Evolution

It is fascinating to see the child grow right in front of your eyes. The right word should be evolving instead of growing constantly with the passage of time. It’s a truly amazing experience which one has to undergo in his or her lifetime.

Every day, every passing hour, the child seeks new things with a new perspective which perhaps are normal routines for us. The words it speaks, which one cannot decipher are a joy to hear, more pleasant and healing than any music composed. So natural, it flows incessantly without any inhibition, hesitation or simply put does not follow any man set rhythmic pattern. It’s purely the child’s composition and the rendition is utterly flawless.

The smile, the laughter, the pranks, tantrums and pristine love is something only a child can offer in this world. It is absolutely priceless and you can get it, feel it and be a part of it only when you reciprocate with an open heart and unconditional love.

God has created us and we have created these family structures or has it been an evolution of nature itself over the eras and bygone years. I am not delving into this subject but what interests me is the fact that this human bondage that we have created is what drives us through our life time. There are exceptions here and I am writing this from a more generalist perspective and from our own experiences.

Ever since Anirud has come into our lives, every passing hour and day is a wonderful journey. As the child grows and acclimatizes it to the outside world, it sees, hears, perceives and understands the way to live life through its own surroundings. Now, the question is do we give the child the right ambience, support and structure to lead a harmonious, peaceful and joyous loving life.

I would ask myself, what I seek to achieve in my life, what I aspire for and what do I live for. Some answers would be, it’s a question of survival, not only that of mine but that of my dependents as well and what do I need to live a good life, food, clothing and shelter, basic amenities and then you strive to eke out your living to build a lifestyle dictated by what we see around us.

During the initial years, especially the 1st year of the child, it is mostly confined to the home and development of limbs and other aspects of its human body. Also it infers what goes on in the house and outside of it as well. From the 2nd year onwards it is able to express its own feelings, expectations, wants, likes and dislikes. It becomes more pronounced with the passage of time.

Now herein the parents come into play and tell the child what is right from wrong and life’s lessons as we have been told is passed on. But is this the right thing to do? Are we creating human clones that are machined to think and work alike as robots in an assembly workshop? Though the child does possess the sixth sense, to utilize the brain cells, does it need to be conditioned in a particular way? It may sound irrelevant from the beginning I have made here, but why I am questioning these things is because, I just wish to know what I need to do to develop my child. What do I need to teach him or should I let him grow on his own?

It might sound weird, but do we all need to follow the pattern inscribed by our ancestors. I have no definite answers for these questions and perhaps in the years to come, I may be able to understand a little by reading and understanding the notes of our great saints. Today, we condition the child to grow into what we want it to become. Its thought and learning process is inculcated and taught by us. Even the expressions are a part of this erudition process.

He recently completed 2 years and in by the end of 2nd year, he was able to express joy, sorrow, anger, truth and lies, wants, likes and dislikes, and sometimes, ignorance and innocence in doing what they are doing. Going through these emotions with the child, you yourself tend to become a child. You relive your childhood through the motions of your child. That’s an awesome feeling, which can never be described in words.

It’s truly heartfelt and something which you need to undergo and live with your child in a transient manner. You will not have the opportunity to relive those moments again as you encounter different emotions at different times. Each moment is incomparable and distinct from the other. What do we imbibe the child with in these times? All good virtues known to us like discipline, obedience and how to behave, etc. Does it really have an opportunity to express itself, or do we completely curtail its own thoughts.

Though I question many things here, I also fall into the usual trap of following the mundane rules dictated to us over the years and not to challenge them. Why, because, it is convenient to follow them and I do not have to think, get confused and stay bemused without any correct answers since I stay put in the concrete jungle.

The law of the land is that you stick to the rules, abide by them and follow the procedures strictly. Do I want my child to be a victim of this unwritten choice, perhaps no. When I see his face, I completely forget everything; I am encompassed with love, compassion, peace and harmony. Because he is pure, whiter than the dove, purer than the air that we breathe, transparent than the flowing river and most importantly, he lives for that moment in life.

He is neither past nor future; he is the present…now…I can never be what he is today. And I wish and pray for him that he lives a noble life that is helpful to fellow beings and eschews all that is violent, hatred and disrupts peace. Maybe I do not know how to express my love for him, which is my fallacy, but in my hearts of heart, I love him quite deeply and unconditionally. In fact we both do so…is it because he is our only child?

It is also a fact that we had such lovely parents who gave and still give us this love in abundance because we are their children. And when we were children we were so dependent on them and they would sacrifice everything to give us a decent life of wisdom and happiness.

Once we become independent of them, we move on with our own lives and forget the souls that toiled all through their lifetime to make us what we are today. I see this everywhere around us. Fortunately, both of us are an exception to this unwritten rule and still support and love our parents.

I am today what I am because of my parents and the sacrifice they have made in their lifetime to bring me up as an individual with some good virtues. It goes for my spouse as well. This love of a parent and child has no parallel. This is a beautiful relationship which needs to be lived, explored and enjoyed.

It’s a fascinating journey in itself. The child is dependent on you for its growth and development and the responsibility as a parent it lies with you to provide the right amount and quality of nourishment. These are unequivocal right and claim of the child that you have given life and brought into this world.

It is mandatory that you help the child evolve into a human being that is selfless, lives a life of its own without hurting others serves the downtrodden and poor to the extent possible. The circle of life is then complete and you have evolved.

#Thoughts