Keep Me Burning

Humans are social animals, animals nevertheless. No two people are alike. Some love being the center of the attention, some run from attention of any kind. While both of these moves are absolutely their own choices to which they are entitled, it is also the bad virtue of  humans to judge. We judge the others, the moment we find something dissimilar. We judge, when our ideas don't match, we judge because in our own minds, we know the best. The others are never as important as us, and if they are, the same others would stump us out, the basic nature of us, social animals.

We, in our own little stories, are the flames that give the light to others so that they can see what is going around. In glory, we burn bright, in misery, it seems that life is up against our flames with strong winds, we flicker, but we do survive. Our survival, our stories, our ups and downs are all encompassed in that one little lamp of life, and as long as life goes, we must keep burning.

We don't live alone. Humans have built an entire society to live in and live by, and if some of us just can't go through all the rules of the society, still we are not all alone. We have a close few, who make our life what it is. For others, who are extremely sociable, there are so many, far and wide, a big number of people around. Their life seems to be a party, so bright, so much mirth, fun , laughter and light. When seen closely, we are all lighting our own little corners. With a number of lamps lit together, of course, the scene is bright, and pretty and shimmering with joy. But our close knit groups of lamps look equally beautiful from afar. Most importantly, even if somebody is absolutely lonely, their own light is enough to show path to another, to flame up an entire forest, to give the light of life, to somebody else.

So it is our duty to regularly oil our lamps to keep us burning. Our own, as well as of those who are around us, the lights must shine. We must know what fuels us. Desire is one of the most effective oils. Unless we are driven by a desire, what would we aim for? What would our goals be? Desire is important to burn our own lamps. However the same oil cannot be used to fuel those around us. They need something different.

To light up those around us, there is no better fuel than kindness and compassion. It might take a few minutes of our lives, it might be just a mere few words to us, but we really never know the wonders that could be achieved by a few kind words of compassion and encouragement. Maybe that's all that is needed to guard a flickering lamp facing a strong wind. Maybe, those few words could liven up a dying flame. Truly, there is no bigger joy than to watch someone lighten up with a bit of our own help. Whether they acknowledge it or not, we know what we are capable of.

We often talk about the world being a big bad dark place. If we know the right people, the world doesn't remain so dark anymore. It is important to know who are out there to help us keep our flames bright. It is equally important for us to be one such person, who would keep burning, and help the fellow lamps light up the surroundings. Together, we could never fail to create a bright and beautiful world around us.