Back again after some gap since my last blogpost. Had been away on vacation, meeting people, doing things, understanding life and pondering over its events and changes.
Life is never still. If it were so we would have destroyed ourselves with boredom and monotony. Changes, ups and downs, incidents, surprises, disappointments are all part of life. Afterall it is life...it should be lively, right?
Travel has always been a great way to learn things. It lifts you up from one stationary position where similar things are happening almost each day and sets you free to explore the various possibilities in life. The journey is everything from exciting, adventurous, tiring, uncomfortable to relaxing, enlightening and educating.
When you step out from your usual setting in life and enter into the world of journeying and traveling, you realize that you have a great deal to learn at your disposal. You find new scenarios, you meet people different than your own culture, you find differences in food choices, you explore the talent and expertise of so many unsung artistes who make things in their tiny homes and they make way upto airports and dutyfree shops, selling in good prices. I wonder how much share reaches those who are actually behind those beautifully spun clothes and extraordinary works of handicraft!
When you reach your destination, you land in a completely different setup. You find so many things unsual and strange and you tend to keep wondering and enjoying your much awaited displacement!
This change of place is much needed to break the months long monotonous life of work, school or homemaking for everyone from men, women to children.
If one is going to meet her relatives in the hometown the feel has added excitement. The anticipation of rediscovering all those things from the memory lane, enjoying all the food that is staple at that place, meeting old friends and relatives and visiting favourite places.
One more important thing that one experiences and learns well during a vacation is the art of meeting and dealing with people. People of all kinds. People with different tastes, moods, choices, opinions and feelings. It is like you are meeting a rainbow with amazing colours. Although the rainbow also has some colours that you would not rate as your favourite colours, yet you like the idea of a rainbow. Similarly, you might not like all the traits that you find in people and it might be the same with them regarding you but still...you keep company with them, learn to handle them, try to be at peace with all kinds of people that you come across. This is not being timid or surrendering to anyone. This is empathy. I would not like to call it tolerance, but patience it is.
Interestingly, the annual pilgrimage of Muslims is one of the greatest examples of journeying and traveling to a different country and meeting an amazing variety of people. People come for Hajj from all around the globe, so you can imagine the diversity! Yet, Hajj is a symbol of unity and harmony. Hajj is not accepted if you do not show patience with each other. If someone completes all the rituals and fights and abuses others, he has not fulfilled the duty of this great act of worship. Through Hajj people learn to act humbly, eat moderately, tire physically, behave intelligently and deal with others patiently.
Hajj is a once in a lifetime journey but for some fortunate ones it becomes a lifelong experience of change for good.
I was talking about people who seem to me like rainbows. All colours and shades of emotions and behaviour are there around you. Some colours are your favourite and so they reflect you well. Some you do not take fancy to but still they are around as being part of the rainbow, so you can not do away with them. Imagine a rainbow with just one colour...it will not look attractive at all. Your home environment and your social circle looks exciting just because of the different shades and colours it has, of people of course.
Therefore, my dear readers, even if you do not like or approve of some people or their behaviours, do not give up on them. Enjoy them like you enjoy a rainbow behind the clouds in the vast sky. The colours are all there yet you like it...you do not want to take out any colour of your choice from it and say, "I like this rainbow but without such and such colour."!
Also if we imagine a house where everyone has the same taste, the same liking, the same behaviour and everything in harmony then where is the excitement? Where is the arena to practice your precious quality of patience?
Love the rainbow with all its colours.
Life will show you many shades, try to enjoy each.
