Hope And Fear Tetralogy: Four, Delight

By Shankhoneel Ghosh

What are the best moments of life? They are the instances, often lasting infinitesimal durations, when we feel a certain lightness in our chest, as if there were a flutter of wings somewhere within. This lightness, i.e., the perception of this light - here, ‘light’ can be interpreted as both ‘not heavy’ and ‘not dark’ - is the reason behind the emotion that we call ‘delight’ or ‘delightfulness’.

Delight is a subtle emotion. It is like a clearing in the forest that the sun shines through, like a spring in the mountain that carries the breath of life, like an oasis in the desert that gives shade to weary limbs, like an island in the ocean that gives refuge from the storm. Such delight, despite, nay, BECAUSE of its rarity, is the reward after the thousand mile-journey. Its true value lies in it being a proto-destination of the long, long journey of life. It is simultaneously a resthouse and a relaunchpad for the greater endeavours of the future.

For those who are quick to become disheartened upon not finding their delight, I must implore them to not only not lose faith in their path and goal, but to search - search deep within themselves for the great meaning that is waiting there, ready to be imparted.

Or, they can - we all can - look up in the nightsky and see the constellations of stars gleaming down at us. For, while in physical reality, they may be separated by millions of light years, i.e., practically infinite distances, but we here from down below can see them in all their shining glory. If we can delight upon seeing the light from these distant balls of hope and fire - ones that we may think that we can never reach, but certainly, whom our hearts can become at one with - how difficult can the imagination of our earthly wings and perches be? And then, how delightful and beautiful can every step and every breath that we take, be?

By Shankhoneel Ghosh