Love Lost

"A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave" - M.K. Gandhi

We humans, though considered a highly evolved species, are the least evolved when it comes to love. Either we have not understood what it is to love and be in love or we have not experienced love at all. Either we have people crying and dying over lost love, or we have people killing others for love.These are the extreme cases but in most normal beings, love is just a measurement about how much (s)he have done for the other, which is to say how far the other one has gone to keep the partner/lover happy. Me included. This holds true for all the other relations as well. But the past year and few amazing people have changed my perspective. Love is about graciousness and love is only about giving. We give to everyone, but with the expectation of receiving. Love is that which is beyond all boundaries. Love gives compassion and love brings joy in surrendering.
Today, while having lunch, I saw 3 birds perched on the roof of a building nearby and on close observation I noticed that one of them was struggling with its feet as it was hurt. Immediately 2 other birds flew next to the first and started licking the bruise and did so for a very long time. Soon after, 1 flew away and came back after a few moments with something to eat. It gave it to the first bird again licked his bruise for somemore time. Now the bird started hopping and seemed to be capable of handling itself. Satisfied, they flew off into the distance. This scene was so divine that it left me speechless. Sitting there I realised how minuscule we are in our feelings towards the others and how much I learnt from 3 little birds  which were non-existent for me a while ago, and how larger than life they had suddenly become and how small and thoughtless I was. Was there anything that bird expected in return for the compassion shown? That tiny creature had a tiny heart and yet made of gold.

At the same time a colleague of mine and I were discussing love and expectations built around it. Somehow while talking to him I felt that we have succeeded not only in adulterating nature but also all the purest forms of emotions available by nature. We call ourselves a social animal and take pride in the way we are civilized and socialized. But are we really? We have only tried our best to keep our footing in the so called "society" by behaving how others want us to and being what we are actually not. In doing so, we are becoming so focussed towards pleasing the others eye that we are actually becoming downtrodden in the way we feel or think towards the same person or anybody else.We feel and care too much about the societial norms and some pre-defined rules but the basics are long gone and forgotten.
When we were animals we knew to survive and while it was survival of the fittest we also were ferociously guarding and protecting our herd, but now being a social animal where is our herd and what are we protecting? Except for all the glossiness in our lives we have nothing to hang on to or call our own. And all because we have lost the love that was once ours.

Title borrowed from Ravi Warrier