That Empty Chair in Exile

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That Empty Chair in Exile

In exile  a person does not merely come to earn money  they sacrifice their ego emotions  and desires every single day  How difficult it is to live away from the homeland sustained only by the memories of loved ones  only an expatriate can truly understand this  Today  I will narrate an incident from my own days in exile that completely changed my outlook on life 

Four expatriate friends lived in a small room  Although they came from different cities  the loneliness of exile forged a bond between them stronger than real brothers  They had a golden rule  come what may  they would always sit together at the tablecloth to share their evening meal

In one corner of the room right by the door  an old wooden chair was kept  and it always remained empty  No one ever sat on it  One day  a  newly arrived companion in the room asked in astonishment Friend!  Why have you placed this chair here? You neither sit on it nor keep any luggage on it  Why don't you just remove it?

The wisest companion in the room smiled and replied 

 Brother! We have kept this chair for our 'anger' and 'ego'

Explaining further  he said  Look  all day long we listen to the bitterness of people outside  sweat in the scorching heat  and return exhausted  We have decided that whoever enters this room must leave all their anger and external frustrations on this  empty chair  before stepping inside  Beyond this chair, we are merely helpless expatriate brothers who have no one to lean on except each other  We do not want the bitterness of the outside world to ruin the peace of our small sanctuary 

After that day  no one ever spoke in a raised voice in that room  That lifeless wooden chair had become the guardian of their peace 

Conclusion

This writing teaches us that in life  we often commit a major mistake  we vent the anger caused by someone else onto others, ruining the atmosphere of our homes or rooms. The bitterness received outside on the street  at the office  or from a stranger is taken out on companions and loved ones who are completely innocent  simply because they are our own and we know they will not talk back to us  Rooms in exile may be small, but if we expand our hearts and stop taking out our frustrations on our loved ones  those very rooms and homes transform into heavens .

                                                   Humbly seeking your prayers  Sagar Pardesi