The Lost Cause

There’s a man.

He’s walking straight; not sprinting, not rushing, but with a steady pace, and has some spring in each step.

He’s suave, smart and sincere. And from some safe emotional distance, one would say he’s sentimental too.

He has been walking since forever it seems, from the day his conscious has awakened. He is walking since months – during days and night; in cold winter and in hot summer sun; in blowing wind or in scorching heat or underneath star studded nights; above the hills and through the valleys; on river banks and through dense forests – everything which would take him away from his own comforts. He has gone through these extremities, but for what, one would wonder? Only to reach the path which would lead him to his destiny, his fate, his kismet – something he has been seeking for.

And not to his surprise, he survives everything; and reaches there on his path. Truly deserved, well fought and righteously earned. Rest of the path is simple, really.

He continues.

Now he’s walking on a plane terrain; a terrain with no obstacles, no blockages, no distractions and no complexity and it was just a matter of patience and perseverance before he reaches his fate. Everything was simple, or may be too simple? May be!

Then, there’s a woman, estranged but rather beautiful.

He sees her from a bit distance, and learns she is lost somewhere, someone or may be worse – her own self. She stays there, unmoved. He would have easily missed her like everyone else if he would have been too focused on his journey and she would have remained unnoticeable; like a water lily among lotuses. But he – being a connoisseur of beautiful souls – finds her. And at the peak of his curiosity…

He stops, to converse with her.

Outcome of it? He learns something about her; she has lost her own self, or the worst – she never discovered her real self. He knows this is no good, and needs to be changed.

He volunteers. She allows him to.

She is oblivious to her surroundings; where she has come from, where she is standing, where she would go, what she is capable of and what she isn’t. A total dilemma; as sometimes where you have reached doesn’t suffice – you should know where you have come from. Your roots matter. He doesn’t give up though, as he sees spark in her eyes, one similar to his. He tells her that she is capable of doing anything & everything. She doesn’t believe him but somehow trusts him, as he seems different – unlike everyone else. So her wish? She wishes to conquer the mountains, which are in front of her. He has never done this, not even for himself.

Though, he leads. No doubts. No hesitation. He never questions.

This is not simple; the climb. Every step is a challenge. Any fumble can be fatal. Though for him, the most difficult part is not to overshadow her but to empower her, enable her to gain so much more. She learns quickly, grows quickly and climbs with him; peak after peak. She feels safe, at the cost of his comfort, unknowingly. He keeps going on and on, day and night; facing everything first and securing every step. He keeps stumbling and standing up again, but journey never stops. She stays unaware, he stays focused.

Finally the day arrives. A final step of the journey. The mountain is conquered.

And there she is standing victorious; with her arms wide open, basking in the glory underneath the blue sky. He steps down, to let her be where she deserves. She looks at him with gratitude in her eyes, which is there to stay forever; he knows that too.

What’s more to conquer now, he wonders and enquires, as he believes in the collaboration and the equilibrium with her energies and presence; their asymmetries have aligned on the journey; their chaos have found comfort and peace with each other; their darkness have enlightened each other; rubbles on their journey have paved path for them to be on a life long journey. Something surreal, bizarre yet beautiful.

But something has changed within her, something has evolved, something unseen and unknown to her. She is untamed now; have unshackled herself completely. She denies him and his collaboration; and expresses her desires to find everything on her own; and seeks someone who won’t lose focus on his journey, like he did.

He realizes, she has become everything which he can’t control. She makes the move on her journey, every step forward is making her a million miles away from him. And he knows, his descent to the plains will never assure his return to his lost path.

But, he never questions.

As the world sees her, as an inspiration, and being celebrated.

And there, there’s a man, he remains with her remains. Man without a path, carrying weights of dead dreams – a lost cause – searching someone who has remained unnoticeable and yet to be discovered; like a water lily among the lotuses.

- Asthir