The Illusion Of Relationship
A family tends not to be founded in human unity,
But in spatial proximity.
When one is alone,
He often seeks unity.
When one is united,
He often seeks independence.
What is The Truth about the family unit?
The unit lives in close proximity to each other.
Each member tending to his own affairs.
Until one day, an elder member dies.
And the remaining members lament the time they did not spend together.
There is nothing one can intentionally “do” about this.
For even if one is moved to spend time with his family after reading this,
This zeal will soon fade.
Life is never
What man is told it will be.
Life is never
What man hopes it will be.
The world paints elaborate and colorful images
Of hope, love, and glee.
But these live only upon
The soiled and rusty bumpers of second-hand automobiles.
If man were told at the outset
What his life would one day become,
He may very well drop it
At the very beginning.
Society sells notions
That sound beautiful and nice.
Reality reveals sounds
That no one wishes to hear.
One may with a religious fervor decide
That he will devote all of his time with his family.
And if he so decides,
He can most certainly succeed in doing so.
But his pursuit will end in disappointment.
Not because he did not do what he set out to do.
But because he could in no way avoid
The hope
That others would come to him also.
He may “change” himself.
But how will he “change” the others?
Any attempt to do so
Will most certainly lead to conflict.
This conflict
Will create separateness once again.
All things are doomed
To disintegration.
And this is something
No societal human
Can ever accept.
He will fight the fight
Until the end.
Bloodied and battered he will leave this world.
Never having known
That the victory he was searching for
Was never a possibility.
It may be stated
That one of the only ways that a family person can avoid conflict
Is by keeping to himself.
And if he does even this
Beyond an arbitrary limit
This will create conflict also.
Man may think
That there is no way he can win.
He is correct in thinking this.
But not as correct as he would be
By realizing there is nothing to win.
Man dreamed so many dreams.
For this he deserves no blame.
His folly lay not in dreaming.
But in asking life
For what it cannot give.
His error lay not in extending his hand.
But in hoping to receive one in return.
Namaste.
Kapil Gupta is a personal advisor to Kings, Queens, CEO’s, Professional Athletes, Celebrities, and Performing Artists around the world.
His books include:
Atmamun: The Path To Achieving The Bliss Of The Himalayan Swamis. And The Freedom Of A Living God
A Master’s Secret Whispers: For those who abhor the noise and seek The Truth about life and living
Direct Truth: Uncompromising, non-prescriptive truths to the enduring questions of life