The Ship of Relationship


Say all the people in the world are on a huge beach called the shore of life. You are one of them. Here, you will meet a lot of people, make many friends and have a gala, or a not-so-gala time in the company of the people you're with. You will also find people forming groups and communities, and people with similar interests spending most of their time together and having fun. On the shore, life is simple and filled with innocence. The shore of life is the life you experience before venturing out into the ocean.

The ocean you see, is the second part of your life. A place for which you eventually are supposed to leave for; a place where you, inevitably, will find yourself to be in. Let's call it the ocean of life or the sea of life. It has its mysteries and surprises, and all that you learned on the beach is directly or indirectly going to help you on this journey into the ocean of life. Everyone on the beach knows that someday they have to head out into the unknown - the ocean of life.

As years pass by on the shore, a time will come when one has to move on and out into the ocean. In order to take on this vast ocean, one needs a ship, a strong ship that will take everything the ocean has in store. Building a ship all by yourself and sailing the ocean of life all alone? Naah! Won't be fun! Besides, it's easier with a crew, moreover, a ship needs a crew to sail. So among all those amazing people on the beach, you find yourself a companion who is willing to build a ship with you.

The ship-building process is an important one. It indeed is important because a strong foundation will hold the ship through whatever the ocean has to offer. It's usually not an easy process and may sometimes seem just too easy to be true. Like a team working on the ship, there are many days of hard work; usually, if this building process is fun, then the ship construction is going just fine. If it's not that much fun and the construction is not going the way either of them wants, then the ship construction is abandoned and left half built on the beach. A half built ship looks somewhat like a destroyed ship. It's not easy for some to leave the remnants of their creation but, with time and tide, the ship withers away and you find yourself on the beach looking for another companion to build a ship with.

If it's fun, that is both of you like the ship building process, then a magnificent and strong vessel is built. This ship is ready to sail into the ocean of life. However, before that, there is one important thing left - a formal announcement that the ship is about to set sail, to the world on the beach and at sea. The announcement is a moment of joy; especially to the crew aboard; it is a time of celebration. The crew is congratulated and bidden farewell with good wishes from all, to sail into the ocean of life.

With a common direction in mind, the crew sets sail on board the ship. Shimmering waters by the side and seagulls in the sky, the ship sails during the day. And the night light makes it look like a twinkling star in the horizon. This new and bright, hearty ship, as strong as it could ever be, conquers the ocean everyday.

But the mysterious ocean of life! O, the mysterious ocean of life has so much to offer, so much to take! It has beautiful islands and it has ugly storms. It has pearls in its belly, and it has sharks lurking around. It has many other similar ships, both old and new. Some seem fine while some damaged. These ships are just like the one we are talking about. They probably started the same way our ship started. Whatever the ocean has to offer, you have no option but to sail through it, and sail you will, we all do.

Back on board, each day is a new day on the ship. You learn more about the crew and the vessel. Life is filled with small but important things, this crew has a tiny world of its own aboard. Sometimes you may have visitors on the ship - family and friends. The crew treats them well as they are important to them, however, none of them know the secrets of the ship which are hidden well within the hull. After a brief good time, the visitors leave and the ship continues its journey.

Sailing through the ocean of life, the crew learns to cover up the shortcomings of each other and the ship. It is compatibility holding the ship now. Individual progress is the result and the crew looks out into the ocean to seek inspiration to grow. Reward from the ocean of life is on the cards since individual progress of each crew member steers the ship towards pearls in a shallow sea. It is a gift from the ocean to a fine ship with a fine crew.

The journey of our ship has just begun. It has so much to see, learn and experience. And like all vehicles, our ship needs proper care and maintenance from time to time. The sails that make it move, need to be fluttering always, the crew needs to keep them that way, to send a signal to the wind to take it forward. If the sails fall, the ship won't move and life will stagnate.

But our ship is full of life. The sails are up and high. Continuing the journey, sooner or later the ship comes across beautiful islands in the ocean. The islands are getaways, like going on a holiday, spending quality time, taking a break from sailing. Their importance is especially felt after a storm. The storms; think of it this way, while sailing through a storm, the ship is put to test. Tougher the storm, stronger the ship has to be. Here, the foundation laid while building the ship is going to be tested. And like all hands on the deck, the craft and the two people on board will strive to sail through the storm. They will clash against huge walls of water, head-on. One after the other, all the weak parts of the ship will be attacked. The secrets of the ship will be disclosed. The faith in this ship and the coordination of the crew will be tested. The night will seem to get darker, and some ships will make it through while others will not be so fortunate.

While the ships which sink leave the crew shattered, their crew, now separated, will find either a lifeboat or a plank to survive and make it to the closest shore to start life afresh, or find the crew of another abandoned ship. Some may decide to stay in the lifeboat and continue the journey. Either way each one will have to find his or her own ship to sail through the ocean, but sail one has to.

For the ships which make it through the storm, there is still the aftermath. The ship will need to be repaired to function properly; patched up well before another storm strikes. The repairing will start with proper understanding among the crew. This storm will have taught a lot about the ship to the crew. The crew will now know each other through and through and the ship even better.

The ocean of life has many more islands and treasures, many storms and sharks. In the course of the ocean of life, the crew will learn more about each other and the ship. The limitations of the ship will be accepted. And this tiny world will stay alive in the ocean of life.

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