The other day Aab was sitting in a park. The sun was probably setting over the horizon, but the tall and closely built buildings do not allow city people to watch this beautiful daily phenomenon. In fact, Aab often wonders why, long after structures have been built and occupied, they are still referred to as “building” when they should have been labeled as “built.” Maybe it is the intense desire of humans to go on building material things into their life.
In fact, there were many varying thoughts in Aab’s mind as he sat that evening on a concrete bench. In front of him was a beautiful little park, manicured lawns, small flowering plants, and neatly laid out pathways for walkers and joggers. Right behind him was the cacophony of shops and offices, the evening rush hour traffic, with vehicles jostling for space, and humans in a perpetual hurry. Then Aab looked up, and saw voluminous grey clouds lumbering lazily over the vast sky, slowly changing its colour from blue to darker and darker shades of grey. Then Aab looked down near his feet. There was a long line of black ants forming a winding line and rapidly walking with little white pieces, perhaps of sugar, in their mouths. There were no traffic jams and no ant was overtaking another. These four completely different worlds were visible to Aab from the same bench where he sat. They co-existed, and Aab considered himself lucky that he could watch all of them together.
But the scene made Aab very sad – because he realized that he belongs to that species which refuses to merge with nature, and to live in harmony with it. He saw the meaningless pressures of the commercial world behind him, and wondered what they were all gaining. He felt sad that he was not a cloud, a blade of glass, or an ant. But then his face lit up. He saw right in front of him, a tiny toddler scampering on the lawn, rolling and jumping, running in all directions, and thoroughly enjoying himself oblivious of everyone around him. Seeing him, Aab realized that as he passes away, he is leaving behind the innocence of the newborn human, a fresh gift from nature or God, to replenish the incorrigible and senseless adults.
