By:SYED Mustafa Ahmad
The writer is from Hajibagh, Budgam* Since time immemorial, it is a well-established fact that there is a wide difference between the way things appear and the way they are in reality. An apparent thing must have concealed many secrets in itself. A glittering object should not be like as it appears. The shiny surface of a river may contain filth in the bottom. The scintillating water of a lake can deceive a person in a broad daylight. It may contain dirt at the bottom that is unpleasant in nature. A person with a charming personality, can have a wolf’s heart, while a person, having wasp in his or her voice, can possess a soft heart. A beautiful garden may have poisonous weeds while a barren land may contain the beautiful and colorful flowers. If this is the case then there should be some criteria for judging things. What are those parameters that should be kept in mind? How can a person lift the veil from things that are good looking? If we delve deeper into this, there are chances that we can reach the bottom of a thing. So, what are the parameters to be followed? Let us discuss some of these. First is to know one’s destination. If one’s destination is hereafter, he or she will reflect over each and every thing. He will prepare accordingly for this. Any person or thing that looks like helping your cause, may not actually be. He will judge the person’s or a thing’s reality, by taking many factors into consideration. A person’s sweet talk will have no effect upon you because you know that this sweet talk is not going to help me in any way. The person’s only motive is materialism but my way entitles me to desire for the material things in a limited manner. Materialism is for me but I am for something else. The Sun, the Moon, the mountain ranges, the beautiful landscapes, etc., are helpful for me in the sense if they help me in reaching my destination. If not, then these things are not of any use for me. I will look for darkness that can be beneficial to me and help me in achieving what I desire for. This is the first step of this process. So, one should tread on this path very carefully. Second is what the real meaning of life is. Is life about enjoying blindly or is it about pondering over the necessity of creation?This paves the way for understanding the God’s plan of creation. In this way, things will become quite apparent. If God has created things minutely, we should also look at things minutely. The difference in living of the different communities should open the doors for deep insight. When life is to introspect, there is no chance of loving the material things and let the line of demarcating the things get blurred. Third is what the real nature of things is. If things are temporary in nature, there should be no concern for their absence while the things that are permanent in nature, should always be cherished. The Sun, the Moon, the Earth, etc., are temporary. They shouldn’t be loved permanently. For a time period, they have been gifted to us one day will come when there will remain nothing. So, it is no sensibility to mix real and unreal with each other. When things are ephemeral in nature, why to blur the line of differentiation between right and wrong. In the present world, the line of demarcation has blurred a lot. There should be difference between appearance and reality. It can help us in getting something good out of all the things. It needs both collective as well as individual approaches. If we use our faculties of life, we can be able to differentiate real from unreal. The ball is in our court to do it. Let us not deceive ourselves more and more and make a decision between the two. Let us not deceive ourselves with mere appearances.
