The ties that bind us

As Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche put it best, 'Invisible threads are the strongest ties.' Tugging pulls of emotion, fear and joy, stringed together in never ending webs of nostalgic memories — these are the ties that eternally bind us. And as interpreted by Nietzsche, these in no way come close in comparison to the tensile strength of mere fibres of ropes.

Forging bonds since before you were old enough to even make sense of it all, the ties and the pulls that bound us to earth started working its magic with sprinkled dusts, one memory at a time. And these memories fuse with unbreakable emotions to add a warm sense of meaning to your journey of life.

Great things may well happen in the blink of an eye, but good things take time. Walking down memory lane, you probably still remember waking up on weekends to your sister serving freshly brewed tea and warm breakfast. Nostalgia hits when you think back to the sound of Velma from the Scooby-Doo series unearthing yet another clue on Cartoon Network.

Gathering around the TV to catch yet another thrilling episode of Tom and Jerry in the flesh or another riveting tale of Courage, the Cowardly Dog with your siblings in tow were probably the best memories. Every Friday morning and every adventurous tale kept giving way to a tighter knot tying the bonds among them and on and on in circles the tangles went.

For a music enthusiast, nothing matches the excitement of symphonies. A bookworm is often faulted for their insatiable love of the smell of new books. A dreamer's passionate chase for the stars is relentless, no matter the obstacles blocking his way. The invaluable meanings in our lives forged by emotions and attachments do not stop there.

The inexplicable bond between a shopaholic and her prized closet and a painter and his priceless portfolio go on to defy common reason and logic. Even Sheldon Cooper and his Spot, the singular location he absolutely must have to leave everyone in peace, share a connection that is as binding as shown in the very first season.

What's more are the priceless bonds of friendship, marriage, and the binding reminders of promises. You probably daze off thinking about the first time you met the Joey Tribbiani to your Chandler Bing, but little did you know about the hilarious inside jokes and puns waiting to blossom into an ideal match of 'lame, cool-guy handshakes' and a mutual love for recliners. Even the tying pull towards your Monica Geller will hold you down in commitment and it is this inexplicable pull that will make it impossible for you to just leave in a whimsy.

The ties to family and an unwavering sense of duty and responsibilities towards your neighbourhood may weigh down on you. These strong ties will probably have you thinking twice before a lifechanging decision must be made. Even the genuine love for one's country and people come into play and often proves to be a bond that's hard to let go of.

However, a far easier tie, often forgotten and quite an underdog in life is the abstract positivity. Stopping to smell the roses can make all the difference in life. Clichés aside, rays of hope burning fiercely in you and saying yes to positivity and new challenges will have you going about life the right way.

And with that, the enchanting spell of the ties that bind us to one another and to earth itself has now ended. Sparing no one at all, these bonds ultimately make all the difference in our lives.

And to recall the words of PG Wodehouse, "There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter."

Photo: Collected