The Threads of Destiny: Right Person but Wrong Time, or simply the Wrong Person?
-Padmaja Padwal
FY. B.Sc.
We all have a little bit of stardust in us. It is the cosmic residue that lingers in the fibers of our being. This stardust serves as a reminder that we are composed of the same elements that make up our universe. The same elements that forge galaxies and nebulae also compose the essence of our existence. We are participants in this beautifully orchestrated cosmic play. But what happens when the stars align in such a way that the universe fates us to meet a soul whose essence resonates with the very core of our being only for us to later discover that the stars were misaligned and circumstance causes these two souls to separate. Right person, wrong time. A terrifying and disheartening narrative, woven with threads of potential but unravelled by circumstance.
Throughout history, whether it was in Shakespeare’s plays or the lives of great queens like Cleopatra and Catherine The Great, we have seen the occurrence of the right person at the wrong time one too many times. But why does this happen? Why does the universe intertwine the destinies of two souls for a fleeting moment only to have circumstances unravel in such a way that these two souls cannot be together? Be it distance, obligations, responsibilities or personal growth, the universe plays a terrifying melody in which external factors push souls away from each other who would have otherwise danced together harmoniously until the end of time. This conundrum leaves us with complexities to face. Was it just not meant to be or Was the universe testing the strength of our bond? Will the strongest souls with the deepest connection emerge victorious or will the universe make sure that the separation lasts regardless of how strong the bond is? Well, there is no one answer, as we grow older we all encounter individuals with whom we share a deep connection. However, as we are growing older, understanding life, developing ourselves professionally, we often come at a crossroads where the weight of our responsibilities and our future tips the balance in its favor and we are unable to prioritize and recognise the right person amidst the demands of our evolving lives. When such a scenario presents itself, we often say that it was the right person at the wrong time. With this, we essentially say that had the circumstances been different, had we met at a different time in our lives, when the weight of the world was not on our shoulders, we would have been together. We would have never separated.
However, is this truly the case? This leads to asking an even bigger and more complex question, which is, “Does the right person at the wrong time exist or is it simply that the person was wrong for us?” Is it simply the misalignment of stars or did the connection simply not exist? We are faced with the question as to whether the external forces which were beyond our control caused the separation or was it us? Here’s where I come from, if we have to label a person as the right person at the wrong time, perhaps the person was not right for us after all. The universe makes sure that we cross paths with different individuals, we are a mosaic of everyone we have ever encountered. Not all relationships are forever, some of them are destined to be over before we are ready as they are meant to shape us as individuals in a way that would not have happened otherwise. Eventually, we must all make peace with the lives we never lived because perhaps we were never meant to live those lives. There always remains a lingering echo of what could have been.It forces us to ponder over whether external factors lead us to the lives we end up living or our own choices that we term as fate or destiny. Perhaps, none of us will ever be able to get the answer whether that person was truly right for us or not but each bittersweet goodbye that has come our way has shaped us into who we are today. And if you are proud of the person you have become, then perhaps the goodbyes were worth it. As you stand on the precipice of what could have been, do not mourn the roads untaken or the life unlived, instead, celebrate the beautiful mosaic that your soul has become.
Well written!!