Life and Ladder

Life is like a vertical ladder. Imagine a ladder firmly placed on the ground, standing vertically with its other end going beyond the clouds into the sky. People hand onto each step of that ladder. The steps are moving continuously as it moves in an escalator towards the sky. Those who are having enough wealth are like people hanging onto the steps with both hands and the steps are ergonomically designed for them. People with little wealth are like people hanging onto the ladder with only one hand or hanging on to crooked steps and struggling. Wealthy people also can’t hold onto the comforting steps for ever without pain. The difference is the pain is lesser than the pain of a poor person.

People dependent on others don’t hang on the steps but they hang on to the people who are hanging onto the steps.

The more people dependent on you the more difficult it gets for you to keep hanging onto the ladder. People who lose their life due to unnatural reason are like people who fall down unable to hold on to the steps anymore. People who, despite so many things pulling them down, continue to hold onto the steps keep moving towards the sky as the steps keep moving. Once they reach the top most point they enter into a different world. May be they change ladders or there are no more ladders we don’t know.

Children hang on to their parents till they become capable to hanging on to the steps themselves. Parents get pulled down by their children’s weight. They not only should support themselves but they should support their children as well. They bear it and continue to hang on to the steps. Through this pain they also try to find a comfortable step for their child to hang on to. They try to come down to the child's level to help the child out. Once the child gets its own step the gap between the child and the parent increases as nature keeps moving the parents faster than the child. The child just watches its parents moving up and up and disappearing into the vast sky. When that happens you realise you yourself are very near to the sky. Some unfortunate people watch their loved ones falling down before reaching the sky.

The person who just got a job is like a person who just got himself a step to hang on to. Always remember the moment you get a step of your own people will start to hang on to you and you have to bear their weight as well.

Imagine it. People hanging on to the ladder, holding it tightly. The more you have to hang onto it the more it is painful. People who travelled by suburban trains in Chennai hanging on to the doors will know what the pain is. After few minutes your hands will start to ache. It will beg for mercy. Sometimes we will find a stronger person giving us a support. Then our pain reduces. That’s what happens in life. People get tired by hanging on to those steps. Parents get tired. When the children find their own steps and if they start supporting their parents by giving them a lift from below the parents will feel a comfort. The pain reduces.

One thing is for sure. The pain only reduces it never disappears.