THE WINDOW TO THE WORLD




“There is always more goodness in the world
than there appears to be, because, goodness,
by its very nature, is modest and retiring.”

Evelyn Beatrice Hall

To me, it’s nearly four months inside my house. I hadn’t just stepped out of door. Just yesterday, early in the morning, I stepped out, along with my wife, to take a few breaths of fresh air, and, yes, a few walking steps… It felt as though I was learning to walk again, and breathe again!

But, I was sternly instructed by my wife and son, not to touch anything, including my own nose and mouth (which, anyway, were hidden behind my mask), not to sit anywhere. And, as soon as we were home, went all my clothes into the washing machine… and, after my heart settled down, went I for a bath!

“What a horrible way to live!” that’s my honest reaction, “I was angry and frustrated for a while!”





Many of you may be thinking, that I am a very positive, very zestful person.

You’re wrong! I experience every possible mood-swing in the world… at times, the worst nightmares! What saves me – and has still kept me alive – is the striking awareness of this unique gift from God…to see it as it is, to tell it as it is… Just as I am doing now!

So, during these lockdown months, I have been on the same rollercoaster as most of you have been. And, like most of you, I, too, have been telling myself: “Soon, everything will be fine!”

The ability to make peace with every experience in life, to me, is what spirituality is all about. There is so much darkness in this world, that, it, often, seems more than enough to make us cynics and despots of the worst kind. But, there is, also, so much brightness and hope in this world, that, it, often, seems more than enough to make us amazing souls…

That’s what, ultimately, this pandemic and lockdown experience is going to leave us all with… When this year, 2020, ends, though battered and bruised, we all will be looking back and looking ahead… Yes, we will surely wish each other ‘Happy New Year’… And, why will we not?

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times!” It seems, Charles Dickens wanted to say this about ‘all times’… Yes, including 2020. Looking back and looking ahead, we shall be saying this: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times!”

So, did I just say, ““What a horrible way to live! I was angry and frustrated.”?

“That’s my honest reaction,” I did say that, too!

Spirituality, to me, is to look out of my window and see the reality as it is… Yet, to choose to see more brightness than darkness, there outside…

Just as my favourite TV host, Steve Hartman, does in his every show - ‘On The Road’ (CBS Evening News). This was how he had looked back on 2019, and welcomed 2020 ...







GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: 1. Flow Maderebner/Pixels 2. Scot Webb/Pexels

Videos: CBS Evening News

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