I watched this bird pair for a while to follow their behaviour at dusk, before they returned to their nest in the Ashoka tree.
They were silent and largely still. They looked comfortable and preparing themselves for returning to their nest.
They looked present to each other and kept communicating.
What was pronounced in this period of their togetherness was silence and communication, which is one means for intimacy.
People feel distant from each other for various reasons. While participating on an on line meeting yesterday, one comment I heard was the 'distance' or 'strangeness' the 'social distancing', which is emphasised during the COVID 19 pandemic, has strained relationships.
I wish the focus was on 'physical distancing' and not on social distancing. None of us can meaningfully exist unless we stay related to others. We can keep physical distance and yet be socially intimate, which is what we want to achieve during this season to reduce the spread of the infection.
People are in all forms of sorrow and loss and how can social distancing be an answer! We want people to relate and communicate, which is a means for catharsis and unburdening.
I happened to stay in touch on phone during this season with some people with whom I have not been usually in touch. I sensed from this how much people want to share and receive from such contacts.
Often relationships suffer on account of reasons unknown to each other. When that happens, it I necessary to guard the relationships from suspicion, blame or let down. All humans have needs of their own during which their ability to relate to others might wax and wane. It is necessary to avoid trust deficit developing during this period.
Silence is a season of inner healing and enlarging the space for others in our lives. It is in silence we meet with ourselves and rise above our subjective impressions to a level of appreciation and gratefulness towards from whom we might feel distant for a while. To be silent means to wait! Waiting is the sure remedy for relationships to get renewed.
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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