I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she;
But, oh! the things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she;
But, oh! the things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.
No, these lines are not by me. Oh!!! If only they were!!!
These are by Robert Browning Hamilton and I came across them in Have a Little Faith.
And they got me thinking. Why is it that sorrow, pain or any tight situation teaches us so much while something that makes us happy simple doesn't? Sages write about it, learned people tell us to heed it - but it is always pain. Pain - the teacher, the crystal mirror reflecting truth, the fire that tempers steel - pain, always pain. Why could happiness not teach me the same? It lasted equal, if not longer, felt deep and at times really bought things into perspective. But it never said to me the things that pain did, that sorrow bought forth.... why? Why not Pleasure? Why not happiness?
Maybe it does. Maybe I don't heed it. Maybe then I am too busy enjoying.
Maybe I just wasn't listening....
What do you think?
Shalini,
ReplyDeleteThe lines by Robert Browning Hamilton as well as the thoughts that they triggered in you are equally beautiful.
As for your question, I feel that it boils down to loss and gain. We are happy when we gain something. However tough the effort you have put, you will not remember the path to it because you have got what you wanted or unexpectedly got something which you wanted or liked. Thats the favored end result. With loss, you either have lost something dear to you or failed in your attempt to get something which you have willingly/subconsciously wanted. Loss is just the way you try to replay the events what led to you losing what you held dear. Where did I go wrong, what could I have done better?
We dont have to cope with happiness but we have to with loss.So every loss is an experience which cant be explained, its an experience which you will remember time and time again in similar situations where you unknowingly try to prevent yourself from carrying the burden that comes with it. But yes, I feel that loss is a necessary anchor which will help you from going astray in charted waters.
Akshay, I really liked the way you have summarised the essence of my entire post in one word - "cope".
DeleteWe have to cope with loss, but not with happiness. With happiness, we do not have to explain or worry about what led to this. Maybe it was the thousand small things or the one gigantic leap. Whatever it was, let it be and let us enjoy the moment we have here. I believe it is this attitude due to which Happiness fails to teach us much.
With Sorrow or loss, on the other hand, we have to try and unravel the knot to figure out where was it that the error lay - the planning, the execution or in the thought itself? It is this never ending loop that actually teaches us the lessons, much more than the incidence itself.
In the end, it is all about how much you got and what all you to cope with.
Thanks :)