The presence and absence of people, animals, and things make a difference in our lives.
When we were young, we played people, places, and things, and it was all about naming. It was a great way to increase our general knowledge; little did we know that at a personal level we can easily lose people and animals and move to new places with a blink of an eye.
Such was life.
Their presence filled our space and time, and their absence leaves you to lead on your own the uncharted waters.
The absence can cast a huge void. But family members tend to prepare the younger ones by creating habits so in their absence their little ones will be in automatic mode until life's experience teaches him/her to be innovative and find new means to evolve to the everchanging situations.
During the process, having others to talk to and share thoughts can be a gift from life.
When we are young, there is no reason for us to think about the absence of a loved one in our life until the sudden harsh reality occurs. Even sunsets made us sad because our young minds instinctively knew something was coming to an end - the day. The day that would be a memory.
The absence could be just out of sight or out of participation. They could be on your horizon but not connected. Lately, it came to mind that in a painting, if something is not present, the subjects in the painting can bring into your mind the one who is absent. When the artist depicts the shadow, the viewer knows there is light and the direction of the light. The absence can make a strong statement.
When there is a high rate of goodness, we know there is an absence of negativity; in the presence of disharmony, there is chaos; and when there is a lack of quality, then there can be no presence of respect.
A rain can bring down buildings, erase city plans, and move landscapes; it is the same rain that is revered as one of the sources of life.
The famous saying has a certain quality: "Absence makes heart grow fonder." One of the universal observations is that we do not realise the true value of something until we lose it.
It is only when we lose someone close that we realise the heaviness of silence.Our hearts go empty too.
In absence, we don't often run around looking for the presence. We just go numb or go dry on motivation.
How often do we really wonder and seek answers for the absence of motivation?
Why do some people sink into oblivion? Is it because they did not have enough choice? Or do they plan in such a way that they like to merge with the surroundings and not stand out? They probably are not on the lookout for the spotlight. Some prefer the inward journey rather than the external presence.
The absence and presence exist in each other because, without absence, one will never know the value of presence. We only know the value of light in darkness. And in light, we have to work hard to create darkness. We want darkness only to sleep because during the waking hours we seek light. We are naturally inclined to draw a comparison between light and knowledge and darkness and ignorance. We feel enlightened as we learn new things, and when we stop learning, the darkness falls all around, making our personal world narrow and dark.
We long for the presence in the absence, wishing we had another opportunity to do things in the right way if we had one more chance. That chance depends because our lives and world have their own mysteries. And it is for us to unravel them. There is no guarantee that we would have a second chance. The elders know it, but their words are often brushed aside and defined as old-fashioned. But the elders speak from experience. But, no matter what, there is hope, and where there is hope, we can find our way to balance the two elements- absence and presence.
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