In this life we feel a storm of emotions. From love, happiness to hate, sadness, grief. The entire point of thriving for things is based on being happy, being successful, being loved. A person who has everything is desirable, their life is desirable, their being here is desirable. But is being happy is what drives us to be the humans that we should be? Is being happy the only driving force to become happy in the larger picture? It may all be sounding absurd and just a whirlpool of words. I have often noticed, it is not happiness that brings us together and close to people, but it is grief. And being together in grief is what brings a perspective, a state of mind, like nothing else.
Rajesh Khanna in the movie Bawarchi said “Happiness is like a flame which burns and extinguishes. But grief is like the incense sticks which burns for long and lets its aroma stay for even longer”.
We strive to remain happy so as not to be struck with grief. But most often it is grief that brings us together and brings happiness for the larger audience.
When things were going fine in the world, we talked about attacks between countries, cold wars, strategies. And now when we are struck with COVID-19 and the untimely death of so many innocent people, it is the grief that has brought out the entire community of humans, not Indians, Americans, Foreigners, Hindu, Muslim, Christian etc., but humans to fight against the virus and protect OUR community.
Things do look harsh today and they are, but these times have set us free, boundless. These times have shown that we are not just the most abundant specie in the world, but also the one which looks after each other the most, irrespective of being at eye distance to being distantly apart by land and ocean. We still share the same sky, and until that is not over we will always be each others and let this camaraderie be.
Aali Pant 