The joy of meetings

Not the ones at work. Well, they can be joyful too at times but aren’t my focus for today…

I mean the times we meet with old friends and how those moments bring us joy.

This weekend, as I spent time in between two office trips, I caught up with a few old friends.

I was meeting one of them after more than five years, so it was obviously nice meeting each other after so long.

And while I had met the other three more recently, they stay outside India and hence it isn’t possible for us to meet often, so I was glad I could make it happen.

Each of these meetings lasted for a couple of hours only but I received so much warmth and happiness from them that it felt like we had spent a lot of time together.

We didn’t do something specifically to have that fun. We didn’t need to. We just sat down, chatted about random topics, shared about our lives and what we have been up to, and enjoyed each other’s company.

It felt like old times because even though we met after a gap, our connection remains strong and there was genuine interest to meet.

There was also mutual appreciation of having taken the time and effort to meet up and we wanted to make the most of it. So, the chats were involved and personal, just like it should be with friends.

Earlier this year, I had met three other close friends after a while. And had similar observations and experience.

I guess it is because all of these were meetings with long time friends, and we genuinely wanted to meet, we took time to enjoy each other’s company. But I am sure that even if we meet frequently, that joy will still remain.

Because after all, long time friendships are what stand apart even in today’s hustle culture. And remind you of who you really are…

“Breaking up”

No, I am not only talking about the kinds that come to our mind immediately…

Well, matters of the heart between two lovers are of course a much more difficult topic to deal with. A subject that can be written about endlessly and has been explored in depth by much more accomplished writers and thinkers.

So, the only thing I would like to mention on that aspect is that we have increasing rates and decreasing remorse. Something, that shows either we are becoming more experimental by nature or that we are becoming more intolerant.

But I am more interested in talking about the general culture of breaking up. Something that’s quite visible these days.

These are break-ups between friends, between siblings, between parents and children – human bonds which seemed made on another planet.

We as a society and as humans are drifting apart. In our thoughts. In our minds. In our behavior. And in our actions. We are becoming more intolerant of other views. Of other’s perspectives. And of other’s preferences.

And that is leading to breakage of long-held bonds!

Friends don’t talk to each other over a small skirmish and give up on that friendship that they held close to their heart for so long. Or they hold that grudge and increase the distance between each other, giving up on the string that pulled them both through laughter and sadness. Without realizing if it was worth it.

Siblings have always fought. Specially so in their childhood. But now they are fighting way too often over frivolous things, while being grown ups. Which ought not to matter so much in the grander scheme of life. But matters for some strange reason in that ephemeral moment when they must prove that their argument holds more weight. And then post that moment, the only way ahead between them is down.

Even parents and children are growing apart in some cases, which is quite shocking. May be due to mismatched expectations and thoughts or due to the age/cultural differences with the idea of living life on one’s own terms. Now, that’s a bond that forever existed and will continue to be and breaking up isn’t even an option. But then, such is life and we definitely have the capacity to surprise ourselves as people. So instead of talking things through with each other, we hold it in our heart and let it play with our mind.

These things I am talking about aren’t a figment of my imagination. They are happening around me and I am writing this with pain in my heart on having witnessed some of these situations first-hand.

We celebrate these relationships and friendships with special days. And yet, there are so many of us who aren’t going to celebrate knowing someone, somewhere. Because, well, we decided to break up!!!