Unnatural Love

UNNATURAL LOVE True love for a child lies in preparing him to face the realities of the future rather than making him live in a world that does not exist beyond their parents’ lap. O n October 15, 2003, a local Muslim man visited me at my hotel in Surat, Gujarat. He had a young child in his arms, whom he sometimes carried on his shoulder and other times cradled in his lap. As they entered my room and sat down, I inquired if the child was his. With a joyful response, he confirmed that he was indeed his son. I then told him that he was inadvertently acting as an enemy to his son. His love for him had become synonymous with hindering his growth. Hearing this unexpected comment, he became anxious and asked me for an explanation. I explained that he could not keep his son in his lap forever, as eventually, he would enter a world where no one would hold him. True love for a child lies in preparing him to face the realities of the future rather than making him live in a world that does not exist beyond their parents’ lap. He argued that he was still a small child. I countered that such thinking was contrary to nature.