As i buzz past the lobby i see an old friend being discarded. A very pretty Van Gogh replica. A sketch that he drew of himself in his young years, used to hang in the front lobby of our office. And i would interact with it often. I felt stupid about feeling sad for the painting. Even stupider when i realized i would actually miss it. My father always told us- "never get attached to objects". But as i grew up i realized- more often than people, one gets attached to objects. Hell i could get more easily attached to a calculator that i have used too often than my own neighbour!
Why so? the very obvious answer is continuous proximity. But a more deep seated reason is the unresponsiveness of an object. Your neighbour would say ten things, 5 out of which would hurt you. But the "metallica" calendar on your wall is like an ever passive companion. The eternal observer and endurer of all that you say or do.
Coming back to the sadness. With the departure of an old friend, another dilemna presented itself. What is so alluring about "old". An Old friend, antique furniture, Old books with yellow pages, Old unpolished jewellery. granted each of these articles have sentimental value for some and financial for others. But wisdom is the actual atrraction. See, these things have lived for long. The very thought of what all they have seen and felt, how many times they have crashed and been remodelled, magnetizes you. One is always fascinated by what endures.
People are big time worshippers of wisdom. But the real tough nut to crack is to identify that wisdom in other people. Is it there? Or is the person a pretentious "encyclopedic" knowledge mass? That is where this Van Gogh comes in. It cannot pretend to have wisdom. If it has been up there for 10 years, i know that it has witnessed quite enough and asorbed more than i ever could in its place. It never boasts of wisdom. How can it? Its a replica in itself. All that beauty is acquired, so is all the wisdom. So it just soaks in everything. And that, right there, is why i love my metallica calendar and my old copy of "whuthering heights" so much. They are genuinely wise.
Just like this Van Gogh. Love You, old friend.
Well, as much as I agree to our attachment to our beloved things :) (I am clutching my coffee mug real hard right now) what do think of people who have none of these material things wonder what they hold on to!
ReplyDeleteI think you were simply attached to it because things are easy to be attached to! You could always look at your van gogh and cherish your calender. With people on the other hand, it's more complicated coz it always has to be a two way relationship. You see I love my mirror because it still calls me the fairest of all. My colleagues or the people on the road may just have some other answer to that question :)
Well written though, food for thought!
I remember how much i howled, when my mom gave away my favorite pair of jeans. I still miss it at times. I think its but natural to get attached to objects. But as much as i am attached to objects, I am also attached to lining beings. My dog, my family, my bf. I guess it's just a personal trait.
ReplyDeleteloved ur post....