Jump

It started when he was reasonably fed (with food, elementary education and pressure) to tone his tiny steps strong enough to embark the uphill expedition.

He didn't know nothing more than the fact that like everyone else, he is supposed to walk, to climb. It was funny - There was no finish line, there was no prize to finish first, there was no shortest path, there was no punishment to finish late, there was no speed limit, there were no pit stops, there was everybody. It was possibly the most crowded game. He started. While climbing - He made friends with ones climbing at his pace - till they climbed at his pace, fought with the pushy ones, fell in love with the pretty ones, cried when it was steep, smiled when he ambled, laughed when he rolled, ate and drank, smoked and flew, sometimes more, sometimes slow. Well it was quite some time, when he forgot he was climbing. It became way of life. It was meant to be there - sun or no sun, heat or shower. It slipped his mind and he continued. He continued. He continued till after some more time, when probably he got bored of not thinking - something struck him. It was surely serendipity. He saw everyone was trotting the most crowded path. He flew in his imagination and when he saw underneath, he found various different multitude of climbers spilled over here and there. He could not find anyone walking alone. Either there were none or they took some other path or they walked fast as they would walk at their pace. It was so claustrophobic to see everyone getting drawn in towards themselves. There was an unseen cohesive force pulling everyone - he immediately saw it as the unquestioned force blinding everyone of direction, path, pace and purpose. He suddenly remembered it was a climb. There should be a purpose. He got scared. Scared of losing out on time, of losing the purpose, of getting lost in the crowd. He revolted in his mind. That day, he knew nothing else than the fact that now, he will walk away from the blinding crowd. He didn't know what path to take but he knew what path not to take. He tried and tried and finally freed himself from that crowd. A whiff of fresh air, a relief, because it was different.

He loved walking away from that crowd and of course had more time to himself. He liked the openness and felt more space. It wasn't too late that yet another observation struck his mind like lightening. Why was no body coming back? Where was everyone going? How long it was? The fear and chill he experienced that day was like none that he had felt or heard of. He was alone and he was scared. He knew the only thing that could put him on rest was finding answers to these trivia which never struck him. On one hand, he was angry of not realizing the importance of these questions till now - on the other he was happy of at least discovering them now. He could sense entropy in his gait. He was surely concerned. He was faster. He was looking "up" now. Man! that day till yesterday - many days expired in between - the rush didn't go down, the concern only increased. He asked all those few that he overtook. He also detoured to ask others whose speed was renowned. Damn, entropy just increased. But there was something so fucking unique that happened yesterday.

He reached the top. Yes. He reached the top. He felt so accomplished. He closed his eyes and the crazy movie started. The title was "Life" and The protagonist was "He". Fuck - what was happening? All the scenes were heedfully placed in chronologically reverse order. Damn - it was the backward story of the climb from yesterday till the day he embarked the climb. It was insane. It was a summary at its best. It showed him so much. It started from oblivion - He trying to seek answers to the obvious questions. Zipppp! The movie finished- Again at the oblivion - He taking his first step without knowing nothing more than the fact that he was supposed to climb. His eyes were open now. There was no chill, no freaky reflex erection of hair on his body, no fear, no entropy. There was peace, there was summary, there was a complete picture. He was today cool - As cool as stoned on hashish from Malana. This was it. It was life and it is still life. It was learning and it is still a learning. It was the journey and it is still a journey. All he accomplished through his life till today through the sun and shower, with the crowd and himself, while uphill and downhill, when he fought and while he loved, through the peace and with entropy was right in front of him. It was all the preparation. It was absolutely needed to take him to the top. And today was the day to decide the real life. Today was the day to decide what next! He could see each and every fucking possible option right in front of him. There was a 360 degrees view. Each degree full of options. Today he could either again take a life to evaluate and decide what to do next, which degree will be longest fall, will be wealthiest fall, will be the "best" fall; and keep rotating on the top; or else, he could today JUMP. Jump like a free falling "man", in the direction where his heart is - without any fear and randomness of the length and wealth of fall. Today, he could now live.

"As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters" - Seneca