Life is a circus

[JUSTIFY]I had never seen a circus until after I got married in 1983. When my wife suggested that she wanted to revisit a circus that came to Chennai, I was very happy because that was my first opportunity to go to a circus. She is still surprised that I never saw a circus for 29 years of my life. I lived in Adyar for many years and I never saw the famous banyan tree which is located inside the Theosophical Society. Even in the US, many people ask me how come I had not seen Taj Mahal even though I was born and raised in India. I don’t bother to answer that question as no American can understand how we struggled to educate ourselves within the means of parents and come up in life those days.


That is not the purpose of this blog as I intend to discuss about my experience of watching the circus for the first time. Like any show, the best is always reserved for last of the program to keep the crowd intact. One of the characters that impressed me a lot is a Buffoon in the circus. His job was to keep everyone laughing inside the circus tent. The children were so very happy every time he appeared. To my surprise, he almost did everything that others did in the circus effortlessly. Apparently, he is trained in every aspect of the circus but is assigned the job of making everyone laugh during the show. He knew is role very well and kept on doing his job meticulously.


The other thing that impressed me was a guy who came on a motorbike and got inside a sphere and kept making a circular ride inside the sphere. Each time he did one complete circle, he changed direction a little for the next circle. I can’t control my surprised expression watching how effortlessly he changed direction and kept riding the bike effortlessly for several minutes. Finally, he slowed down to stop the bike. He relied on his skill to balance throughout the ride and did flawless circles inside the sphere.


Finally, much awaited program was coordinated. There was a big net that was spread in the ground. There were two women who were holding the hands of two men who were swinging in a bar suddenly left their grip and dived into holding the hands of two other men who were swinging in two other bars. This continued multiple times for nearly 15 minutes. They were diving at a very altitude and sometimes were making acrobatic twists before gripping the hands of the men. When the show was over, we were able to take a deep breath and relax a little bit. We walked away when the show was over.


While driving back, I was thinking about the first ever circus I saw in my life. I was comparing it with the life in front of me. My conscience is like the buffoon in the circus. It knows everything that is happening in my life. It respects my independence but knows all aspects of my life. When called for, my conscience does its role to perfection but it does everything to keep me and others around me happy all the time.


My life is all about balancing all aspects of my life to perfection just as the technician who balanced the motorbike inside the sphere. Like he did, I need to change direction many times during my life but should still have good control on my life. I need to know when to speed up, when to slow down and when to stop. I have to believe in my skills to balance my life and make a sincere effort.


Finally, I need to trust others in the process of leading my life. Nothing works without the trust. I need to extend my hands when others need help and when I need help, I need to ask for it and trust them to help. The life is interdependent and one can’t lead a secluded life without the help and support of other beings around us. We need to respect their skills and their abilities and rely upon them wherever necessary. I walked away from that circus knowing that I need to learn how to use my conscience wherever necessary to make myself happy, remain calm and have self belief to balance my life and finally help others and seek help when necessary understanding that life is interdependent.
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Dear Pallavi,

Thank you for your first feedback again. I felt the same way when I saw the circus for the first time. What an amount of risk they take to make a living. I also feel really sad.

Viswa

 

Dear K2S,

Thank you for visiting this blog and for your valuable comments. You are right about our options are better than the ones in the circus ring. As you said rightly, it is the risk that makes us to learn it quickly.

Viswa

 

Dear Syamala,

Thank you for valuable comments, as always. The life in circus pains me a lot as well. How to lead a life without disrupting the lives of others is an art.

Viswa

 

Dear Anu,

Thank you for reading this blog and for your comments. Your regular visit to my blog makes me feel happy and I always look for your comments.

Viswa

 

Dear Friends,

Thank you K2S, Strangerrr, Pallavi and Anu for liking this blog.

Viswa