The Undocked Boat


Relationships can be compared to docking and undocking a boat into the wharf. There is a tie that secures the boat to the wharf. There is the body of water where the boat floats, and the wharf where the boat is supposed to stay for a period of time. Most importantly, the boat which is actually the point of interest in this symbolic analogy.

The body of water

The stream or current in the body of water is a decisive factor how one should tie the boat to the wharf. If there is a need to use several ties, one would do so. Interestingly, if the current of body of water could be destructive to the boat, it might be better to bring the boat out of the water to the shore. Similarly, in relationships, there is a balance everyone should seek. Time and situation are ever-changing, and so it is important to adjust with it. Pulling the boat untimely to shore would defeat the purpose of having the boat freely floating in water. This would mean that man should always be allowed a leeway to "float freely". This might not be the most safe thing to do but people similarly should be allowed to make mistakes and decisions, and rectify mistakes with sufficient time. By not doing so, we defeat the purpose of man being rational and able to decide on his own.

The rope

Ropes do not stay as strong as it becomes old. It becomes weak. If there is a need to replace the rope, one must do this before the boat might accidentally drift away. The rope should be tied securely but not necessarily too tight such that the boat could not move by itself on the body pf water. Similarly, relationships require renewal. Things change and ofcourse relationships weaken through time. The circumstances at the beginning of every relationship is not usually the same to what they are while the relationship is ongoing. There are always bumps and humps. Unfortunately, some would just allow the boat to undock and be untied, rather than reinforcing the ties within the relationship. Undocking is symbolically analogous to ending the relationship. By doing so, the boat is allowed to traverse and drift away, allowing it to go to other places to be found by another and thereafter secured into another dock or wharf.

The boat

We are like boats. We can be fragile and vulnerable to extreme forces of wind and water. Boats docked to wharfs to keep it secure from these extreme forces. We are ourselves weather the troubles and challenges in life. Moreover, an unattended could be undocked and untied by another who would want to use the boat. An uncertain person would always find other opportunities if the conditions in their life are no longer compatible for growth and personal happiness. Undocking the boat would allow the boat to drift away without clear chances that it may even return the wharf again. Letting a person go means one should accept the fact that things will never be the same again no matter what. There will always be distance and inconvenience. Life would sometimes be better moving on, like a boat in search of a new wharf to dock on.
So which is most important in the picture, the body of water, the rope or the boat? Every part of it is important ofcourse. There should be balance and rhythm with time. One could not just undock a boat on a windy day. Allowing a person go in the middle of life turbulences is like untying a boat from a boat to downstream of a river. The boat will never have the chance to stop or go back. It will be carried into the stream until another person sees it drifting away loosely, and thereafter pulls it near a wharf again to keep it safe. Life is composed of several stops and wharfs. The boat stays for long as long as it is kept safe and remain attended.

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