INVISIBLE THREADS ARE THE STRONGEST TIES

“We are all so much together, but, we are all dying of loneliness.”

-  Albert Schweitzer

Two days ago, on the ‘International Friendship Day’, we all exchanged, frantically, hundreds of messages. Frankly, that was all shallow, not even skin-deep. It’s just like the Good-morning and Good-night messages… just like the Christmas, Diwali, Eid and all other festive messages… We just don’t need those ‘cosmetic’ and 'wholesale' messages to wish our near and dear ones - people who matter in our lives - as to how much we remember them… Often, the tone of our voice, the depth of our words, the affection and bond packed in the silent, distant ‘presence’ - yes, these are enough.

Need we call our spouses, ten times a day, to prove how much we remember them? 

Need we go on the mountain-top and express our love and gratitude to our parents? 

And, what about our devotion to God? We have never met Him, and never will… Yes, in no way, we can 'contact' Him personally... Yet, we can feel incredibly close to Him… And, most of us do. It’s not in a temple, church, mosque or a Gurudwara that we feel close to Him as much as we do when we are alone with Him…

Yes, as Friedrich Nietzche said, “Invisible threads are the strongest ties.”

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Linkedin, Snapchat, smart phones and super computers, super-speed Wi-Fi – none of these can help us ‘connect’ our hearts… We assume, that we are ‘connected’… but, we are not. We are only ‘contacted’…

The Wise had, long ago, explained to us about the difference between ‘Jogajog’ (Contact) and ‘Sanjog’ (Connection). That was many, many centuries before the advent of this virtual new-world we now live in!

This morning, Rekha, my dear friend, had shared with me this amazing post from an unknown author. I wish to share it, here, in this Blog, with due credit and gratitude to its author…

CONTACT AND CONNECTION

The year was 1990.  I was returning from Delhi by flight with a monk of the Rama Krishna Mission. A journalist from Chile was there with us. He started interviewing the monk, as had been decided earlier.

Journalist: Dear Sir, in your last lecture, you told about Jogajog (contact) and Sanjog (connection). It's really confusing. Can you explain it to me?

The Monk smiled a little, but apparently deviating from the question, he asked the journalist: Are you from Chile?

Journalist: Yeah...

Monk:  Who are there at home?

The Journalist felt that the Monk was trying to avoid answering his question since this was a very personal and un-warranted question

Yet, the journalist said: “My Mother has expired. Father is there. Three brothers and one sister. All are married... "

The Monk, with a smile on his face, asked: “Do you talk to your father?”

Now the journalist looked visibly annoyed...

Monk:  “When did you talk to him last?”

The journalist, suppressing his annoyance, said:  “May be a month back.”

Monk:  "Do you brothers and sisters meet often? When did you last meet as a family together? "

At this point, I saw sweat on the journalist's forehead. I wondered who was taking whose interview. It seemed that the Monk was taking the interview of the journalist!

With a sigh, the journalist said: “We met last at Christmas, two years ago.”

Monk: "How many days did you all stay together?”

Journalist (wiping the sweat on his brow): “Three days.”

Monk: “How much time did you spend with your Father, sitting right beside him?”

I saw the journalist looking perplexed and embarrassed and scribbling something on a paper...

Monk: “Did you have breakfast or lunch or dinner together? Did you ask how he was? Did you ask how his days are passing after your mother's death?"

I saw the journalist's eyes saddened.

The Monk placed his hand on the journalist's hand and said: "Don't be embarrassed or upset or sad. I am sorry if I have hurt you unknowingly. But, this is, basically, the answer to your question about “Contact and Connection (Jogajog and Sanjog )".  You have 'contact ‘with your father but you don't have 'connection' with him. You are not connected to him. Connection is between heart and heart… sitting together, sharing meals, caring for and hugging each other. Touch, shaking hands, having eye contact, spending some time together... You, your brothers and sisters have ' contact ' with each other but you have no ‘connection’ with each other... "

The journalist wiped his eyes and said: "Thanks for teaching me a fine and unforgettable lesson.”

This is the reality today

Whether at home, in society and elsewhere, everybody has lots and lots of contacts but there is no connection. No communication...

Everybody is in a his or her own world...

Let's not be well 'contacted'... Let's be well 'connected', with each other.... caring , sharing , touching , hugging, spending time together with all our near and dear ones, and other co-passengers in our life travels

God Bless us all !

(Author: Unknown)

GERALD D'CUNHA

Pic.: Chetna Shetty