One of the Books I had read in the recent past was Brida by Paulo Coelho, the story of a young girl's efforts to find her true calling and more importantly to unite with her soul mate. Though the book was not one of my best reads by any stretch, the author's vivid imagination and description, especially with regards to the existence of, search for and identification of one's soul mate left me with a lasting impression. An impression, which - along with a recent unexpected closeness, many conversations and now an expected yet sudden silence from someone - has me thinking... wondering.....
I don't consider myself a die hard romantic; neither am I a skeptic who strongly disputes the existence of anything I have not seen or experienced. I have not really given a thought to the existence of "soul mates" in more than a generic we-get-along -surprisingly - well OR our-wavelengths match-better-than-others kind of a way.
However, for a few weeks now, I have been wondering about how, among the hundreds of thousands of people we come across in our lives, it is just a few handful who leave a permanent mark in our heart and take a special place. No, I am not talking about the people we are destined to be born among - not our parents or siblings or the innumerable relatives. Not even our spouse or friends. But instead, those others with whom our paths cross in the long walk of life, maybe its called destiny.It may be someone we meet on a journey, in a party, at school or college, or even someone we may have met online while chatting - a complete stranger, developing a bond, a relationship that has no name, no definition. A chance meeting, a wonderful conversation, sometimes even a hope for a lasting friendship, sometimes knowing that we may never meet again......
Why does life ensure that we come across these people for such short durations and still remember them for ever?
Why have I felt so comfortable with someone, that in just one meeting, just an online conversation, I have been able to trust them with all my thoughts and secrets, been able to share my feelings?
Why has the connection been so strong and so quick that we seemed to understand all that was said, and even unsaid, found joy in discussing the most insignificant to the most important, feeling content and happy in this sharing, all the time knowing that we may never meet or even speak again?
Is this what is called destiny? Is this a kind of soul to soul connection that we keep renewed over various lives?
Is it some higher calling to teach me a new lesson or pass some message, to add a new shade to life, derived from that one meeting?
In fact, thinking back over some people who have come and gone, and some who have still remained in touch, I feel
I have learned the most in life from these strange nameless, undefined relationships. Among all the people surrounding me, who have claims on my time and attention, among relatives and friends whom I talk to and spend time with most part of the day, I still find myself wondering at times about those few, that I came across by mere chance, have spoken to a handful of times and now find myself dreaming, wondering if destiny shall ever cross our paths again...if we shall ever again speak...if I am even remembered the same way as I remember them...
As my life goes on on one side, these thoughts, these conversations seem to take up a parallel life, a different time from the one I live in, not part of this present but still a part...they feel surreal, like a soft breeze, a dream...
I wonder if such a comfort, the ease stems from the very fact that no compulsions or commitments are involved in these chance encounters. No expectations and responsibilities that come with all other defined, named and accepted relationships. Like the incident in my life right at this instance, people are free to walk away, travel places, not be obliged to leave as much as an offline 'hi', not make me feel as if I'm obliged to ask after their travels, and we go on to live the rest of our lives without any ties, guilt or hurt. All there is, is a surreal connection, a joy of having met, a hope of being remembered, a knowledge of the existence of a soul somewhere in this world that touched my soul and knows my presence. As described by Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist, in just missing each other we remain connected at some level and our hearts send and receive signals beyond normal modes of human comprehension. Or as maybe understood from 'Many Lives, Many Masters' (Dr. Brian Weiss), the people who come into our lives are a bunch of souls that have strongly connected in one life, and who keep coming together and crossing paths over further lives, thus sometimes forming close relations and ties and sometimes such unexpected quick connections that go beyond our comprehension.
I would like to once again emphasize that I am neither a believer nor a skeptic in matters relating to the spiritual, especially aspects of life, death, after life, souls etc...and this discussion is not about the existence or non existence of reincarnations and supernatural connections. Instead, it is just this recent unexpected presence followed by the expected absence, that made me sit back and wonder why I connected, understood, was best understood by and why I still remember some people and hold them special. Just the unknown regarding if I will ever speak with them again makes me touch upon all these subjects that have subconsciously stayed in memory from the time I have read these books.
So when I think of these people, who unknown to them, have become special to me in a world that exists apart from my more real world, I wonder if we are souls that have connected in other times, in other lives. If the surprising and quick closeness and trust are just a continuation of a stronger bond from some very very distance past. I wonder if my heart sends signals to theirs especially on a lonely rainy evening, just as it receive these signals in the form of these thoughts and memories, if we shall meet again in this life or if the souls shall bridge over further lives? If there is ever a definition to these relationships, to these feelings or is it the undefined that make them divine...
"Sunn rahi hoon sudh budh khokey, mein koi kahani
Poori kahaani hai kya, kisey hai pata....
Mein tho kisi ki hokey, yeh bhi na jaani
Ruth hai yeh do pal ki ab rahegi sada..
Jo barsey sapney boond boond, Nainon ko Moond Moond
Kaisey Mein Chaloo, Dekh na sakoo, Anjaan raastey"
Lines Borrowed from the song Iktara, Wake Up Sid.
No comments:
Post a Comment