On Expectations

On Expectations

After the Prophet left with his sails all high, they wrote to Sophia. She with her daily routine opened the mail box, picked one letter and opened it to read. It read

“Dear Sophia, Tell us about ‘expectations’?

And she looked at the question and smiled to herself recalling the moments when the people she knew did not return something when it was expected and when people whom least expected from gifted her some 'things’ totally out of surprize 

She didn’t really have a definite answer for this one. All she had were experiences. But were they enough to make a generalization. Was generalization at all needed? What about individual differences, she thought? 

Sure, Greek Philosophy tells us that Sophia was the wisest of all, but she was in her young years, trying to make out from life, from people, from relationships what expectations meant, in which way and what did they in turn do to us when fulfilled and when not fulfilled?

Of course, she was wise enough to go beyond the usual answer of feeling beautiful and content when they were fulfilled, and being ‘inevitably’ hurt when they were not!

But something made her curious. Why was the word ‘inevitable’ there? At all? Did that mean expectations were never meant to be fulfilled? Or if they were fulfilled, was that a matter of chance? Well, if we take the latter probability, they getting fulfilled as a matter of chance, then were any relationships ‘true’ in the real sense of the word. Sure the word ‘true’ is problematic in its sense, but she wasn’t ready to accept that every single human relationship could be SELL-FISH!! ??

Well, what about Love then? Was it a true enough emotion to exist? Yes, she thought to herself at least that was something she would have wanted to believe in! She thought again. “Sure, hearts fluttered like butterflies, and yes they crashed harder than crystal too, then if relationships were to be formed, then wouldn’t there be expectations too?”

The rest she left for the people to think, for there was no definite answer. Some believed some didn’t. But could someone ever, ever be so giving? Never to expect anything in return?

PS: The beginning of this post has been inspired by Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet". It's a must read for everyone! You can find it online as well! 

My Gratitude to….Kahlil Gibran

My Gratitude to….Kahlil Gibran

Many of you have heard Kahlil Gibran's name and know him for his quotes. But there is a lot more beyond his quotes. Thanks to my college offering me with their “whatever” share of readings, I got tired and picked up The Collected Works of Kahlil Gibran from my cupboard.

I browsed through the index and reached for his book “The Madman” and began reading through them. One after another, I swiftly turned the pages. He touched me right where my soul rested. It was as if he knew the pain that was there inside, trying to fade away, and he through his poetry and proses, led me silently on my very own way..

He writes in “My Friend”:

“ Thou canst not understand my seafaring thoughts, nor would I have thee understand. I would be at sea alone….

When it is day with thee, my friend, it is night with me; yet even then I speak of the noontide that dances upon the hills and of the purple shadow that steals its way across the valley; for thou canst not hear the songs of my darkness nor see my wings beating against the stars -- and I fain would not have thee hear or see. I would be with night alone.”

Yes..his lines touched me, for I felt how my best friend would hide away her pain, sorrow from me, as I took her for granted, not knowing that she too had her own share of emotions and experiences she underwent.

I have been reading him past 3 days and he has come to be this invisible and standing strong like rock companion for me. And it feels great to have fallen in love with him.
I have a lot to say, and my appreciation for him is ineffable. All I’ll do is leave you with a story of his from his most famous book “The Prophet”:

Then a woman said, "Speak  to us of Joy and Sorrow."

And he answered:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."

But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall".

PS: After having read through philosophers like Plato, Descartes, Kant, Socrates....Gibran is one philosopher, painter, poet who touches me immensely, for the way he writes honestly, yet simply, revealing the 'truths of life' that which we all know, but perhaps never reflected through! Thank you Gibran for penning down your beautiful thoughts!:)