My dear folks, Today I am reminded of an ‘Aesop’s fable’ that explicates the real essence of true friendship.
Once there were two buddies,a clay brick and a dry fig leave.They decided to go on a pilgrimage.Enroute a storm suddenly started brewing up.Wind was strong and the poor leaf got worried of getting blown away. Then the clay brick jumped and sat on the leaf. Soon the rain started pelting heavily. It was the turn of the clay brick to feel unsafe of being melted. Now the leaf changed its role.The protector became the protected. It gave an umbrella to the clay brick. Both survived the crisis with mutual faith and support.A true friend stands by your side without being called upon.
Folks, every small incident that happens in our lives,is packed by valuable insight, if only we have an eye for details.
Through the years, analysing scores of people and their behaviour,I had stumbled upon a few revelations and theories about relationships. Recently a friend asked me-”How do we measure love?How do we recognise true love from fake love? I replied- “Dear brother, it’s actually very simple.The true measurement of love is to gauge the intensity of SACRIFICE involved in relationships.A friend who forgoes his busy schedule to spend quality time with you has more intense affection for you than another, who has a lot of spare time,to be with you.Similar is the case with hard earned money.A friend who coughs up Rs 1000/- for you, whereas his monthly Income is only Rs 20,000/- loves you profoundly than another who also helps you with a similar amount, but has Rs 50,000/- monthly income. But many a time, we tend to forget the ‘hardship factor’ behind the gesture and often make wrong judgements of friends and relatives. Though the final act is the same, the effort put in, defines the depth of sacrifice.
If you want to use this scale, you can measure the degree of Love to a great extent.” My friend gave me a hug and walked away. Folks, try this “Scale of Sacrifice” for measuring the intensity of love.But a word of caution: discretely and purposefully.