When an elephant goes berserk, one would presume that the poor creature might have stumbled upon an ant unless folklore is a lie. While this article aims not to preserve the mystics of folklore, it does shed light on the so far abstruse anecdote that shall eventually lead to the demystification of our purpose on earth.
Like the elephant walking with his usual nonchalance and gazing at the landscape without bothering much about his steps, humans too are preoccupied in their own affairs and have little or no time to scan their decrepit and vulnerable surroundings in order to mitigate potential risks in their dealings, to avoid unnecessary and stressful conundrums and to be prepared for the adversities looming around.
Muddled in the pursuance of bountiful dreams, the significance and sign of the little things have lost their value in our eyes. Like the ant, so are the little things of life. They exist around us but we are blind to them. Constant ignorance of the little things render them either nonexistent or toxic to our mind. They strive for acceptance by blooming through the thick layers of human ignorance, an outcome of our dreamful mind, but even their sudden appearances go unnoticed.
One clear example is that of a diligent student whose heart dances with the gleam of his approaching graduation ceremony but who has discarded all his copybooks by burning them to ashes in order to create space for other items on the shelves. The graduation ceremony might last for two or three hours but those copybooks contain an account of his studentship and hide the innocent scribbling of ideas.
The big dreams stir our emotions and instigate our thoughts. The big dreams inveigle us by stirring our emotions and instigating our thoughts in order to march, regardless of the fact that the little things are being forsaken, towards their fulfilment. To me, this is a tragedy because dreaming with intellectual dishonesty, or without rationality, will be tantamount to setting the bar too high. I do not ask you not to dream but dream at no cost to simplicity and humanity.
I dream but not of possessions, of liberation rather. I seek neither to own nor to control, for nothing is mine; not even my own mortal body which will be left behind upon my death. One should similarly not run after those big dreams and focus on living a mindful and free life. Freedom is as sacred as a prayer. Like dignity, it must not be given to any mortal even if it means to part ways from those mortals. You belong not to this earthly abode, but to a heavenly abode. It is time to recall where we come from, why we are here and soon, where we will have to go. Those who fail to recall and dwell in the temporariness and sins of life are those who will be deprived of a real appreciation of freedom. We must not ruin this life by inspiring ourselves from this wicked society, its customs and systems. We must endeavour to question, to be different and to be free.
Kevin Keenoo 