Monday, July 19, 2010

The different hues of relationships

In life I guess each one of us look for that special bond around which our entire life revolves. Human beings who are rightly called social animals form strong bonds. This is of utmost importance for the very survival of human beings. In our life time at all stages the relationships that we form give anchor to our life. Be it the the selfless love shared between the mother and the daughter, the son and mother, daughter and the father, son and the father, the grand bonding between the grandparents and the grandchildren, the now war now peace bonding between the siblings, the romantic bond between the just married couple which later blossoms into a beautiful relationship, that wonderful and fulfilling bond between friends; all these give stability to one's life and bring immense satisfaction when it is nurtured through the ups and downs in one's life time.

My last blog post "The grand bond"  got varied comments. Some said it took them down memory lane of all the good times that they had shared with their grandparents. Some said that this bond does help children immensely. Some said that being abroad this was one precious relationship that their children miss out on in their life time.

There were other comments too where some felt that grandchildren hardly spent enough time with the grandparents as they grew older. Some were of the opinion that having grandparents at home created conflicts specially in the area of discipline, while there were a few views that grandparents are taken care of only for the monetary benefits that they might bring in.

Well, relationships with people who matter the most not only bring joy but at times it does bring with it pain and anguish too.Who can forget the concern and worry of the mother when the child falls down the first time? Similarly the joy of hearing the word "Mama" or "Papa" for the first time is unforgettable. The trauma that parents undergo with teens at home is something else altogether.So happiness in relationship is gained by going through the ebbs and tides by taking things into our stride and giving the best shot with equanimity.

The needs and wants of the child vary at different stages of life. When they are young, they need constant  support of the parents or grandparents at all times. As they grow up they are busy finding their own calling and at that time the amount of interaction comes down drastically. Finally there comes a stage when the babies, now grown up will fly away from the nest leaving behind only memories. Measuring relationships in terms of gains utterly undermines the beauty of relationship.

Bhagavadgita says that the only relationship that is long lasting and one which is forever true and one which is selflessly given is the relationship between God and You. Relationships needs to be nurtured. So shouldn't we give our all  to each of the relationship that we have formed here and now and find true happiness?    

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

well said and how true