Friday, January 6, 2012

Tribute To Phases Of Life

Photo courtesy; Maaz Sameer




It is our destiny (of all living things) to start life in an extremely humble manner. And very often I have wondered, aren’t we the most intelligent of all creations (self acclaimed, and so far proven to be right) and yet don’t we start as the most helpless of all! The human baby depends one hundred percent on the adults around it. Serpents, tortoises and some chicks just crawl, or walk out of the shell and ‘live happily ever after’!

There must be a reason for this vulnerability I try to reason out. Is it possible that the incredible love we feel for our offspring, arise from their helplessness? Is this the basis of the bonding we reinforce with our children by taking care of them and being at their beck and call for almost half a dozen years?

There is a world famous “Sound & Light” show at the foot of the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. A deep voice supposedly of the Sphinx challenges us, with this riddle; “What is the animal that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening"? The answer is ‘man’ who crawls on all four at infancy, then walks erect on two legs till he needs a walking stick in the evening of his life!

  The Lebanese poet Gibran Khalil Gibran says so wisely to us parents:  in his most famous book ‘The Prophet’---   “You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth". Our children grow up and  live their own lives. Yet our societies and culture and all major religions of the world, all emphasize on the importance of sons  & daughters taking care of their parents and shower them with  kindness! Those of us who get this golden opportunity are lucky to pamper our mothers & fathers with the love they so selflessly devoted to us in our most helpless times. The Holy Quran reminds us to pray with this supplication:

17:24


And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, "My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small."  [surah Al is'ra 17: 24]

 Ameen!

Thank You!

6 comments:

Namanal said...

This is simply adorable. just by reading this i can sense how lovingly u must have written this!! lovely!

SAMEER said...

Thanks, BappaSweetie! You are right!

shahi said...

well said. very interesting. thanks for the dhua :)

SAMEER said...

Oh! what a lovely surprise! One more reader is one more reason to write! Thanks for encouragement and commenting also. How nice of you!

hasn said...

I still remember that qoute from Khalil Gibran since my school days . It should be from you . . .

hasn said...

I still remember that qoute from Khalil Gibran since my school days . It should be from you . . .