Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Give and Take

Whenever I wonder about the balance of life, I am quite simply nonplussed. If the basic assumption is you reap what you sow, then what or how much you give finally should equate out to what you get. Yet, that hardly seems to happen. You look around and see that absolute nitwits for whom the word 'bastard' was possibly designed get away by being lousy S-O-Bs while the inherently good and decent ones get the stick.

But this is not about them. It is about the countless times when you have given everything you had to people who have hardly ever stopped to glance at you and thank you for what you have done, and appreciating how much they mean to you and got nothing in return. So much so, that at one point you wonder where do you go from here. What else do you need to make them appreciate you and then you realize that whatever you do, it will not happen. For they are too oblivious of you, too consumed with their own considerations.

It hurts. And you are filled with a sense of wastage.

The other side of the coin is more interesting and more poignant. Many a time, while we are pursuing our set of interests, we commit the same error - an error of utter neglect towards the ones who have given us their love and undying attention. For those, your smile might be the most important thing they look forward to. Maybe, you do smile but not with them, but at them, at their all too apparent folly at the things they do to be with you. In short, you trivialize and insult their emotions. Yet, looking at it purely objectively, they are the ones who deserve you the most. And they are the ones who have been left high and dry.

So, how does this equate out ? Does this ever stop us from making the same mistakes again ? Does this make us more sensitive and teach us to appreciate love as and when we see and feel it ? The feeling of deja-vu is not one which is gratifying irrespective of which end of the spectrum you are at and in both cases, you should be more careful of losing out on the wonderful touch of love because of your inability to appreciate it.

7 comments:

Scribbler :) said...

It’s like that old classic tale of “find me a household where there is no death or sorrow”. If we can find a person who has always given his best to all those he has come across in his life… then we can perhaps figure out if he has got the same in return. Guess the answer is that, like life, this give and take is also unfair. Or perhaps it’s beyond human abilities to get the calculation absolutely right and therefore reap the benefits.

SRK said...

In case you have given me something and I haven't noticed, here goes: "Thank you"

snif snif...

spiderman! said...

Scribbler:

Beautifully put.

SRK:

Given you lots of shit and will give more. And with my kind of stomach you know that its absolutely possible !

Sourav said...

Believe in Gita ;-)

- "Nishkam Karma"
- "Reincarnation " (You will get your dues next...)

liveyourdreams said...

Did you write this in a moment of weakness? Perhaps some Howard Roark philosophy would put you up. Easy to say but still - happiness is to be found within.

spiderman! said...

Sourav:

I need it in this life, who has seen the next ?!

Liveyourdreams:

Yes, with each passing day I realize that it is true.

Anonymous said...

Um. So easy to feel sorrow for ourselves. So easy to judge others. A lifelong struggle, doesn't seem to get any easier for me as I age. I just keep watering my plants and hope they will grow.