it's always green on the other side

One day, I watched a few ants moving around, imagining how beautiful their lives might be. They don’t need to exercise to keep their body fit, prepare breakfast or lunch, or dress up for work in the morning. They don’t have to maintain fake relationships or run after money to fill their homes with unnecessary items. They certainly don’t complicate their lives by conducting research that could harm their species.

Out of curiosity, once I thought it must ask an ant about its life. So, I started conversing with them: “Hello, friend! I’m curious to know about your life. Could you please explain a little about it? I must admit, I feel quite jealous after seeing how beautiful your life seems.” At first, the ant just stared at me. Then, it started to move, and I asked again. The ant paused and said: “In a way, I feel jealous of you.” I was stunned!

The ant continued, “You have a good shelter to live in, while we always have to search for a new home because humans destroy and burn ours. Just look at us, we often eat the same food, mostly leftovers thrown by you. You dress well and change outfits frequently, enjoying a variety of foods, taking care of yourselves, and using mobile phones to communicate with distant friends. You travel in air-conditioned cars while we struggle to survive. Moreover, you’ve turned many animals into domestic companions, treating them like slaves and killing them whenever you desire. Wouldn’t you agree that your life is far better than ours? At least we don’t complicate our lives by creating new laws and rules or judging others’ lives. So yes, I feel jealous of you, human!”

The conversation shocked me. I sat quietly for a while, reflecting on what the ant said. I realised we all have different perceptions and live accordingly. From the outside, we may think the lives of others are beautiful and that they are enjoying themselves. We often overlook the fact that perceptions can be misleading. For instance, when we see a well-dressed person from a different culture, we might assume they have a great life, while in reality, they could be suffering from something or a long-standing conflict.

Conversely, they might view us as a species living peacefully and assume we are content with what we have in our lives. It struck me that we were all trapped in our self-made “prisons,” thinking that wild animals have better lives or that a rooster must be happy surrounded by so many hens. In reality, it may feel lonely without any emotional connections. When someone doesn’t answer our call, we often believe they intentionally ignore us, failing to consider that they might be busy or unwell. As humans, we develop our perceptions based on our situations, circumstances, coincidence and thought processes. We judge others according to our circumstances, convenience and mindset. However, this often leads to misunderstandings, as our situations and thought processes are inherently different. Instead of grasping this simple fact, we tend to blame others and spoil our relationships. I appreciate that the life of an ant may be better and more beautiful than mine. At least in their kingdom, they don’t judge others wrongly. Yet, I find myself reluctant to change. How can I change my perception? After all, I am only a human being - a self-convicted prisoner of perception.

The gap between reality and perception is neither measurable nor interpretable. That way, there may be nothing to call reality but an abiding perception that drives our lives and the lives of others. What we see from afar is not green but a colour we want our soul to believe.

SAJIKUMAR

https://sajikumar.co.in/