“I have been through a very tough
life.” Rahim was talking to the lady in the rear seat of double cabin pick up.
Trying to impress her he stressed on the word “tough’’. But it seemed like he
failed because the lady was as calm and unmoved as a rock hardened by nature
with the passage of time. He didn’t give up and tried the second time, “Life
has been tough as I lost my father at an early age and being the eldest I had
to carry many responsibilities on my shoulders.” Rahim paused for a while. The pickup
was now ascending. Seating in the front seat Rahim could only look at the
mountains with some snow on the peaks. The seasoned driver was confident with
his eyes on the road. “My father passed away when I was two months old.” This
time the voice came from the rear seat, from the lady who had recently
graduated from university. Rahim was startled. “Oh….. Oh! So sorry to hear
that.” The only words he could utter with astonishment, grief, empathy and many
mixed emotions. The young lady continued, “And then my mother married another
man when she was still too young. Life has not been that 'tough' on me although i stayed with my uncles after my mom married another man. She added. The secret of her calmness and reason of Rahim's failure to impress him was not any more a puzzle. Rahim couldn’t say anything. He was staring
at the mountains around the valley. For a while he thought the tallest of the
rocks is crashing down due to thunder struck. But soon he realized it was an
illusion since the sky was clear and the only sound was that of slow music
inside the car. Rahim leaned back and closed his eyes.
Sometimes you have to shut your
eyes to see the truth. Most of us think that what we have endured is incomparable
to any other difficulty and hardship. We tend to make a world of our own based
on our assumptions. Then we try to cash the credit of being tough, hardworking
and successful. At times this seems to be so one sided and egoistic approach of
looking at yourself and the world. There are many stories untold which are more
impressive than the one you know, you tell and people know. There is no
universal yardstick to measure success, pride and no tough-guy-scale. You are
not the only one who has faced hardships and challenges and neither have you
got any edge over others for being hardworking and tough.
Suddenly, Rahim’s eyes open when
the pickup started moving ahead on the bumpy road of the valley. He smiles. Truth
is such a peaceful realization. Humility and humbleness are worth more than
pride and self-centeredness. The lady with an untold story makes deeper
impression than the man who tells his own story. He thought so! J
