Shorten The Line

Woe, thy name is life! That’s a statement constantly made by all of us. Ditto with Vedika. Named after knowledge, she felt the source of her name eluded her completely. She found herself consumed by the problems that plagued her life. She’d rue that she was the chosen one to undergo the miseries of life: extremely pushy parents, a failed marriage, a persistent struggle to fight conspiracy in office. Her mind’s constant query had been, ’Why does so much trouble befall me?’

When a friend took her to meet the recluse spiritual guru known as Paglot Baba, she ranted and poured out her anguish. In his trademark style, Baba heard her without interruption. Then he asked her if she remembered her childhood games. The question took her by surprise. Before she could answer, Baba took a notebook, and drew a line on it. ‘Now, shorten this line without touching it,’ he instructed her. She had no clue what to do. ‘Didn’t you play this in school?’ Baba asked.

Strangely, Vedika had forgotten it. She was distraught. She knew that the solution to this problem must lie in her memory. When she didn’t respond, Baba took the notebook and drew a bigger line below the earlier drawn one. ‘See, now the line is short. And I didn’t even touch it! A human life is similar to this. Who doesn’t have troubles? Even Mona Lisa, experts say, has trauma hidden behind the smile. Yet, to remain agitated with the shorter lines of troubles and ignoring the bigger lines of possibilities that can be drawn through our infinite talent is unpardonable and goes against the basic tenets of life,’ Baba explained.

That little exercise was akin to a magic potion: simple and even absurd, yet profound at the same time. Vedika found a new universe open in her mind. How could she overlook such an elementary fact of life, she thought? ‘Forever bogged down by destiny, one forgets what one can achieve through free will,’ Baba added as he dismissed her.

As is the case with Vedika, we invariably forget our innumerable talents that can draw bigger lines in our lives instead of fretting over shorter lines of troubles and problems. Let’s shorten these negative, troublesome lines without even touching them by drawing a bigger positive, creative line.