The Love Beyond..

One morning I walked into a National Park. I could see a small fragile flower behind a rock, shy but curious and trying to peep from her hiding place. I hesitantly went towards her and sat next to her. After quite some time I asked her if she wanted to say something. She collected herself and said that she wanted to confide, confess something. Then she shyly whispered that she was in love.

**

I told her that she didn’t have to say that since it was quite evident from her face that she was in love. She blushed and her color brightened even more. She softly uttered, “I wish this stays forever…” In my head I said, “It doesn’t stay forever.” But I simply uttered a “Hmm.” She sensed my cynicism perhaps and asked what I meant by that. She asked me if I doubted the love will stay forever. I didn’t have the heart to dishearten her so I said, “No, I wish it remains forever.”

**

She smiled dreamily. I walked further. Hardly had I walked a few steps then I heard an “ouch!” from below somewhere. I stepped back and wondered who had uttered that. I realized it was a pebble. I said, “O! I am sorry but…. are you..a living thing… I mean a living pebble?” He said, “What do you mean? Of course, I am living and how can you make such a derogatory assumption about me? All pebbles live. I am offended.” He continued, ““What if I said something like that about your kind? What if I said most humans are alive?” I quite agreed and so I said, “Ya, I think you are quite right. I agree with you. Most of us are dead.” He had a strange look on his face and he seemed to be at loss of words. He said, “You are weird. You don’t seem to be very fond of your species.Now take care before you step on any other pebble, alright?”

**

I moved away cautiously, extremely alert and aware about each step I took. Then I was lost in thinking. I thought… it was a strange day to have met unusual companions. Then I felt asleep perhaps and I guess I dreamt…that the flower and the pebble were in love with each other. They had
started identifying themselves with each other. That often happens in love. We get identified, see ourselves in others. Perhaps the pebble saw itself as living because it was sensitized to life and love because of the fragile flower. Perhaps the flower had forgotten that her life was transient and short lived. She had forgotten that springs are only fleeting. A part of me said to the flower, “Look, life is short lived. Don’t waste your time in love relationships. Move beyond it.”

**

A part of me  said to the pebble, “Don’t be blinded by the love of your life. It is the flower’s love that has given you life. But learn to see facts as facts. Pebbles do not breathe.” The moment I finished, the two mocked me. The pebble giggled and suppressing his laughter muttered to the flower, “Preachy.” I was hurt. I turned my back at them. The flower softly said to the pebble, “Let him blabber. He is an intellectual. He won’t understand the poetry of love.” I walked away. Alone. Hurt but reflective. I kept walking. Then I saw mist and only mist. I walked past it into an abyss where there was neither love nor intellect, where words lost their contours and no one claimed to know the Truth about life. Or Love.

**

Nilesh P Megnani is a professor of philosophy who teaches not just the academics of his subject but the purpose of it to his students. He writes whenever he feel inspired and believes life  is workable hypothesis and love, the elusive potion that might transform humanity Connect with on neelvijayalaxmi@gmail.com