A Fascinating Thing Called Life | Flash Post 368

Button, when my brother-in-law WhatsApp-ed a quote by Ernest Hemingway to me this morning, I found those two lines simple yet extremely powerful.

What did the lines say?

It simply said, “We are all broken…that’s how the light gets in.”

What did you make of it?

From the time we are born, the chipping away of our bodies and minds begin. We could well be born with a malady at birth that could break us once we realise the malady. This malady could well be responsible for breaking our relationships with parents, siblings and later in life, with all those we encounter in our day-to-day lives as well as those in school, college and in our profession. Those who are abandoned at birth would feel totally broken upon realising that he or she is unwanted. Being sexually abused at any age could break us down. And I am not talking about the female gender but about the male gender as well.

The list is long. A little later in life, non-performance in school and college can make us feel useless and incompetent especially if other siblings are promising students. A child could realise at some point that he or she is queer and feel anxious and confused as to how he or she will break this news to his or her family and friends and feel totally broken.

A bad relationship can break us down emotionally. Death of a loved one can shatter us. A bad and abusive marriage can put us off marriage for the rest of our lives and further break us. A life-threatening illness can also break us down, even more so if we do not have someone beside us to care for us, love us and put us back on our feet again.

The death of a pet who has been there beside us through rough times and good times can make us feel miserable for a long time and shatter us emotionally.

And, each time an incident breaks us down, it leaves us a little more broken, a little more sadder, a litte more wary but stronger, physically and emotionally and wiser. It is not possible to erase those bad memories with the swish of a magic wand but life is not only about bad memories. Other memories, memories that are sweet, warm, loving, pleasant and memorable can help us wipe out some of the stains and, once again, heal us and make us feel optimistic about facing the future with some hope.

Its like an innocent man who has been given a life sentence for no fault of his. He doesn’t give up and, someday, when he sees a shaft of light, edges towards it with the determination that someone, somewhere, will believe in his innocence and get him out of prison and hand him the gift of life one more time.

I get your point.

8 Comments

Ruby Mascarenhas July 1, 2019 at 8:08 am

This is such a poignant piece ma’am. I would really like to know what are some of the ups and downs in your life that you have faced? For me, losing my mother at an early age is the most difficult thing I have had to live with although my father has never let me or my brother feel her absence.

Reply
- author July 3, 2019 at 11:34 am
  
  My dear Ruby,
  
  One of the saddest experiences in my life was not being beside my father when he breathed his last. I was the apple of his eye but the very fact that I couldn’t pamper him in a manner he would have liked me to makes my heart ache. It aches even more because he was always there for me.
  
  Reply
himanshi gaur July 1, 2019 at 8:11 am

I love this quote…it is just marvellous. I have put this image and the quote up on my FB and Instagram walls. Thank you author. Somehow in one line, you have defined all of us human beings so brilliantly!

Reply
- author July 3, 2019 at 11:39 am
  
  My dear Himanshi,
  
  It’s brilliant because it sums up so many thoughts in just a few words. The sentence impacted me so much that I knew I simply had to put it out for my readers to read and interpret it the way they want.
  
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cassandra gonsalves July 4, 2019 at 9:59 am

You’ve voiced your regrets about your father so beautifully author. It brought tears to my eyes. Where parents are concerned, no matter how much we do, it will never be enough. Nothing can break us more than the loss of a parent. More so when it happens suddenly and before its time. No amount of light can heal that wound.

Reply
- author July 5, 2019 at 7:31 pm
  
  My dear Cassandra,
  
  Its been a while since you wrote in. I hope you are well.
  
  My eyes fill up with tears every time I talk about my father and remember him for his kindness, his understanding, his devotion towards his family and his outstretched hands always eager to help anyone in distress.
  
  I feel heartbroken when I think of everything I could have done for him and never did!
  
  Reply
rohan joshi July 4, 2019 at 10:03 am

Life is about all kinds of memories I feel. Each and every one makes us who we are. We shouldn’t label them as good or bad. They are life experiences and what are we without life experiences, right author? It’s not just the memory that is important. It’s how that memory impacts us and changes us and makes us grow that is also as important.

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- author July 5, 2019 at 7:49 pm
  
  My dear Rohan,
  
  You’ve said it all in just a few lines. And said it beautifully. Every incident we face in our lifetime moulds us into who we are. Without those life experiences, our individual personalities would never flower and we’d be like any other person. Every incident we face, whether good or bad, contributes towards opening our eyes a little bit more so we can see the world from a different angle.
  
  Reply