A couple of days ago, i witnessed a daring act. As usual, i was in a bus (many of my adventures, whether they are predetermined or co-incidental, happen when i am travelling on a bus or in a bus for a reason not under the perspicacity of mine), sitting juxtaposed with the driver and very close to the windscreen. As the bus was pacing at around fifty kilometres per hour, on the hot tarmac, a strange movement was spotted in the middle of the road, some three hundred metres from where the bus was, and in front of it. A turtle (surely not a tortoise, as there were water bodies on either side of the road) was in the middle of the road practicing jay-walking from the right of the bus to the other side. It was pensive as it took a lot of time to move its transporting tentacles. On the opposite, as contra-flow, a truck was pacing at a steady pace. The driver of my bus saw the movement and avoided the tyres of the bus trampling over the turtle. I also saw in the rear view mirror on driver's side that the contra flowing truck also showed munificence. The driver commented that no driver would run over such creatures. I quipped that only when they had seen the turtle, as it was very tiny and its movement was slow, there was a possibility of not seeing it.
That made me stumble on something. I never gave much thought over watching my foot movement as i walked. Once accidentaly, i watched where i put my foot. To my surprise, i found several tiny creatures using the path to tread as well. I found millipedes crossing, ants scuttling and gastropods slithering past. Then i started wondering about their courage, in a world of formidable marauders, though the marauders did not eat them, they caused peril to them inadvertently. Could the turtle make it to the other side? I do not know. It is possible. Once i thought of preventing my friend from stepping over an ant scurrying past before us. I checked myself to see what would happen, as my friend who was looking at me while walking with me, while i was looking down on the earth. His step did just miss the ant and it continued its journey unhurt, as my friend, who was unaware of his escape from a kind of grave sin, ambled with me enthusiastically narrating an incident. I learnt through these things that there would not be necessary in the world any kind of watch-over on anything. Things happen as per planning, that is, if there is any such planning.
Then a worm now a turtle. life each moment has to be lived consciously-any small negligent step might lead to death. Is that so ? now what about people who can be nothing else but destructive ? assuming that there is any divine plan behind all that happens i feel is self deception. On the contrary if everything is accidental, things really don't work and the moral, intellectual heights reached by humanity simply disappear into nothingness. Not getting into any kind of debate simply living the moment to the fullest I feel is the real challenge and that makes life so interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat is the very thing i am not sure about. Does life require a balance between moral and immoral acts or any such poised approach? I sincerely declare that i do not know. Through these conscious attempts of writing about the un-understandable, i try to find answers. Thanks for making valuable comments.
ReplyDeleteWell, well that's the point! where we hit upon something which simply doesn't lie within our understanding after consciously trying to find the answers (as you do) we start living in a different way where ethics means living a conscious intelligent life where your very being is your guide. It not only requires courage but also the innocence that a child possesses naturally. Mr. Bala only stupid people are sure about things; if you are a little alert you can see that our thinking has got a lot of loopholes and the so called rationalizing has some superstition as its starting point and our thinking never touches reality. What you are doing is a kind of meditation and hope one day you have a glimpse of what is (or perhaps you already have had!)
ReplyDeleteA Maha veera in the making! Do you know that jains are conscious of not harming the tiniest of creatures?
ReplyDeleteDear Raji, you might have read my article about vegetarianism. It means that i know about jains. However i do not know whether it is a Mahaveera in the making or not.
ReplyDeleteThanks Madam Hema for a fine critique on life.
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