Undying Efforts of a Sparrow

It is wonderful to stay by the window and enjoy the scenarios seen outside of the room. It is fascinating to look outside when I am bored in the class, even while the teacher is teaching. It is of course not a good idea, but I do. What is charming outside is the activities of birds, especially that of sparrows. The birds chirp and fly here and there, then back to their nest. They play on the grounds, hang on the wires of the cable TV and again go to seek the foods.

There is a building just beside the college building used by some of the offices. On the outer part of the building, a corner is also the shelter of a couple of sparrows. They have made a beautiful nest in the corner and spend their wonderful life. The wonderful aspect of their life is they are free from their enemies like cats. Their activities are worth seeing. The love they make is incredible that continues for a long time. I could see them sharing the foods they collect and such happiest scenarios are rarely could be seen.

Such views are generally seen in my village. This may be one of the advantages of village life that you can enjoy viewing the activities of birds and animals along with the fresh climate. I remember my days in my village about 7-8 years ago when I was at the intermediate level. Being a student, my job was not only to study, rather I had to help my parents in the fields. It was the winter season and my duty was to spray the pesticide in the tomato plants. I was busy spraying pesticides and being tired, I sat on the edge of the field. There was a tree, do not know of what and a nest of a sparrow on the branch of it. It was busy finishing its nest with the nice model. I continued my duty. Two days later, I went to continue the same job. I saw, there were two sparrows, maybe they got married. They were happily flying to many places. Collecting foods and making their love. They used to share the ‘Charo’ they find to each other. The tomatoes began to have flower buds in the field and during my visit to the field, I could see the eggs in the bird’s nest. After some time, I and my parents went to pick up the tomatoes, at that time I saw the sparrows having two small chicks.

The creation is wonderful. It continues in a different form and differs according to the species and science divides them into different phylums. The birds produce eggs and then the kinder birds, human beings, and mammals give birth to a baby. All the species love their kids equally. We had put the seeds of the tomatoes and we got the products. It might be the cycle of nature and the process of creativity has got homogeneity, develop from young to old.

One day, there was a heavy storm. We could not come outside and when the storm finished, we saw many things were broken. The things were scattered. Some of the branches of the trees have also broken. I suddenly remembered the birds’ nest and ran to see it. Unfortunately, the nest was not there. I thought where they may have gone. I did not see them for a week and on the eighth day, I saw the only one. The same sparrow, which had made the nest before on the tree was there, but alone. Perhaps he has lost his partner in the storm. I could see him unhappy than he used to be and he was moaning about losing his partner. It continued for another week. One day, I saw another happier moment of the sparrow. He was busy with making the nest and also completed it in three days. At this time, he was not alone, but another sparrow was with him for help.

Now, am far from them and remember the difficulties of the sparrow’s life. The sparrows outside my class memorized the past. Thinking about the different courses and phases of living beings, I asked my friends, who are also the viewers of the daily activities of sparrows from the class, how they take the importance of struggle in life? In the life of the birds? Animals? After all, of all the living beings?

The struggle is such a thing that every living being needs to survive and adapt to the circumstances. The incident that took place in the life of a sparrow has made me realized the importance of it and if we continue on struggling, the success is not far. Although I had heard many times about this philosophical idea, the incident really impressed me. Victor E. Frankl opines that ‘as the struggle for survival has subsided, the question has emerged: survival for what? Evermore people have the means to live, but no meaning to live for. Darwin said ‘in the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rival because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment.

Recently, there was a disaster at Mankha of Sindhupalchok district. A landslide swept away many houses and the people sleeping in their houses. More than 150 people were killed and many people lost their houses according to the data of the government. The views were clear that local people suffered physically and psychologically. However, after losing the family members, people were struggling to survive. With the help of the government, they got a tent and some food to eat. They are doing the daily activities normally now with sad and bad memories. The living force and dedication make living beings adapt to the situation. They suffer, struggle, and again get some ray of hope to live life. With the hard labor, they maintained the school, have started to build the houses and they are trying to live normally. Soon I compared the life of the sparrow, who became successful to revive the happier days, even after losing all his shelter and life partner with the painful and traumatized life of the people of Mankha. As time moves on, the incidents become old and normal life begins.

Although we know the importance of being laborious is the most to have well progress in life, we are forgetting intentionally or unintentionally. If I take the example of the student's life, the students should learn with the efforts make by birds or animals. Not only to survive and exist in society but struggle and hard labors are needed to get good marks in exams and to live a better life. Learning continues in every phase of life and some small incidents make a deep impression in the life of human beings like the undying efforts of a sparrow to have a settled life.

I realized that happiness and sadness, ups and downs, getting and losing all are the courses of life. During the course of life, the living beings grow from young to old, struggle for survival and for a better life. If the sparrow had not labored, he might not able to bring his partner and produce new generations. Being laborious and bring happiness by being dedicated in life to the human beings or birds or animals, all the living beings live their life. Even after losing the nest, how the sparrows became successful to rebuild the nest is a great thing to understand.

With the devastating scenarios in real life, I come to know that to have better days, we must struggle with the obstacles. Like the undying efforts of the sparrows lead their life in happiness, if we overcome our problems and difficulties, we can have success in life. It is not a fixed and final thing that one can define with certain terms, but the vague journey is hidden in life. I have read somewhere ‘sometimes it looks like everything is falling apart and all you do fails, but you have to stay strong. The night is always darkest before the dawn and your life is just the same- the hard times will pass, everything will get better and the sunshine brighter than ever. Now, whenever I see the sparrow, I remember the goal of life and start to be dedicated to my objectives and plans. I know that if I continue laboring, I can be a successful person one day. Last time, I was a bit sad to get the result in the second division, but remembering the efforts of a sparrow, I am sure I could get a good result if I start to be laborious from today. 

  

Submitted to: Kathmandu Model College

                         Balkumari, Lalitpur