IN SEARCH OF A SOULMATE....

Victor Hugo had said, “The supreme happiness of life consists in the conviction that one is loved!” His words are very true– as human beings, all we yearn for is love – from childhood, through adulthood, to old age, our hearts always seek the love of another fellow being. And how beautiful is the feeling of being loved – in the tender arms of mother to the soft kiss of a lover – everything just revolves around the expression of loving one another. As children, loving parents, relatives and siblings come naturally but as we grow up, we become more practical, independent and rational – we develop difference of opinions with our near ones and probably the only true love that remains is with our parents and later, partners/spouses/soulmates. But how does the heart decide whom to love and choose as a partner for a lifetime?

            With the growing modernization, changing laws and mindsets, as well as societal acceptance, the terms boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife are considered to be gender-biased and have begun to be replaced by more neutral terms like partners or spouses. The famous “Alchemist” writer, Paulo Coelho in another captivating work, Brida, has mentioned that even if a person is married/engaged or committed to someone, his/her heart always seeks its soulmate. He said that though we grow fond of our committed partners and continue living with them blissfully, we never really feel as satiated as we would with our soulmates. As Brida is a work of fiction, it has highlighted that if one comes across his/her soulmate, they would recognize that person by a halo of light (that would be visible only to the person concerned) around their heads. So how many of us had seen halos around another person, like the times of Mahabharata or Ramayana? The answer is definitely NO! But Paulo Coelho was not entirely wrong in this depiction.

            Bollywood movies have never failed to represent this concept of “halo associated with a soulmate” in a majestic manner – the wind blowing, flowers falling, hair flying etc. A lot of men and women in their early 30s today are single; with the stressful life, they probably never had the time to think about a soulmate. But then, the 2 questions still remain – how do we find our soulmates? And most importantly, what if our spouse/partner is NOT our soulmate? Stephen Chbosky has said, “We accept the love we think we deserve.” So true are his words – as we yearn love all the time, we accept and settle down with someone who shows love, care, affection, compassion, and most importantly, respect to us. In the quest of getting love, we lower down our expectations from our partners – but is it bad to do so? In my opinion, NO! Because at the end of the day, if one is happy with his/her partner/spouse and leading a blissful life, with occasional disturbances, it should be considered as a big blessing.

            Yes, we all are seeking our soulmates – but in that desire, let’s not ruin something that we may already have. As for my single friends out there – don’t give up! Continue searching for your soulmate with a halo around his/her head – the person is sure to encounter with you someday; after all, The Almighty has created all of us in pairs!!