A Bend in the River of Life

by Budh Aditya Roy

  By definition, Human Component should be considered as the most important component of the River of Life because without man the River of Life cannot even be contemplated. The River of Life is all about human life, the way the human beings conduct themselves in the daily discharge of their duties and responsibilities within the guidelines of fairplay, but under the commanding, controlling, regulating and restraining influences of the Invisible Component. It implies that though God created man in His own image, He did not want to give unfettered freedom to man in the daily conduct of his life. To be crystal clear, though without the Human Component the River of Life cannot even exist, it plays a subordinate role to the Invisible Component simply because God Himself plays an overwhelming role in the guise of the Invisible Component. Naturally, God’s supremacy should be unquestionable at all times.

  Yet the human life, which is but the breath of God, was not created unpremeditated. To begin with, the Divine Wisdom crafted the planet earth with meticulous details creating its environmental conditions not only conducive to sustain life but also to help it flourish. This environmental condition on earth was not created in isolation. It was connected by design to the solar system. Sunlight is a prerequisite for the creation and preservation of life. The moon exerts influence on the oceans and waterways on earth as well as on human mind. Astrology tells us how stars have overpowering effects on the destiny of mankind. It is, therefore, logical that the whole gamut of nature, i.e. the wind, the water and the echo system of the earth and the extra-terrestrial bodies like the sun, the moon and the stars that touch life, play a central role in the functioning of the River of Life. For instance, without the wind, the water and the sun rays life would not exist, what to talk of the River of Life?

  In other words, the River of Life is not just the endless procession of human lives; it is the creationism at its supreme best that links up God’s greatest creation man to cosmos through the solar system. Therefore, it may be postulated that the River of Life is a carefully choreographed and orchestrated symphony of the complex interactions of billions of stars and planets casting their influence on billions of lives inhabiting the planet earth. All these are interwoven in patterns and sequences so complex that one misstep might result in cataclysmic collapse of the whole Creation. Nonetheless, since that collapse has not occurred in billions of years, it only points out to the uncanny precision and flawless craftsmanship of the Creator, which has eliminated all the missteps and would continue to do so forever.

  The River of Life was artfully designed on the basis of a handful cardinal truths, namely, Birth, Death, Relationships, Inaccessible Future, Inevitable Contrasts and Invariable Repetitions. The Creator in His unfathomable Wisdom will always keep an absolute, unwavering, non-negotiable and uncompromising control on these invariable fundamentals on which hinges the lever of the River of Life. For all the variables, which are also necessary ingredients and concomitants for the perfect functioning of the River of Life, man has been bestowed with the mind and intellect and the freedom to exercise his best judgment. There are no right or wrong judgments, but only alternatives. A judgment that appears to be perfect in one circumstance might be utterly inappropriate in any other circumstances. Most importantly, there is no visible higher authority on earth to judge the judgments of the human beings in their daily conduct of life. There are only judgments and consequences.

  Not all that happens in the River of Life is exactly as expected. What could happen in it may be generally hoped for but how and when they would happen and who might or might not be the beneficiaries of those happenings would never be known beforehand and even during their occurrences would not always conclude as visualized till the last moment. Rana’s own life is the reflection of that truth. Most of the significant events that have changed the course of his life or afflicted him immensely have occurred without any prior knowledge or without adequate notice. The separation of his parents at his tender age when his mother was untruthfully declared dead at an era and place where divorce or separation was few and far between; the partition of his ancestral country with many thousand years of history on communal lines; his family’s flight to safety leaving behind substantial inheritances; the unconventional manner in which he obtained his job; his tradition breaking marriage; shocking early demise of his wife; his subsequent romances which supposedly took place only because of the passing of his beloved wife leaving him desolate and forlorn; his string of international postings at places never imagined before –all these happened either without any foreknowledge or not as expected. Yet they happened and changed his life and that of his children and their future offspring forever. Had it not been for his transfer to Miami, or his assignment in Buenos Aires to manage a serious financial crisis involving Latin America, Smita would not be in Buenos Aires to have Carlos as her boyfriend and subsequently her husband. Occurrences of these unpredictable nature whether personal, political, national or international have far-reaching implications that keep changing the composition and fabric of the River of Life at every instant without the mankind realizing it a wee bit.

  Smita all but walked out on her father, leaving him shattered and desolate. She was the apple of Rana’s eyes, especially because she never knew her mother. Her birth was intertwined with her mother’s passing. Rana was always apprehensive that Smita would have a huge void in her life that would be difficult to bridge. He was conscious of the depth of her sorrow since the time she began to understand the circumstances of her birth. Instances like that were few and far between in human history. Only those who were in her position might substantially perceive her mental woes, but not all of it. For every situation is different, crafted with adroit uniqueness. To alleviate Smita and Saurav’s emptiness somewhat, Rana dreamt of giving them opportunities that eluded him at their age. For that reason, he never expected that the complex questions that remained unresolved in Smita’s mind would drive her to embark upon such precipitous steps that would cause excruciating mental agony to her dad, for she knew from the heart of her heart how dearly her dad loved her. It was not that she was not expected to leave her father’s abode ever. From the inception of the River of Life it was universally accepted and rightfully ritualized that daddy’s little girl would grow up one day, would be given in marriage, would go to husband’s home and make a family. That was how the River of Life was designed with intricate craftsmanship to maintain its vigor and drive in a disciplined manner and to keep flowing forever to its fleeting destiny, the ever inscrutable Eternity. What, however, was expected in this instance as in all other instances was that the marriage would take place in the natural process, in an orderly fashion, at an appropriate time, when Smita would acquire adequate education and experience in life. At the age of eighteen one could hardly exercise one’s matured judgment and educated discretion.

  In his effort to determine what went wrong, Rana perceived that Smita revolted against her dad for supposedly not devoting enough time to her and Saurav in their childhood. Or, he deliberated, she might have developed a sense of despair that daddy was heartless and uncaring for toward her in deciding to move back to Miami lock, stock and barrel, jeopardizing her endearing relationship with Carlos. Little could she imagine that even daddy was obligated to carry out the instructions of his employers. Nevertheless, Rana discerned whatever might be the reason for Smita’s apparent defiance, for him alternatives were not many and the results might have been infinitely worse resorting to any other alternatives. Despite all the sentimental soul searching for what went wrong with Smita, the River of Life would not refrain from flowing incessantly to its distant destiny. The perceived rebellion of Smita was not the first in the River of life; nor will it be the last.

  The ultimate truth is, irrespective of human judgments and their consequences the River of Life will keep flowing relentlessly. It had done so infinite years before Rana came to play his role in it and will continue to do so infinite years after his departure from its bosom. No one knows the beginning of the River of Life
and no one will see the end. Eternity is perceived to be its source and it can be inferred on the basis of the empirical studies that Eternity is going to be its destiny. From Eternity it emerged, to Eternity it is destined to merge.

  Eternity is an unimaginable, incomprehensible, vast, limitless and ever extending circle of expanse as time goes on. The River of Life, though immense in human eyes is rather a tiny arc in this endless circle, spanning a relatively short period, stretching from time memorial to time imaginable, shifting forward with the passage of time like the shifting sands on the sea shore.

  When time comes for Rana to cross that bridge between this life and the next, all his memories of this life will be obliterated. He will leave behind for Saurav and Smita all his peace and possessions, his hopes and dreams, his joys and sorrows, his triumphs and tragedies and begin his new roleplay elsewhere in God’s kingdom with a clean slate, in a new content, with a new mind and a new film of memory. In his new identity he would recognize Saurav and Smita no more. When their turn comes, they will also cross that bridge, passing on their material and intellectual properties to their offspring. They will also play their new role in their new abode, in the new garb and new identity. This was how the River of Life was scripted and no matter what, from life to life and from birth to birth it will flow on inexorably through its meandering course; rising above and beyond the towering achievements and abysmal failures of mankind; staying detached from their pleasure and pain; scaling the hills and mountains; skirting the seas and oceans; winding past the woods and lakes; dancing down the dales and valleys; weaving its pattern and murmuring its way to its nimble destiny, the ever ephemeral Eternity.

  THE END