‘Out of my thoughts? You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read, since I first came here, the rough common boy whose poor heart you wounded even then. You have been in every prospect I have ever seen since - on the river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, in the clouds, in the light, in the darkness, in the wind, in the woods, in the sea, in the streets. You have been the embodiment of every graceful fancy that my mind has ever become acquainted with. The stones of which the strongest London buildings are made, are not more real, or more impossible to be displaced by your hands, than your presence and influence have been to me, there and everywhere, and will be. Estella, to the last hour of my life, you cannot choose but remain part of my character, part of the little good in me, part of the evil. But, in this separation I associate you only with the good, and I will faithfully hold you to that always, for you must have done me far more good than harm, let me feel now what sharp distress I may. O God bless you, God forgive you!’
This is my favourite excerpt from the novel 'Great Expectations' - by Charles Dickens. I had read this way back in school, but it has been the epitome of the intensity of love for me all these years. I get goosebumps every time I read it - even today. I feel sad for Pip, for his unconditional, unrequited love for Estella. I feel angry with Estella, for breaking his heart. I pity her, for not being able to see what she is losing. And my heart goes out to Pip - for still wishing her well, for still trying to associate her with the positive aspects of his life. For still being hopelessly in love with her.
I was reminded of this paragraph by something that I read today. This article was about a girl - who is unable to share her feelings with the love of her life, for the fear of losing him. She wants to tell him how just being with him makes her world meaningful, and her life worth living. She wants him to know that she sometimes does not make sense because all she wants is to talk to him - even when there is nothing to say. She wants to tell him how he is the first person she thinks about when she opens her eyes in the morning, and the last person she thinks about before she goes to sleep. And if it is possible, her love for him seems to be increasing day by day. But she is unable to say all this, and just hopes that one day, when she shares this with him, he will understand her feelings and love her back.
When I think of what is it that strikes me so much about both these stories, I realize that it is nothing but the power of love. The fact that love can influence someone's life to such an extent amazes me. For both the characters mentioned above, love is an integral part of every small thing that they do. They read, they think of love. They look at nature, they think of love. Love governs every waking moment of their life. And it governs their dreams. Just how powerful is this one single emotion in anybody's life?
The more I think about it, the more I get convinced that in some way or the other, love is the single most powerful emotion behind anything that anyone does. It is the force that drives people towards the behaviour that they exhibit. Love might have various forms - like the love in the two examples mentioned above, between two lovers. Or the love between parents and kids, siblings, friends, neighbours. Or it could be one's love with one's work, hobby, religion, country, God, or even one's self. But no matter what form it takes, love can drive people to unimaginable limits. It has the power to make or break lives. It can cause the biggest joys and the greatest sorrows. It can lift spirits in a second, and sink one's heart in a blow. It can give someone the reason to live, and can be the cause for someone to die. It can lead to a sense of lifelong fulfilment, and a sense of lifetime regret. It has the power to create and the power to destroy. Love...can do all this, and much, much more.
But it is surprising how a lot of us tend to ignore this power. In the hectic schedule of everyday life, we forget what exactly is it that we wanted when we started chasing our dreams. When this journey began, all a majority of us wanted to do was - to make our loved ones and ourselves happy because we loved them. We told ourselves that one day, we will fulfill all our dreams, and be happy in life. Sadly, we didn't even realize when we got trapped in society's definition of success, and have since been. Our happiness and success started getting measured by how many zeroes are there in our salary, how many cars do we possess, and how luxurious a house do we stay in. Whether we really enjoy spending that money with our loved ones, or have the time to take our family out for a ride in those flashy cars, or are able to play with our kids in that lush green garden in our palatial house - does not seem to matter. But the truth in my opinion is, that at the end of the day, it does matter whether we have someone to share our joys and sorrows with or not. It does matter whether someone is there to applaud us when we achieve something, and pep us up when we fail. It does make a difference when we know someone genuinely loves and cares for us, and will be there for us - no matter what.
The good thing is, most of us, have people in our lives who make this differnce through their unconditional love for us. The sad part is, many a times, we take them for granted - knowing they are there and always will be. This might not be the case forever. There are so many relationships that break today, because the people involved do not have time for each other. So many families split up, becuase people lose focus of what is important. By the time they realize what they have lost, it often is too late. If only, we acknowledge the power of love and the wonders it can do - may be the world will be a better place to live in.
However, this realization is not new to me - I have felt all this multiple times. And to be honest, I also know that once I am out of this state of mind, I might forget most of this, and start running in the rat race of life yet again. Through this write-up, I want to make an attempt to keep reminding myself that one thing - that is, and should be more important than everything else in this world - is love - and the people who love you for what you are, not for what you have.
References:
2. The story of the girl is yet to be available online - will share the link once it is done
