Success makes so many people hate you. I wish it wasn't that way. It would be wonderful to enjoy success without seeing envy in the eyes of those around you.
Today broke the bonds of slavery,
Today was paid service, to the bravery.
Today were the usurpers thrown.
Today did India stand on her own.
Long was endured, the unjust pain,
Long was plundered, the thinning wane.
Long kept silent, the silent voice,
Before long, we spoke up, a thundering noise.
Enough had we played: The Idol of Tolerance,
Time for results, no more nursing Florence.
Enough on stand by, being the spectator,
Time to change, become the dictator.
“Divide and Rule” – the policy in employ,
Diversify the united – a clever deploy.
Creating differences, under the name of religion,
Planting seeds of doubt, engulfing the nation.
A century passed, before the Lord showed pity,
“The evil never wins” – he had to prove worthy.
Finally heeding to the prayers of his children,
Sent angels to free them, of their burden.
The angels showed in the face our leaders,
Who stood against their mother's tears.
The ray of hope, the light of inspiration,
The ones who’d relieve the onslaught of Depression.
Processions, rallies, satyagrahas launched,
Trespassers beware, the war cries conched.
Young blood boiling, the volcano stirring,
Patience vaporized, all in red – coloring.
The road to freedom - not laid with flowers,
Full of thorns: worse – the enemy had powers.
Sometimes Lathi-charged, sometimes in prison,
Always ready to sacrifice, to continue the mission.
Exploitation exceeded beyond the fracture point,
Once again united, religions disjoint.
Proof showcased – We children of the almighty,
Doubts uprooted, clouds giving way to destiny.
Hand-in-hand, every soul connected to other,
Each one united, embracing all as brother.
Together, standing up for the same reason,
Under their leadership, lets free the nation.
Against the bundled Indians, their might fell apart,
They had to give way, victory to the brave heart.
The whole nation shed tears, now of rejoice,
As they welcomed Azad-Hind, all in one voice.
Today, will the martyr’s soul rest in amity,
Today, will our flag flutter with dignity.
Today, will begin India’ s new odyssey,
And inspire coming generations, a pride of memory.
One day there was a great teacher who had many followers. He was known for his wise attitude but like every human, he was getting old. He was starting to get sick, real sick; sick to the point that he couldn't wake up by himself. The wise teacher thought about all his followers and called his best three.
"My time here is limited and I need a successor to take care of my followers."
The best three felt so sad, knowing that they were going to lose their master.
Then, the teacher continued.
"I'm going to choose one of you to become my successor. But first, I want to ask the three of you one question. The one with the wisest answer will become my successor!"
The three followers became nervous about what the question might be.
Then the old teacher asked, "If there were a couple that loved each other but they seemed not to get along so well…"
The followers started to imagine what their master was describing.
"And the question is: At what point should they separate?"
The three followers started to think. They seemed confused until their master continued:
"Tonight, when the moon in the sky is right over the top of my head, all three of you will have to come with your answer. Now go and search for the right answer!"
Finally, it was time for the three followers to meet with their master and deliver their answers.
"Have you all found your answer yet?" asked the master.
"Yes master," said the followers.
"Okay, give me your answer and explain it."
The first follower began to speak. "The point that they should separate is when one human feels they don't have enough chemistry left with his or her mate. Why? Because I think that humans can live happily, and without a nightmare in their life, when they start being honest with one another. That's my answer, master."
"Good. Next!"
The second follower began to talk. "I think that they should separate when they don't feel comfortable with each other. They are in love but if they can't get along so well it is useless. I think that a couple can last long if they can understand each other and they feel comfortable with each other."
"Humph, great… really great!"
The last follower began to speak. "I have a different opinion than these two friends of mine, master, but I am a little shy and afraid to say it."
The master replied, "Yes, you are the most shy but you made the best three. Please, I'd like to hear your answer."
"Okay, master, as you wish. At what point should they separate? Mmmm…NEVER. Why? Because you said that they love each other. To me that means if they already love each other, they already understand each other, they are already comfortable with each other and because they already love each other, they will go through everything together even they can't get along so well. LOVE is the most powerful thing that humans have and it can defeat anything."
The wise man's eyes begin to fill with tears. He looked at the shy follower and said, "Even your answer is more beautiful than mine."
When I got home that night, as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, "I've got something to tell you."
She sat down and ate quietly. I observed the hurt in her eyes.
Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking.
"I want a divorce."
I raised the topic calmly.
She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, "Why?"
I avoided her question. This made her angry.
She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, "You are not a man!"
That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage but I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer.
She had lost my heart to Jane.
I didn't love my wife anymore. I just pitied her!
With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement, which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.
She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger.
I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said, for I loved Jane so dearly.
Finally my wife cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of a divorce, which had obsessed me for several weeks, seemed to be firmer and clearer now.
The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to bed and fell asleep very fast because I was tired, after an eventful day with Jane.
When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and went to sleep again.
In the morning she presented her divorce conditions. She didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested for the one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible.
Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.
This was agreeable to me but she had something more. She asked me to recall how I had carried her into our bridal room, on our wedding day.
She requested that every morning, for the month's duration, I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door.
I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable, I accepted her odd request.
I told Jane about my wife's odd divorce condition. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd.
"No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce," she said scornfully.
My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy.
Our son clapped behind us, "Daddy is holding Mommy in his arms."
His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms.
She closed her eyes and said softly, "Don't tell our son about the divorce."
I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.
On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more; there were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her.
For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.
On the third day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.
On the fourth and fifth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this.
It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.
My wife was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one.
Then she sighed, "All my dresses have grown bigger."
I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin. That was the reason why I could carry her more easily.
Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.
Our son came in at the moment and said, "Dad, it's time to carry Mom out."
To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute.
I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day but her much lighter weight made me sad.
On the last day, when I held her in my arms, I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school.
I held her tightly and said, "I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy."
I drove to office and then jumped out of the car swiftly, without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind.
I walked upstairs.
Jane opened the door and I said to her, "Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore."
She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead.
"Do you have a fever?" she said.
I moved her hand off my head.
"Sorry, Jane," I said. "I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day, I am supposed to hold her until death do us part."
Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.
At the floral shop, on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card.
I smiled and wrote, "I'll carry you out every morning until death do us part."
That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands and a smile on my face. I ran upstairs only to find my wife in the bed - dead.
My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was too busy with Jane to even notice.
My wife knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from whatever negative reaction that might come from our son, in case we pushed through with the divorce. At least, in the eyes of our son, I was a loving husband.
Morale of the story:The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, or the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves.
So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!
Please consider sharing this story. If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you. If you do, you just might save a marriage.
Remember: Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. And for those of us not married, we can learn the art of sticking together with our relationship partner, despite the odds. You are both stronger than the odds, only when you agree to stick together.
