It’s an amazing thing about us humans, we can think, we can understand, we can very effectively overcome our pains and challenges, we can learn so many new things and develop in a way that has been unseen. I am always of the opinion that people should be open to learn and grow more. Just when one thinks he/she knows just enough that is needed, something new comes up and it can surprise in a completely new manner.
There is a difference of world apart in realising how little you know and believing you know a lot. There are truly remarkable people whose brain are a treasure trove of knowledge and wisdom, people look up to them, admire them and then there are those ‘the ones with the claim’, they surely know things, but their scope of vision is very limited and their perception of themselves is quite high, maybe higher than what they are able to see over.
Anmol was having a cup of tea, after returning from work. He was tired, but this cup of tea gave a sense of relief from all that. It gave the mind that little bit of push to carry on for a few more moments.
He looked up at his cousin Girish who had come to visit. Girish was older to him and Anmol liked him, because Girish was caring and always carried that air of being the older brother.
When we are fairly young, a bit less knowing, a bit more innocent, lacking enough understanding or confidence to debate with someone older than us, this is usually the point of time we tend to agree with almost any close person especially if that person is older to us. This may however seem unrelatable in the world today where you see young boys and girls barely in 4-5TH grade, arguing with their parents and even screaming, I honestly wish I don’t have to see if a human-made social disaster is coming in future.
Anmol was meeting Girish after seven years and a lot had changed since then; Anmol had grown quite a bit even further due to some several life changing events but Girish had remained mostly the same. After all this time Girish had come to meet a different Anmol than before.
Girish had a side to his nature, it formed the primary part of his nature actually. He was very religious; it was fairly common in the city from where he came. There is no harm in being at a certain depth in the religious world, I have seen people who have completely turned themselves and their lives around for good with the positivity of being religious. But then there are people like Girish, who tend to believe that their religious belief and dedication is a validation for them being special, them being blessed with a vision superior to others, believing what they know can only be superseded by someone who was at higher depth in the same field.
So Girish had a belief that he knew a lot, maybe that is the person he saw in the mirror and he saw perhaps a bit more than what was needed, something completely away from the relatable, like ‘keep no buckets empty in the house, keep them filled with water or the family will have financial struggles’, yes, a lot of such things comprised the major portion of his learning.
Anmol, seven years back had not shown any opposition listening to them or even following some of them, but now things were different. Anmol was almost at the end of the tea in the cup and he looked at Girish and smiled while forming in his mind the words he would finally utter when Girish would come up with another of his profound guidance.
Written by Anuran Chatterji
Early Morning Memories 
One response to “The Profound”
This is a thoughtful and engaging reflection. I particularly appreciated the contrast you draw between genuine wisdom and the illusion of knowing everything. The idea that true growth begins when we recognize how much there is still to learn is both timeless and profound.
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