Are we content with what we have as of now? Are our needs finite? Can we see some limits for wants? Let’s have a little story time before we answer.
I was on a walk down the lane towards the market, when I witnessed a sight.
An elderly man with a torn rug thrown around him as a shield from biting cold was seated on the steps of a shop building. The shop had not yet opened and he was relaxing outside, as if it was his own palace. The little mat, a long bag and a smile were all he seemed to have.
He was stretching his legs, humming to himself, lost in his own world. He had transitioned to a different zone. His day had begun to take off. Slowly, he took out two packets of biscuits from his bag and got started on one of them. That was when his canine pal, Punnu, came over. (He was addressing the dog thus, not sure of the name.) It asked neither for the biscuits nor for any pampering. All it did was just sit beside the man, looking down with those puppy eyes.
I just stood watching this scene.
The man then held Punnu close to himself, wrapped the rug partially around it and in the local language exclaimed, “I have grown strong over the years, I can bear this hard cold, but you cannot! But maybe you will take inspiration from me and become like this old man, someday, oh my successor.”
Later he shared some biscuits with Punnu and was happily singing as the dog happily wagged its tail.
Suddenly one of the man’s slippers fell on to the road. I guess he had only one pair. There was panic, to go retrieve them quickly. I thought I would go ahead and get them for him, but to my amazement Punnu ran across and got them, without being told to do so. He knew it was his turn to show love.
The man then exclaimed, “Take good care of all my properties this way, my lad!”
A moment of truth, it struck me. True love and affection still exist on earth. The man himself did not have enough food to check the growl of his stomach, but he went on to share the little he had with the animal, which in turn understood the man’s need without even being told. He took care of the dog like his own child! He didn’t have much, but he still had so much contentment within himself and an even bigger smile on his face.
Upwards all the time
Most people, on the other hand, complain of something or the other that they do not possess. There is always a want for more and more and much more. Plotted on a graph, needs will always show an upward climb.
Most of us have forgotten how it is to have a big, wide smile, a natural one which comes from deep within. Often it is either a fake smile or a forced one. At the back of our mind a thought process is always on about fulfilling our never-ending wants.
So, are we content with what we have as of today? I guess most of us will give the answer, no! Given the chance of choosing between contentment with peace in life and grabbing loads of newly released offers, most of us would choose the latter.
Do our needs have an end? I guess the infinity symbol suits best here. Can we see some limits for the wants, at least farther away in time? It is more like a joke for most of us. We collect things more than memories, as if we all are immortal.
This should change, at least gradually, maybe one small step at a time.
Realisation of true contentment lies in the fact that it all resides within the small pleasures and joys of life, like a deep slumber, being able to read your favourite novel as you sip a hot cup of coffee, a random dance as you listen to your favourite lines, laughing with your family and loved ones, a sudden travel plan ...
All we’ve got to do is to try keeping a foot forward toward this. The results will be impeccable! None of us can behold the future, so let us not be a part of the mad race to nowhere! Make moments, make life worth living.
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