THE BOULDER AND THE HEAD-BUTT































If you are asking me to define my Life by a single stroke – say, how I feel right now, then, you are asking me to commit a huge blunder!


Friend, this moment need not define my life… this one single stroke.  For, however ecstatic or horrific this moment might seem, it can not define my whole life. Like a sneeze, it is there in my life, at this moment. But, sneeze is not my life… What about the thousand laughters or winks?


The Football Word-Cup final, 2006 comes to my mind. France vs. Italy. Zenedine Zedane, the sage-like French Captain, was to retire in a few moments. It was supposed to be a very emotional, very poignant moment for him, France, and his billion fans, like me... We were waiting for a happy ending. But, what happened was not very happy… far from it. Just in the spur of the moment… in front of a billon viewers and a packed stadium… provoked by something very offending mouthed by the Italian defender, Marco Materrazi, Zedane lost his cool… He went charging like an angry bull… and, lo! It flattened the Italian to the ground…!  Yes, by that one, single head-butt – which, the world now calls ‘the Legend’s moment of Madness’! 


The Red Card was out… Zedane was out… France was out… The world plunged into a gloom!





   



Where is my hero, Zedane, now? 


His life over? Ruined?


Can this one blunder – one moment of madness – define who Zedane was?


Hello, Zedane is much more than that nasty head-butt!


I always find an incredible amount of comfort every time I think of this unfortunate scene. 


Within days, the French President had invited Zedane to his palace and honored this great soccer legend… The honor was not showered upon Zedane for his one bloody-mistake, but for a thousand other brilliant feats of this genius! 




That’s how Life is… 


That how God treats… 


That is how our faith and hope should be…




Agreed… Life is made of series of moments - happy and sad, enriching and degrading… memorable and forgettable. But, just because this moment looks like a hopeless, dark tunnel, it doesn’t mean there is nothing beyond the tunnel… 


There is… There is… There is light. There is life.



And, why am I saying all this, today? What is prompting me?

I saw this spontaneous FB status of one of my dear, dear friends, this morning:
 “Cheap, short-sighted, petty, immature, trivial, edgy, control-freaks, hateful, insecure, calculative, misers, fakes, assumptous, egoistics…”

I was the first one to respond… and, I did not even blink before I wrote this:

“It is okay... It is okay... It is okay... It is okay... It is okay... It is okay... It is okay... It is okay… It is okay… It is okay… It is okay… It is okay…It is okay…  My friend, it is really okay... Life is still a gift... still beautiful! Take care, dear. Love.”



So, here we are. Something very provoking, very nasty, very hurting, very painful must have prompted by dear friend to go charging on Life with this ‘head-butt’. I can sense that… I can empathize…

Still, I want to urge my friend, and all of you: Do not let this ‘one’ moment define your entire life… however bright or bleak it may appear to be.

Milind, another friend of mine, too, had posted this picture with the quiz: “Name the location.”










Look at the kid who is sitting right below this… Look how many people are standing a little away! What if this giant of a boulder comes rolling down?

No, it won’t!!!!

That’s Life… That’s God… and, that’s our daily prayer and hope… Yes, yes, even though…



GERALD D’CUNHA 

Pics.: 1. Vivek D'Cunha

         2. You Tube
          
         3. FB friends/Internet











 


Th






Comments

Heena Desai said…
Remarkable post Gerry. very stimulating. Thanks you. Heena Desai
October 2, 2012 at 1:43 PM
Seema Khitani said…
Full of punch; a real head-butt!
- Seema
October 2, 2012 at 2:27 PM
Anonymous said…
loved the connections you have made, amazing stuff! Keep it up.
... Nagesh
October 2, 2012 at 2:48 PM
Tarun Joshi said…
I remember going numb when I had seen that head-butt that night! Now, you again sent me numb! Thanks for inspiring!! Tarun
October 2, 2012 at 3:27 PM
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