Believe It or Not!

Like most kids my age, the tree house was my secret hideaway. Perched atop a palm tree in the corner of our garden in Victoria, it was my Far Faraway land, straight out of Enid Blyton’s novel. I often wrapped a blanket around me, switched on the torch and settled down for a magical journey. The hidden trove of treasures I had stashed away included a handmade diary I believed was my archive from another era, an old watch my mother said had belonged to my great grandma, three pens with sparkles, letters from pen friends and many other knick-knacks. Amongst them was a pair of glasses. They were remnants of the costume I had worn for the Christmas play in school. I loved those glasses visioning a whole new world each time I put them on, thinking of all the things I could suddenly see, and the way I felt, nice and important. The illustrious and vain mind of a 10-year-old, I decided to continue wearing them. Unfortunately, a few days later, they broke. I was besides myself with sadness, when my mother walked into my room with a new pair of glasses for me. These are special, she told me, they will give you power! And so, I believed.

There was a Math quiz that morning which I was dreading, and in the middle of a particularly tricky fraction, I pulled out my glasses to wear. I started solving the sum once again from the beginning, and believed I had the answer. Is this a sign, I wondered? Wanting to be doubly sure, I decided to watch for some more signs. I had squabbled with my best friend a few days ago, saying things I truly regretted. Although my fault, my fragile and meaningless ego did not permit me to be the first to apologize. I saw her at the locker across the hallway and spotting another opportunity to test the power of those glasses, I wore them. I noticed her smiling as she walked towards me. Delighted at the turn of events, I ran and hugged her. She hugged me back. Another sign, I thought. And then there was that public speaking event I was nominated for. Cranked with stage fright, I begged out of it, but my teacher was adamant. My mother suggested I try practicing the speech with my glasses on, maybe that would give me the power. And so, I did – each of the 23 times I rehearsed my speech, I made sure I wore them. I walked up on stage, and delivered my speech flawlessly, glasses perched atop my head. A sign, I believed yet again. I kept noticing the small wins and triumphs and believed in the power those glasses gave me.

Charles Blondin, a famous French tightrope walker, in 1860, became the first person to cross a tightrope stretched 11,000 feet across the mighty Niagara Falls. People from both Canada and America came from miles away to see this great feat. He walked across, 160 feet above the falls, several times. Upon reaching the other side, the crowd’s applause was louder than the roar of the falls. “Do you believe I can walk across this tightrope, with someone on my back?” The audience once again cheered “Yes, we believe you. You can!” With his crew member on his back, Charles Blondin walked across the tightrope to a stunned crowd. Placing his crew member safely down, he turned to the crowd and asked again, “Do you believe I can walk across this tightrope blindfolded?” The crowd enthusiastically yelled, “Yes! You are the greatest tightrope walker in the world. We believe you!” He then successfully walked across blindfolded to an ecstatic crowd. Crossing over, he asked the audience “Okay do you believe I can walk across blindfolded, with someone on my back? The audience chanted “Yes! We believe you can!” He continued, “Who wants to get onto my back?” Pin drop silence.

A custom popular till date in South India, newly married couples are asked to point out the constellation of Arundhati -Vashishtha in the skies to allude to their marriage. Thousands of years ago, no instruments, no telescopes, no technology, the ancient sages identified two tiny spots in the sky as a twin star’s system. They named it Arundhati-Vashishtha. In most twin stars system one star is stationary and other rotates around it, while Arundhati and Vashishtha both rotate in synchrony. The sages pinpointed their exact position and rotational synchrony. The greatness of our ancestors and scholars was that they could know that such a twin star system exists and how they rotate even without the telescope. It is said that they believed in the power of their imagination, ancient wisdom, meditation, and pranayama. They looked inwards.

I broke those glasses once more. My mother, seeing my confidence spiral downwards came into my room one evening. Smiling, and holding my hands she said, “You believed in the power those glasses gave you, but to feel the power, be that power.” Along with looking outwards, look inwards, she said, cross over and have faith - in what you believe, in what you have learned and in who you think you have become. The audience watching Charles had belief in his abilities, but unfortunately lacked the faith in trusting him with their lives. The sages believed in their powers and discovered the constellation when they had faith in themselves and their beliefs. What we see, we hear, we feel, and we know is there, gives us belief. When we do not need to see, do not need to hear, do not need to feel, and do not need to know, yet we know is there, is faith. Faith is an invisible bridge connecting the outward with the inward.

When I reflect on the current crises, I acknowledge the uncertainties, and the fears we must face. No vaccine discovered as yet, casualties rising, doctors and healthcare professionals struggling to keep us alive and law officials risking their lives to maintain order in our society. As good citizens we have shown belief by obeying the law, displaying patience, showing kindness, and being responsible. What do we need to do now, to cross over and show faith?

I reach across the table, wear my glasses, and continue reading my book. The first line makes me smile:

If everything around you seem dark, look again, you may be the light.

         Rumi