Emotionless

It was autumn.

“I want to be emotionless. Turn into a strong rock which will not react to any feelings.”

Thus spake the green Tree standing on the hill top. Watching the leaves, leaving the stems & falling down with each draft of breeze. Fruits have already been plucked from it and now, the greens are also leaving it. It wished that this loss be stopped forever. It was filled with melancholy & gloom.

It looked around to find a solution. Looking at the humans moving around in their boxes, it decided to protect the precious greens in boxes. It started boxing parts of itself from external forces. It boxed each new bud on its branches. It shew away the humans who came to pluck the fruits. Scared off the children away from it. In its goal to achieve rock like form – it covered all the greenery inside the boxes. It even stopped the roots to drink from the strange underground waters. Barriers were made for any force which may hurt it.
It only required the breeze, rain water & sunlight for its survival – and so it survived on them.

It was spring.

The Tree was delighted. It was the time for blooming flowers, budding seeds, hanging fruits, buzzing bees and chirping birds.
It was overwhelmed, looking at all the joy & green every where around. Though, it waited for some sweet bird to sit on its branch  & sing for him. Only crows came to sit on the boxes it has built. Not even a single bee came near the tree. There was no budding saplings around it. There was no sweet fragrance in the air.
Still, tree was complacent with just looking at others.

It was autumn again.

The Tree was excited to look inside the boxes. To get assured that not a single leaf falls this time. No sorrow should befall on it. It peeked into one of the boxes.

The Tree was devastated. There was nothing inside the box except foul smell & dust. Aghast at the sight, it realized that it secluded itself so deeply from everything that nothing bloomed on it. It became callous of even its own happiness. It got used to the absence of emotions & feelings. It shook off all the boxes & barriers it made for itself. And there it stood on the hill top – dark,black,rough,creepy, leaf-less,fruit-less, life-less – finally resembling a rock. It succeeded in its goal.

At this point, it started to cry and for days it cried.

“Hahaha…” ringed the ears of the tree. It was a Rock which was hanging near the tip of a cliff. Tree was confused at the laughter.
” You are a tree, right? Why do you look like me but still you are not me?”, asked the Rock.
“I wanted to be emotionless. I wanted to be like a rock. And now I have turned into one.” replied the Tree.
“Ha Ha Ha…” Rock went on with the hysterical laughter. Slowly tears also started pouring from it, while it kept on laughing.
“Listen you fool, listen to my story….”, the Rock said to the Tree.
“I used to be part of this unyielding hill, then one day I broke away from it. I wanted to be stronger than him. I went your way & placed barriers around me. I became a cold, edgy piece of earth. Then one day,a Sage came this way. He sat on top of me & started hitting me. Slowly, he destroyed all my barriers. He showed me the secret to be alive while being a rock. He pointed me to you – the earlier greener you. He said that as a tree grows each year bearing new leaves & fruits – you have to grow. Tree faces all the adversities of the nature and humans. Each season makes it more stronger helps it get over the periods of grief. And such you have to become – face the lashes of nature to become strong like this hill. Both the Tree & the hill will vanish from existence someday. What would matter will be the number of seasons they have seen. With each season they grow stronger, and so you have to grow stronger….”

The Rock went on with its story. Telling the Tree how the Sage transformed it. To handle emotions one need not leave the world. The world will make one strong and brave enough to face the life. Life never stops. Only choice one has is to balance the shades of emotions. Either by putting them into boxes or by growing up strong.

Soon, it was Spring season.

The Tree saw thousands of tiny green leaf buds filling his dead-looking branches. It looked at the Rock. The Rock had a small dandelion blooming over it. They smiled at each other and enjoyed the fresh breeze of life.

[Balanced life is to keep on growing from Autumn to Spring and from Spring to Autumn.]

Arigato 🙂

P.S – This post is part of Dungeon Prompt : Balance and the Art of Succeeding in an All or Nothing World. I am not sure whether I justified the prompt or not. UPDATE – Other contributors of the prompt :

The Judge – Marsnplato

Sacrifice for a Balanced Life – My Spirit Journey

Balance – Let There Be Peace On Earth

Let There Be Nothing – Dream Cloud Diaries

Emotionless – Contemplating Me

She Made a Difference – Traces of the Soul

Greatness, Part 1: MMA and the Art of War – A Holistic Journey

Floating in Water – Martha0stout