To fly...

To be frank, I’ll give anything to be able to fly. 

Spread my arms and take off into the heaven. It would be a wonderful feeling to be looking down at cities and people and roads and little bodies of water. I will probably chase after a group of bird flying ahead in V-formation and then draw back to laugh excitedly about my new found ability.

I think what makes flying so appealing is that sense of freedom that it conjures, a removal of boundaries –no need for a visa or ticket to go from one region to the other, no queues to be stuck in as I wait to board the plane, only time becomes my obstacle as I move from one point to the other. That, in itself, opens up a million possibilities. I can almost be like Superman, without super strength, of course. But then, I can save a child from a fire, bring down the cat from a tree to the delight of an old lady, and deal with some annoying bullies that pester frightened kids in school.

But one cannot fly forever.

At some point, you have to land, almost with a bump, on solid ground. And then, you have to wait in line at a fast food joint, get a visa so you are not breaking any laws, deal with bullies you cannot overcome – and deal with life.

Sometimes, being able to fly would be an escape that is all too easy for the timid. The freedom that must be pursued should be that of the mind, unfettered and unchained to be all that it can be. It is then that the quote makes sense ‘though my body is bound, my heart soars with the eagles’. The truth is, we are all bound. Bound in bodies that house the real us, we must live life through the manacles that are our bodies, our synaptic bonds, our desires, our social conditioning, our fears – and we cannot fly away…yet. We must learn courage because it is doing a great deed though facing lack and fear that makes a man courageous. We must learn patience and relate to one another, even respecting the unique chains that shape each of us.

But then, we shall not always sleep. Nay, we shall not all sleep.

We shall be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when imperfection puts on perfection. It is then we realise that in our joys and accomplishments, the dull ache that was always underneath was our unconscious realisation of our lack of perfection and acceptance that there is a ‘more’ that can never be found in this world.

And then, when that happens, it will not be cowardice…to fly.

 And this time, on this side of life, there will be no landing…