I had been sitting there for over an hour. So long, and so lost in thought, that I hadn't even noticed the old man who'd seated himself next to me on the bench. We were two strangers aimlessly staring into the wide expanse of the beautiful lake. He'd placed his walking stick right next to him... dangerously balancing on the railing of the bench. His wrinkled face spoke of years of wisdom. And his silent smile passively unveiled his acceptance... of the world, and the situations that moulded him. I'm too young to understand that, I am told. And I believe I am too young to implement this wisdom. That's the funny thing about wisdom. It isn't really learnt, until one learns it through his mistakes. We will never realise what hardship is, until we actually face it. No number of tales and stories from grandparents will ever make us realise what it is to live through a war. Or to fight for independence. Even as I write this, I probably still don't fully understand. And the truth is, I never will, unless I actually live through it myself.
But this aimless gaze, wasn't about no war or hardship. It was just a sea of careless thoughts trying very hard to find place to settle. It was as though he'd read my mind.... when he said,
" I have been coming here for over fifty years now, child. What brings you here?"
"Aimless pondering Sir. This is my favourite spot by the lake."
" Well, for fifty years, this has been my favourite spot too.." And he smiled.
" I guess some things never change over time Sir."
"Hmm. Only people tend to, child. Only people tend to. And do you know why?"
"No Sir"
"Well... it's the situations. The people they meet, the aspirations and desires they wish to fulfill... and of course... all the planning."
"All the planning?"
"Why yes! All the planning. You see ... a wise man once said, always expect the unexpected. There's only so much of your life that you can plan. The rest... is well, quite out of our control. But people don't easily accept this fact. And that, child, is the root of all unhappiness. And of course, change. "
"But change is good isn't it Sir?"
"You can say so. But only if it's permanent. People don't change permanently, or... forever. Human beings, by nature, adapt. They get lost in who they are required to be. And it takes that one scent... that one familiar tune... or that one acquainted taste or place to remind them of their true selves...."
I tried considering what he said... do people really just merely adapt? What about all the life changing incidents I had heard about? ... did it all just teach us to accustom ourselves to the situations? ... may be I'm too young to understand. My mother always tells me I haven't seen enough of the world to judge anything or anyone. In that case I certainly haven't seen enough to conclude anything here.... but as I stared out into the vast waters of the lake... there seemed to be a peace in this thought that engulfed me. People, across the world, are the same. And yet... there's so much difference? There was a tiny part of me that was satisfied by the thought of all people having an innate commonness. Despite the disparities, they were essentially the same.
In excitement I turned to face the old man ....
But he was gone... disappeared in the growing darkness... silently...
