It has been really long since I wrote (read typed). A lot of factors have aided this to happen today and I have a moral obligation to thank them before I start writing. Primarily, thank you Chetan Bhagat. If a million people read R2020 (seriously?), I was reassured that at least a dozen people will read what I write. Next, a few friends, old and new who read my previous blog posts and kept asking me why I have stopped writing. The comments under each of these posts were a huge boost – I don’t think I will need any further inspiration than this. And of course, to the Lord Almighty! I pray the divine force stays with me in this innings of mine.
“Promise!” – The clear,
loud and cute voice of this kid turned my attention and took me a few many years
back in memory. The number of times I had uttered this word right through my
childhood blew my mind. From returning an eraser the next day to visiting a
friend’s home during the weekend, I remember making a promise for a multitude
of things; the ones my mind perceive today as petty affairs. Not that I was
only at the giving end, I was at the receiving end of a million promises too before
life became all that serious. As I returned to the present, I saw her tender
fingers brush against her mother’s palm as she uttered the word again to get a
peck on her cheek.
The beauty of the word was slowly sinking in. Years have
passed by, but I don’t think I have stopped making promises. Just as I took a
moment to look around, I realised it was not just me, but the entire world that
was running on promises made and received. Day in and day out, how many
promises do we make and how varied they are! Some are exchanged by two pairs of
eyes. Some are loudly unsaid. Some are defined on papers.
A friendship.. A marriage.. An election.. An occupation..
All these are promises in a certain sense.
With a very sincere gratitude to all the ones I mentioned above, here I promise myself to keep writing regularly! Like I said, “Promise!”
I think. I write.
Ever Loving
Ganesh Ramachandran
Nice....I really wish you keep up this promise!!!
ReplyDeleteCheers!!
Himani
Thank you !
Deletenice to see u writing again :)
ReplyDeleteA promise is a promise only if it is kept up. Otherwise, its lie, larsony, debt. But ofcourse, the world is running on all these so in a sense you are right.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, there is no point in making a promise if one cannot keep it up. But the same argument can be applied to a lot of things and make the humane living more logical.
That being said, the point of being human is the ability to feel hope and understand promises. It is one of the fundamental reason for growth. Debt is a promise isn't it ? So are services. In fact, read the document of money, it says, "I promise to pay the bearer, a sum of blah blah blah" depending on the country. In a sense, take the act of promise out and the engines that run the human infrastructure will cease to work. Its a banal, hackneyed and mostly not a trust-able action. But it facilitates progress (however small) and without it, humanity will fall into anarchy.
Thanks for carrying deeper the discussion. There was a specific reason, why I did not venture into the details / possibilities. Good you did. The point is simple. All of us make promises. While making a few of them, we certainly know that we will not be able to keep the word. Why make such promises? Though it provides a momentary boost to the person who is at the receiving end, when he/she is fooled at the end of it, there is every chance they lose the faith in a promise.
DeleteTo err is human. But knowingly erring is not excusable. That said, there could be situations where "Vaaimei enapaduvadhu yaadhenil yaadhondrum theemai ilaadha solal" (That which does not cause any harm is truth) Those are rare situations when a false promise (what an oxymoron) can be made.
This is just an attempt to bring a change from within. To start making only those promises that can be fulfilled. If all of us move towards that, we would certainly be healing the world and making it a better place to live in.
Dude you just reminded me of Robert Frost -
ReplyDelete'The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep...'
Keep going.Good Luck.
It is the same Robert Frost who said, "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." isn't it? While on one hand it is about realising that certain people will continue to fool us with their promises, on the other it is about being good ourselves.
DeleteThanks for the wishes :)
Truly inspired by this blog today!
ReplyDeleteReally touched by the lines.."Whichever end you are at, what use is it to be a part of a promise which is not kept? Alas, an unfulfilled promise is like an ass that cannot carry loads. Neither can it be of any use nor can you keep it for memory’s sake! Why promise, if one cannot keep the word?"
Learning for the day: PROMISE when you know it can be carried forward...
Good Luck...Keep posting...
Thanks for the words and the wishes :) It is a wonderful feeling to have written an inspiration. And the learning, well said. I hope all of us take it seriously.
Delete"A friendship.. A marriage.. An election.. An occupation.. All these are promises in a certain sense."
ReplyDeleteMate, you made me realize...
Way to go...Happy writing!
Jacob Rajkumar.
Thanks Jack !
DeleteWell said! And It is a wonderful promise to make :P
ReplyDelete:) Thank you !
Delete"some are loudly unsaid" excellent usage. reminds da Vinci's "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence". Keep going :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wishes!
Deletevery beautifully written and subtle statements that force one to think:)Made me reminiscent :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent writing. Keep going..
ReplyDeleteAtb :)
Nice one Ganesh....my bookmarks en routed me to your blog...which I had it as an incomplete task for a long time..
ReplyDeleteAfter reading...just thought of a question myself...
Why/When do we make a promise?????---> Just to build up our trust with someone (or) make a better loyalty in what we commit (or) neglected something which did not go right in the past....
still remains a question and no one ever thinks of why we do it...before we promise and also after we promise....