness for each other is nothing but another manifestation of our love for each other. Life has been such that we are better off handling bitterness, so by being bitter to each other we are just helping the other person cope with the situation. Making life easy for the other person. Paving a way to generate strength for the other person. Is it not our love for each other? To me it is, and staying away is also a form of LOVE. We are burning ourselves as fuels to lighten each others lives. What purer form of LOVE other than this can exist Jahnavi tell me?”

Jahnavi had drifted to a different world. She was in total awe of this person standing in front of her and was rendered speechless by his views. She started respecting him all the more, not only because he used her views to explain himself, but also because Jignesh had acknowledged this relation with the emotion of LOVE. He could use this name, as normally men have a problem with this word. But Jignesh was unique and Jahnavi was proud of him. But she was not able to express her pride for him as it will make him weak and she did not want this to happen. Here again she was applying Jignesh’s principle only, Paving a way to generate strength for the other person.

Jahnavi: “Are you done with your lecture. Actually there’s no need for all this. You could have simply told me, ‘GO AWAY’ I would have happily deserted you. I am getting late. Thanks for everything so far.”

Jahnavi left from there. She wanted to compete with her tears. They should not step out before she steps in her room. Jignesh kept watching her till he could. All he could do is pass a smile, thinking at the tepidity with which Jahnavi had applied his thoughts to practicality. Indeed bitterness is the best and hitherto unexplored form of LOVE. Make the life of your beloved a little bit easier without you, when you know, the current logistics do not allow you to be together.

Understanding - A Vice or a Virtue?

All the characters referred to in the below blog are fictitious and bear no resemblance with anyone living or dead whatsoever. Any co-incidence is purely co-incidental and unintentional.

Scenario 1:
Viru : “Mummy why can’t I get that toy!!!”
Mummy : “Let your little sis play with beta, UNDERSTAND na she is fond of it!!!!”
Viru : “OK”.

Scenario 2:
Some years later……
Viru : “Darling get ready fast we’re getting late”
Darling : “Uff ho jaan just 5 minutes. I am going out with my hubby, UNDERSTAND na”.
Viru : “OK”.

Scenario 3:
Some more years later…..
Viru : “Darling aaj khaane mein suji ka halwa banana.”
Darling : “Uff ho jaan kitna kaam hain, abhi munni ke liye milk-cake bhi banana hain, Kal bana doongi. Please bura mat maano. UNDERSTAND na baba”
Viru : “OK”.

Scenario 4:
Viru with his friends, on a Friday evening.
Viru : “Let’s go for a movie, folks.”
Ishu : “No yaar I feel more like going for a beer, you know I just love it J”
Viru : “OK let’s go for a beer, I UNDERSTAND”

And so on the list was endless for occasions when Viru went on UNDERSTANDING. Understanding that the toy he was longing for was probably more needed by his little sis whom he loved so much and wanted her to be happy at any cost. So he stopped longing for that toy. Understanding that his wife needed time to do proper justice to her make-up kit and her appearance, so what he wanted to spend those extra 10 minutes with her before going for the boring party, but he understood his wife’s concern and let his wish forego. Understanding that her wife had to look after so many people, he set aside his wish to cherish his favorite delicacy Suji ka Halwa, so what it had been years since he had it, and had thought about it a million times before asking his wife to prepare it for him. Again here understanding the situation he added one more unsung sacrifice to his disregarded and grossly unnoticed credit. Although he too likes sipping beer in a while, but on that Friday a thriller had released, he’d been following the trailers of which closely and had waited with abetted breadth for its release, so he wanted to watch that movie. But of course he also understood (once again!!!) that Ishu was finding the idea of a beer more entertaining so Viru was left with no choice but to UNDERSTAND and he did that only.

Its not the story of Viru only but of numerous people like him, whom I would prefer to call UNSUNG HEROES. So does it appear that Viru’s sense of UNDERSTANDING was proving more like a vice to him and other people’s immaturity had proved a virtue? Apparently YES.

But let’s just see what happens if Viru was not so UNDERSTANDING.

Scenario 1:
Viru : “Mummy why can’t I get that toy!!!”
Mummy : “Let your little sis play with beta, UNDERSTAND na she is fond of it!!!!”
Viru : “No I don’t know anything, I just want it, and I’ll take it from her or else I am not going to school anymore. I will also watch that channel on TV you always forbid me from watching. I will also tell Dad that you visited Monica aunt’s place despite his despises for that female.”
Mummy : “OK OK baba don’t eat my ears sitting on my shoulders, have this toy. Come baby you play with it later, ok??”
Baby, obviously oblivious to the gravity of the situation, cries hysterically, but Viru GOT what he wanted.

Scenario 2:
Viru : “Darling get ready fast we’re getting late”
Darling : “Uff ho jaan just 5 minutes. I am going out with my hubby, UNDERSTAND na”.
Viru : “Why on earth you need to spend so much time on your make up, rather than that we can spend that time together? What the hell we are going to do in that goddamn party for which you are spending so much time”
Darling : “Ok fine, fine stop bragging, we are leaving.”
She stopped her make-up in between albeit upset with Viru’s constant nagging, but Viru GOT what he wanted.

Scenario 3:
Viru : “Darling aaj khaane mein suji ka halwa banana.”
Darling : “Uff ho jaan kitna kaam hain, abhi munni ke liye milk-cake bhi banana hain, Kal bana doongi. Please bura mat maano. UNDERSTAND na baba”
Viru : “Yaar itne dinon baad to halwa khaane ka mann hua hain munni ka doodh garam kar ke halwa bana dena. Kaam to hum bhi dher saara karte hain office mein, aaj tak to shikayat nahi kari. Humein bhi manager kai baar kehta hain yaar zara lage haath yeh bhi kar dena. Kya kahoo usse, ‘Kitna kaam hai Sir jee?’ Bahaane banane main sab expert hain. Kal to hum waise hi baahar ja rahe hain”
Darling : “Theek hain baba bana doongi, dheeraj dharo zara, uff ho saara doodh ubal gaya L”
Munni had to wait for some more time for her milk cake, and her mother also had a tough time trying to handle the extra load, but Viru GOT what he wanted, his Suji ka Halwa.

Scenario 4:
Viru : “Let’s go for a movie, folks.”
Ishu : “No yaar I feel more like going for a beer, you know I just love it J”
Viru : “Yaar its almost every Friday we go for beer, but I have been waiting for this movie for quite some time and nothing like going for this movie on the first Friday evening. Weekend will be busy and by next week we will already have the reviews and story out.”
Ishu : “Tickets will be a difficulty today.”
Viru : “We’ll get it in black”
And so here they bought the movie tickets at double the price for the same movie that could have been watched at normal price with some patience. But Viru was insistent, non UNDERSTANDING and he GOT what he wanted.

So it all depends on the importance you lay to your own wishes and aspirations over your loved ones’ and you can develop your own sense of UNDERSTANDING. Keep UNDERSTANDING and keep paying prices. Or else stop being UNDERSTANDING and others will pay those. The choice is yours!!!