Sometimes questions get blurted out, when they are least expected to. MAnvi’s question was one such.

MAnvi: thAthA, we all work on ourselves differently,  isn’t it?

thAthA: Go on, MAnvi. I am sure there is something on your mind.

MAnvi: thAthA, some of us are sure of want we to be and where we want to reach. We work ourselves towards that, picking up the different skills needed for it. Some of us have an idea of where we want to be and how we would like to reach. We keep picking up the skills as we understand ourselves. The time taken for each one of us, to journey towards what we want to be and where we want to reach, is different.. Nothing is slow nor fast.. that depends on how others see it as.. if we are influenced by them, we also see it the way others see it. If we aren’t influenced, we see it the way we want to see it.

thAthA: Interesting, MAnvi. Are there some who may not know what they want to do or where they want to reach?

MAnvi: I don’t think so, thAthA. In my view, everyone knows what they want to do.  They may not articulate it but they keep doing something or the other. The one difference maybe is that when they ‘keep doing something’, the skills they may pick up maybe scattered and not in a direction.

thAthA: MAnvi, what you say makes me imagine three people standing with a chisel in their hand.

The first one has their eyes set on what they want to do and where they want to reach. They are constantly chiseling themselves based on what they see ahead as their destination.

The second one has an idea on what they want to do and where they want to reach. They start chiseling themselves, look around and stop chiseling for a while. They look at themselves and resume chiseling their journey. This cycle continues.

The third one has a chisel in their hand and chisel themselves from time to time.  Their pace and their way of chiseling themselves is different in consistency, certainity and intensity.

MAnvi: thAthA, I cannot but draw a parallel to the way the way they chisel themselves based on what they want to do and where they want to reach. The parallel is – goal setting.

The first person has a goal laid out in front of them. It is as though they know they are made for that. They know what is needed for that goal and they keep chiseling small and big. If their eyes move away from the goal, it is for a short time. They are back at it, soon enough.

The second person has an idea of where and how but not certain of their goal, when they start their journey. They keep chiseling themselves as they experience the environment they are in. Looking ahead at a goal and chiseling themselves, is tough for them. For them it is walking a few steps at a time, stop and chisel and resume their walk. They may move away from their path once in a while, but back to it soon enough.

The third person knows where they want to go but not sure of what they want to reach. The goal isn’t clear and so they keep chiseling at different times, sometimes slowly, sometimes hard and fast. They move away from their path and in their attempt to come back to it, they stop chiseling themselves.

thAthA, to me, each of us are in any one of these people or at times oscillate between any two or more people.

We don’t need to be like another because, when we try to be, the way we chisel may cause a dissonance within ourselves. What is important is our reflection. This would enable us to be aware of who we are, of these people. What we want to do after we are aware, is our choice!!

MAnvi’s thAthA went silent for a few minutes, with images of people with a chisel in their hand and a path ahead of them. As they walked, they chiseled. Each one chiseling at a different pace, different time, different space, in different angles, some chiseling listening more to themselves, some listening more to others, some listening to a constant few.. Some moving away for a short while and returning to their path and some disappearing for quite a long while. He could hear the ‘tak tak tak’ sounds of the chisels, moving away and coming closer. Some at a constant pace and some intermittently.

Slowly the visual changed to that of himself, his chisel and who he was. He could see the path he was traveling in and where he wanted to reach. He saw MAnvi with her chisel in her hand. He knew she was different from him and so was the way she chiseled herself. It was important for him to be who he was and to let her be who she was. If they wanted to chisel differently, that would be each one’s choice!!

Life is all about choosing and choosing wisely!!

Any choice is a wise one, at the time of making it!!