Uniqueness

Sorry to take a quick break from i-poems series, “The Unsaid”. As the situations turned out to be, I have been presented with a surprise gift by someone, the wonderful header which could be seen on my blog, unique and individual. Uniqueness, what is it? How can one achieve it? Here is a story that explains it.  

Once, the prince of Travancore met his teacher at the teacher’s residence. The royal student wanted to know how to achieve uniqueness of personality. He asked: “Teacher, can you suggest a place where I can live alone for some years in solitude, secluded from others, so that I could develop a unique personality and can eliminate the edgy side in me.”

The astonishment of the teacher creased furrows on his forehead. “I am sorry prince, I am afraid I cannot be able to tell you about such a place.” He said.

“But why?” asked the prince in a slight state of shock.

“Because there is no such place on the earth, where you can be alone in absolute seclusion. Nearness by people is a mental state. Even if you are alone, you will be surrounded by the people you know, in your memory. And it cannot be undone until you learn your unique personality.” The teacher said in an understanding tone.

 “But respected teacher, how can I attain uniqueness of personality specific for kings, by spending my life among ordinary people?” The prince asked in confusion.

“My dear prince,” the teacher said consoling the prince by placing his arm around his shoulder, “you can never learn uniqueness of personality by secluding yourself from the world. It is the world and its conglomerate influences that make you unique and special of an individual. Being a butterfly is better than being a drop of colour spilled from an artist’s brush.” The prince looked at the teacher for a long time. And then smiled and said, “I wanted to tell you something.”

 

The teacher’s face again widened with astonishment.

“I am friends with some hard working and honest young men. We are good friends, and I want them to help me in ruling my nation when I become the king. The only problem is that they belong to a lower cast. After your answer, I am sure that my decision is the right one. And my kingdom would prosper in our combined efforts. Thank you teacher.” This time it was the teacher’s turn to look up at his student.

Just like the teacher in this story, my life also taught me one thing, personal uniqueness or individuality as we usually put it, comes from a complex combination of different experiences. It’s like life impersonating teachers sometimes.

My blog The Indian Commentator is proud today to have an individual look with its new header design. The design is created by Terri Gauthier of BloomingideasMI, a blog solely dedicated to her artistic universe. She is a part of my family, my spiritual mentor and my friend. She gave this design to me as a gift. I thank Tia Terri, for this present which is a wonderful creation of artistic elegance.

You can visit her blog here and enjoy her works of art with opportunity to purchase them if you are interested. With her support, my blog looks more individual and unique, just like a butterfly, with its manifold colours giving it the unique personality.