Let us walk
The moon is the sun’s mind
in perpetual separation
causing death, destruction
is one interpretation;
the moon is the sun’s presence
in inseparable union of light
breeding life is another;
In this world, there’d be
rambling of words, thoughts,
the sun and the moon
have merged as one,
the mind of the players
here with me
readers who’d pass by the text
also audience separate as parts
but in unison
like companion stars.
A recount of an ordinary walk
on a Sunday afternoon
of a mother and a child;
where I am also a reader;
in a while
float around
in the mind of the text
my role everywhere
talking, thinking with words
about words
all over the place
with numbers
shaking the on-going slumber
we'd walk around
in unions, in separations
of thoughts and minds
nestling, nursing the Thought
since a long time.
An extra-ordinary state
has suddenly become real;
it has come out of the words
and minds of countless souls,
walking into the meadows, wandering in the oceans
meandering in every blade of grass;
playing their roles
this state as become trivial
our coveted ordinary lives
peaceful, above everything else;
with my mind, your mind, our mind
let’s walk...
Mom: Taxi!
Driver: Good afternoon Madam. (Looking at the child)... good
afternoon sweetheart... (Ushers them in)
Mom and Child: Good afternoon Sir!
Driver: Where to Madam
Mom: The Museum
Driver: Very well... here we go.
The taxi sails through the road. On one side is the vast
orchard of fruits hanging on the nourished trees and on the other an endless
paddy field with long, golden, dancing grasses; the sky on top is blue,
relaxed.
Child: (smiling)... Thank you Mom...it’s going to help me
for my project work. I am really looking forward to it. (Mom smiles)
Driver: Here we are Madam. Here sweetheart...a mango for
you.
Mom: Thank you Sir. (pays and alights. The child smiles.).
(to the child) Come... (takes the child and goes to the counter. Two options:
Hunter and War. Mom takes both)
The place is not so crowded...it’s just an ordinary museum.
Mom: Do you know we have this kind of museum in the capital
city of every country?
Child: Yes, teacher told us.
Mom: Come let’s go to the Hunter section first.
The section hosts animals that were hunted the most, viz.
tigers, lions, leopards, wild boars, snakes, and so on. It also has names of
hunters.
After spending two hours at the hunter section.
Child: Mom, I think people were
sick in those days. Imagine killing animals for a living! And to think that
hunting was a profession back in those days! I think the world should name this
a hunter zoo or a war zoo or something?
Mom: Yes hunting was a profession
once upon a time. But don’t say people were sick in those days, no unkind words
please... judging is back-dated and primitive, don’t you know? It is best to be
known as a museum, the concept of zoo is unkind too, don’t you think? They were
also good people, very well-meaning people, but their mind was elsewhere and
they were insecure. That’s all. Besides, it is the same Intelligence, the same
Leaders, and the same Peoples that have made this world also possible.
Child: I am sorry mom. I think I am done here.
Mom: Never mind my child. Let’s go to the War section now.
The child walks through the rooms
and sees weapons, weapons, and more of weapons all over the place. He was
reading from the friendly fonts in red that in those days humans would kill
humans with weapons; displayed with a ‘do not touch’ tag. They were invented by
very intelligent and well-meaning people, when countries would flaunt weapons
to belittle or scare other countries... he was reading... about the waste of
money, wealth... these weapons were invented, created and marketed, weapons for
mass destruction, but they were not used... his mind did not understand the
purpose behind inventing something, investing time, space and money on
something that couldn’t be used! But the intention was noble... these weapons
were invented for self-defense. When he shared his thoughts with his Mom, she
said it was easy for him to think this way, but there was a time when children
would shoot children too. That now, it’s become so easy and mundane and
ordinary not to use weapons, to function without the use of a single weapon
now. Even earlier, when people would hunt animals, hunters were really sought
after... no one could even think of doing without them, but it happened. In the
War section, there’s an Army section too.
He goes and learns that there
were people who were trained only to kill other human beings. They were
dedicated people, but their sole purpose was to kill, the objective was very
noble...they would kill to protect. The
child asked his mom, why was it noble to protect human beings from other human
beings, self-defense by human beings from human beings why, mom replied in the
same way, humans needed to protect from humans because the mind wasn't there,
not to say they were mindless, but mind was absent. So is this magic, a miracle
now, no it is not, replied the Mom, now the mind is there. I don't understand a
word of what you say, to this response of the child, the mom replied, you will
with experience, like me and your Pa. But these Army guys are now called Nature
guys...equally trained and built to fight calamities and force majeure... he
knows it because that’s his dream to be a Nature guy. There was also another
section called account section... the whole room was full of figures from 0 to
9... the child got lost in the losses the world went through. Immeasurable
amount of wealth.
Child: Mom, it doesn’t make sense. I have two questions.
Mom: Shoot. (Both look at each other and smile, then mom and
child say). Na na na na…say say
Child: I have a question. May I?
It’s almost evening. The sun is
becoming milder. Sky is sleepy. He’s out of the section now. Disturbed; like
those children who visited the concentration camp in Germany, who were trained
for years not to repeat. The child thinks... human beings would kill animals,
and human beings... enemies...and what is that...and why...how...it’s good that
he’s out of the section, but Mom told that people were good and very
well-meaning in those days too, it’s just that their mind was not with them.
Good that my mind is with me. But I have a question. Wait I am going to ask
this to Mom, who is looking tense now. First let’s have something to eat, he
thought.
They are out in the cafeteria. Mom bites a sandwich and asks
the child.
Child: Good, but I have a question.
Child: All... hunting, war, weapons, army...how did this
stop Mom
Mom: Nobody knows how...some say it’s because of the leaders
who were tired of their respective insecurities; some say it’s because of the
people who were tired of looking at each other’s reflections as enemies, some
say the world had suddenly become so poor that it couldn’t afford weapons any
more. There's also this story which says that Nature stopped co-operating with
people, and they were kind of forced into stopping wars. By nature I also mean
you know Gods and Goddesses... (they both laugh, because in this age humans
do not worship gods and goddesses, we have become them, so there's no need, they laugh again. Then Mom continues).
But the one that makes sense to me is the story that talks about a group of
people who took it on them to collect data, facts and figures on the amount of
fiscal losses the world has incurred, it seems the number they derived ran into
pages, adamantly trying to touch infinity (the child is nodding rapidly, approvingly). The group showed it to everyone and
it was from then that the shift had begun. You know infinity?
Child: Yes, I do, teacher taught us! What if the reason of
them becoming poor to afford wars were true?
Mom: What?
Child: The world is not poor anymore Mom.
Mom: Would that mean we’d have war again? I don’t think so,
we have become rich since ages now; wealth, prosperity, peace and security are
not just words, we are not threatened by people any more. People aren’t
essentially bad my child, they have never ever been bad, only their minds were
not with them. That’s all.
Child: But whatever it is...good riddance...but I have
another question, if you please
Child: Why was it proud to die for our country? Why would it
be proud to die Mom?
Mom: Same reason, my child. But now you know it is proud..
Mom and Child: ...to live for our country, (they both hug
each other, give a fiver)
Child: But Mom, I have another
question. Will this project of mine be better than the last one. I will not get
better grades then. Like Pa doesn't get better increment if he's unable to be
beat his own last performance. I am worried Mom.
Mom: Follow the guidelines. Give
more examples, get out of words, ride more on feelings and give your
non-judgemental views. That's all. Teacher will be proud enough to say that
this project is better than your last. Don't you know how offices work now?
Your Pa didn't do better than his last performance this year. But the
management found out many ways to give him better salary once they were
convinced on his sincere effort. It happens the same way in my office too. We have enough for everyone everywhere now. So
don't worry, but hey focus on how you can do your best. I am sure you will do
better.
Child: Mom please please tell me what are the ages, old
stone age, new stone age…
Mom: Ah no! We have two ages, the
war age and the peace age or the modern age, the one that is now for good. The
war age is sub-divided into three, viz. old stone age, new stone age and
pseudo-modern age; in the first two ages survival was the main focus, in the
pseudo-modern age, destruction became the focus, like I told you countries
would flaunt weapons, one would say look I have this, the other would say, I
also have this plus this. (Both of them started laughing, helplessly…suddenly)
Shh… o peace…stop stop (the child stops abruptly). I am sorry honey, it’s my
fault, but we shouldn’t laugh at these historical ages, for if we do, they will
come back. (They both say) O peace, let this laughing at the ages go away from
us. You will understand when you become a little experienced. (The child looks
weirdly at her, smiles)
Child: This, I have this plus
this, I have this plus this plus this!!! Oh so that's why pseudo-modern is it?
I will remember this this-this. But Mom, I have another question. Can you tell
me something more about the pseudo-modern age please? I would like to know why
wars stayed with us for such a long time.
Mom: Sure. It stayed with us for so long because we thought it was a good
thing. We applied war in everything we did. We were enslaved. From science and
technology to art and literature, there was this war going on in the name of
competition, outwitting people, putting them behind and so on. It was
considered as entertaining so it got its place in all forms of entertainment
too. You know there was a time, maybe in the beginning of that age, there’d be
people watching a man fight with an animal, say, a lion. In the end, either the
lion would get killed or the man. (The child is listening attentively). Later
animals got replaced with two men or two women in various sports called boxing,
wrestling and so on.
Child: No…and what would happen there?
Mom: They would fight, hit each other in every possible
places, would bleed in the middle of a vast audience clapping, and cheering to
hit more and more. Even in football matches, there would always be two teams on
war footing, breaking the bones of opponents (enemies), there would be
stretcher ready to escort them out, they would have terms like ‘retired hurt’.
So everywhere you saw wars, competitions, enemies, and this win-lose virus. It
was there in religion as well, like whose religion was best and whose was not. They
brought this mindset from the jungles where they had to kill each other to
survive.
Child: (in a low and soft, almost wet voice) Mom.
It’s okay. I
know why it stayed for so long. But now we have said so long to so long, isn't
it mom? (Mom hugged the child and nodded.) I know what you are going to say if I said any unkind word. They
were all very good people, but their mind was not with them. But I have one
last question.
Mom: Tell me.
Child: What's for supper?
Mom: Let’s get home first... we have to ask the grand kid
too...
Child: You bet! Or he could also be making us a grand
supper!
The taxi walks through the
streets, taking the two passengers, who are now pensive and looking out the
window, what is the mother thinking... that mothers of the world would never
have to give birth to a child who’d cause terror or be terrorized... she did
not reveal one vital discovery that the whole world has made while doing away
with weapons...that toy-weapons far outnumbered real guns... she would bring her
child again to reveal the secret because she knows secrets create
insecurities...what is the child thinking... of the weapons...of the army... or
like his mom he is also thinking that no child would ever have to learn how to
kill people, or wait, he could also be thinking of how to be a nature guy...
they’re perhaps throwing many questions at the sky, still golden, to be silver
in a while.
Child: Mom! Look at the
Moon...it's rising!
Mom: It is sun's presence so..
Mom and Child: we are never kept
in the dark.
Dedicated to the mothers of all the 233 beautiful countries
of the world.
Note: When I look back and try to understand why I chose Africa, ‘The danger of a single story’ comes across as a strong reason. Please listen when you have the time by clicking Here
