Siblings are meant to be close to one another. Siblings are supposed to have squabbles and later on patch things up like there was no dispute at all in the very first place. Siblings are deemed to have understood each other’s behaviour and reactions when it comes to dealing with difficult situations and myriads of problems. Yet the spat continues and the misunderstandings pile on.
Truth is, it is a rather daunting task to really understand one another, even though we are supposed to be borne from within the same womb. Brothers and sisters can never face the same direction and have the same thoughts. There will always be a room for counter arguments and there will always be a black or grey sheep whichever you look at it.
I started off being the fortunate one – having been born the fifth out of a family of five. The last one out, so they say. It went off rather well, with everyone wanting a nice piece out of me. All advices were good and ought to be heard. All things done are for the benefit of the youngest of the family. Being the one who came out 10 years after the previous one – God sure has His own reasons for such a scheme.
Come adolescence, I had the enviable advantage of learning and absorbing things much earlier than my peers – having 3 growing brothers and a sister whose teenage years seemed to last very long. There was the innate exposure to things considered taboo for an underage child, recognition of unnecessary four or more letter words, and of course the honour of being appointed the official “coolie” or “custodian of secrets” to all things vice.
Not long thereafter, adulthood came into the picture and things were no longer as rosy as before.
Suddenly, little by little, life’s little irrelevancies began to create a crack in the wall of brethren. Intimacy began to drift further and further. Fun and games were no longer the vocabularies of the day. Life turned out to be troublesome, worrisome, and it seemed as though everyone is having a problem of their own. Some financial, some marital. Some manageable, some affecting others in one way or another.
In the name of brotherhood, one cannot help but to sympathize for another. But to what extent? By all means necessary? Or by means within means?
Reaching out for others require reaching in to oneself. Understanding the plight of others could mean prior self discovery. Looking at the clouds hovering another person’s garden may involve mending to one’s backyard beforehand.
Some may say, what are brothers for? Hey, doesn’t charity begin at home? If you don’t look after yourself, who is going to look after you?
1 comment:
Having a lot of siblings may be good and bad. Like many other things, there are pros and cons.
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