A forest
that stood majestic and green,
Was home to
a large family of monkeys.
Some monkeys
were fat and some not so lean.
They played,
they laughed, they chatted and they fought.
“Look at
these monkeys dad”, said a little boy.
“They are real
and alive”, he said, with delight.
He had a
monkey that was merely a mechanical toy.
It moved
‘n’ climbed, walked ‘n’ talked upon his command.
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| They are real and alive... |
His father
halted as he watched his son rejoice.
“I too, am
growing up with my son”, he thought.
“And dad,
did you notice they make real noise?”
His dad was
happy and cheerful, pleased and proud.
He was mesmerized by the monkeys climbing on trees.
They let go
of the lower branch to hold on to higher ones.
He could not
help but wonder how they climbed with ease.
“To reach
higher goals in life, let the smaller ones go”, he said.
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| Image belongs to:http://goo.gl/onWeX1 |
“If monkeys
knew this without being taught,
Why are we
afraid, why are we hesitant?” he asked
The reply to
his son’s question the father knew not.
But what he
knew was that his son was learning and that was good.
As father and
son slowly walked back homewards,
They were
two people, changed by their experience.
They walked
in silence, hearing the chirping noise of the birds.
The son held
on to his father’s hand and its worth his father knew!
Author's note:
To climb to higher levels in life, we must understand the
knack of doing it. A simple experience of watching monkeys climb can teach us
how to take calculated risks. Unless they spot another branch far off, that is
strong enough to hold them, they do not let go of both their hands. To climb to
higher levels, they let of one hand at a time and hold on to a higher branch.
Observing nature teaches us a lot of lessons in leading life.
Finding the time to do it, seems to have become the greatest challenge mankind
is now facing. We are in a race to complete a race, a race whose outcome is
unknown. A race whose purpose is not determined. Not only do we end up pushing ourselves, we also push our children, so that they may emerge strong and successful.
Whenever, this urge to push your children overtakes you, recall the
wise words of Khalil Gibran. When someone asked him about children, he told
them this. Even today these words are relevant and meaningful.
“Your
children are not your children
They are the
sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.”
To read the
complete poem, visit:
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