REMINISCE

I am sitting here reminiscing about our past.
How we aspired to be great and looked forward to the bright
future.
That elusive state that filled our minds with hope and kept us
going.
For long, we kept going after it, while it got further away and
eventually slipped out of our hands.
We searched high and low, swore never to give up or surrender.
We forgot to live as we became obsessed with attaining and
acquiring.
We rushed from the orderly and monotony but ended up in peril.
We dug deeper into the insights of our mind but gained nothing
worth our while.
Hard as we laboured, we were always hungry and thirsty; our
minds were never fulfilled.
We let our minds focus on that which was before us rather than
the world around us.
We got consumed by time and space and lost our vision.
So great were the errors of our time that we had to find someone
else to blame.

We blamed the politicians for oppressing and poisoning our
minds with propaganda.
We blamed governments for not educating and for not creating jobs for
us.
We blamed corporations and employers for the pittance we
earned or for making us redundant.
We blamed other employees for not doing enough or for not
doing it right.
We blamed the churches for not spreading the word and for not
having enough empathy.
We blamed our teachers and elders for failing to enlighten us and
show us the way.
We even blamed it on God, even though we did not believe in
him.
We blamed fate for thrusting us into an unyielding and corrupt
world.
We blamed the universe and the entire world for failing to
conform to our ideology.
We even blamed it on Covid, even though we were far gone by
then.
We blamed everyone else for one thing or the other but never
ourselves.
We were the helpless and blameless victims of a dogmatic
society.

The tumult within us knew no bounds. We were infiltrated by
hate and fear.
There was a generation split as we went up in arms against our
parents.
We rebelled against them, got married early, and regretted it soon
after.
It was shameless and uncalled for, but we were blinded by our
fury.
Our fathers blamed us for being unambitious and for not trying
hard.
To us, they lacked understanding and hindered our progress and
success.
They tried to give us advice and referred to the way things used
to be.
We ignored it as old fashioned. We were going to find our own
way and make our own mark on the world.
Our parents asked us questions because they cared and wanted
to help.
We mistook this for interference and disliked them for meddling
in our affairs. Outsiders blamed them for spoon-feeding us and
for not letting us go.
The situation deteriorated as the witch-hunting escalated and
perpetuated differences.

I wonder what could, if we had both tried our level best to
understand each other.
Had we not fought with each other but walked side by side, hand
in hand.
Had our fathers bent down to listen and to give us the attention
we desired.
If we, in turn, had looked up to them, paying heed to every word
they uttered.
How things might have worked out if we had spoken as allies,
taking time to listen.
We might have benefited if we had discussed matters just as
friends do.
We might have bonded as we shared our thoughts, knowledge,
skills, and expertise.
We could have become stronger if we had supported each other’s
dreams.
Maybe, through living a blameless life and appreciation for each
other, we may have lived a fulfilling life.
We can start now to rebuild the past, to be united, and to mend
broken bridges.