THE TREES THAT GO BEHIND... AND THE CLOUDS THAT RUN ALONG











Pic.: Chetna Shetty
From where does our judging come?  Why does it give us that strange sense of power?
Some days ago, I happened to watch the video clip on one of the episodes of ‘Britain Got Talent’. This video was in circulation for weeks, and looking at the picture of that wrinkle-marred great-granny, I was not keen to watch it. Yes, my mind had already judged: “Too old to interest you. Leave her alone!” So, I obeyed my judging-mind and never bothered to watch it for weeks. Then, one day, I just clicked on it... and, behold, a real surprise was in store for me! “How soon we judge people?” Yes, this was the humbling voice I was hearing within my heart, now...

Video: YouTube

“If you keep judging others, you will have no time to love them.” These were Mother Theresa’s words. And, let me tell you this: Most of us keep judging others, so much, that we neither have any patience, nor any inclination or time to love them.
Judging gives us that strange sense of power over others... But, it is a false sense... Hollow... The kick which we receive by judging is shot-lived and it only ends up bringing a feeling of isolation within...
I remember an old story:
Once, a father and his 20-year-old son were travelling by a train. Looking out of the window of the speeding train, suddenly, the son shouted with excitement, “Dad, dad... see there... the trees are going behind!”
The father smiled at what his son had just said. But, the couple sitting next to their seat was irritated with it. “A 20-year-old is not supposed to scream like a little excited-child, for sure!” That’s was what they were thinking...
A few minutes later, the young-man, once again, jumped with even more excitement, “Dad, dad, see up there... the clouds are running along with us...Can you see? Can you see?”
The father gave his son even broader smile, looked out of the window and said, “Yes son, I can see!”
That was too much for the stranger couple. “Gentleman, why can’t you show your young- son to a good doctor?” they taunted.
“Friends, in fact, we are just coming back from the hospital,” the father explained to the couple, unmoved by what was being said, “My son was blind from his birth. The good doctor has just given him his sight!”
Too much we judge, too soon. If alone we could show more patience, and, if alone we could try to listen to the hidden story... Yes, as to why an 80-year-old great-granny can still do Salsa and take the breath out of your lungs... and, why a 20-year-old young-man can still look out of the window and get excited about the trees that go behind and the clouds that run along...
Yes, if alone!

GERALD D’CUNHA

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