It must have been the bright sunshine that woke me up this morning. Or the cackle of rooster near my window. Or the warmth and smell of my own pillow. Whatever, I stretched up and yawned, and rushed out of my room.
From the open door of our house, I studied the morning. The sunlight was brilliant, turning everything it touched into gold – the trees, leaves, ground, walls, especially the tin roofs and metal objects. The air was hot but gentle. Except for the restrained music from the neighborhood, there was peace. And despite the peace, everything was alive; and in silence, they were celebrating the day.
Or so I thought. For after a while, an unhappy sight passed before me. An older boy was pedaling a bicycle with a “sidecar” while on the seat, the younger one was shouting “Bote, bakal!” They were not only buying bottles or metals, but as well as newspapers and usable plastics, to be resold to a junk shop for a few coins per kilogram. To see children working for a living is a pity. And from afar, a group of children were playing, chasing one another, clapping, their laughter echoing through the air. It was even more disheartening.
Only then I noticed the cracked pots, the dried ground, the stink of the canals, the rusts and the decays. Despite the sunshine, there were shadows. There were noise and odor and roughness and chaos. Amidst all the beauty, there was unpleasantness.
It was a funny but sad realization – that opposites coexist. They always work together, they happen simultaneously, they live with each other. While we are enjoying day right now, the other half of the whole is covered in darkness. While petals bloom to receive the insects in the yard, somewhere, flowers are crushed by some cruel hands. While the neighborhood is busy preparing breakfast, somewhere, people have none to eat. Somewhere, what represents the contrary exists.
Human is not an exception. Though we may seem the happiest person on earth, somewhere in our hearts, there dwell sorrows and longings. Though we may have the most noble and cleanest intentions towards others, somewhere in our minds, we have self-serving motives. Though we may build up the best façade, somewhere, there is a crumbling spirit. Like they always say, there are two sides to things.
Yes, there are two sides to things. But we can always choose what to believe, what to accept, and what to live by…
