bhaskar saikia

We often long for balance — a world that is smooth, fair, and evenly shaped. Yet, if the world were truly even, life as we know it would cease to exist. It is the unevenness — the peaks and valleys, the contrasts and irregularities — that gives rise to diversity, movement, and vitality. The world’s imperfections are not flaws; they are the very foundation of life itself.

Think of the mountains and valleys. If the Earth’s surface were perfectly flat, rivers would have no path to follow, clouds no reason to rain, and ecosystems no place to evolve. It’s the difference in elevation that guides the flow of water, nourishes forests, and sustains species. Even within a forest, it is the uneven ground — the mix of sunlight and shade, wet and dry — that creates niches for countless forms of life.

The same truth applies to human existence. Our personal landscapes, too, are uneven — filled with highs of joy and lows of struggle. Yet, it is within this uneven terrain that we grow. Comfort and perfection may seem appealing, but it is the challenges, the detours, and the rough edges that teach us resilience and empathy. Without struggle, there would be no progress; without contrast, no meaning.

Nature reminds us constantly that perfection is sterile. Coral reefs thrive in turbulence, deserts bloom after long droughts, and seeds crack open in darkness before reaching for light. Life is not nurtured by sameness but by difference — by the interplay of forces that shape and reshape the world in endless cycles of creation.

So, when we look at the world and wish it were smoother, let us pause. The unevenness we see — in landscapes, in people, in our own journeys — is what keeps life moving, evolving, and alive. It is the roughness of the path that gives meaning to the walk.