Brothers – Just Blood or Something More??

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley

Ryan Atwood and Seth Cohen

Lucas and Nathan Scott

Sam and Dean Winchester

These are some of my favourite “brothers” in pop culture, which brings me to the question; should we consider brothers to be those to whom we are directly related by blood? Or is there something more powerful that can turn strangers into friends and friends into brothers?

Just to be clear, I’m not talking about the sibling dynamic (brothers and sisters) – Just Brothers – Two boys or men whose relationship is so strong that it surpasses all bonds of blood and can withstand any obstacle thrown at it!! The best of friends – two extensions of the same person (now people, calm down! I’m talking about strictly platonic relationships here), brothers by choice not by biology.

This sense of brotherhood among guys has always intrigued me. It somehow seems more raw and real than the bonds between us girls (I’m not judging – coz believe me I’ve got some of the best BFFs a girl could ask for!).  They seem to be very direct with how they act around their brothers and everything is taken at face value in the exact sense it was meant to be taken. We girls tend to think that guys are not in touch with their emotions and find it difficult to express themselves – who knows - maybe they don’t talk about the same stuff as us girls and maybe they don’t overanalyze things like we do, but between brothers actions often speak louder than words. They stand by each other through thick and thin, and while they may not talk about a lot of stuff, they definitely do talk about the important things. In fact guys are probably more open to their bros than they even are to their wives and girlfriends; since they know that they will not be judged and what they say will be taken in the same context, coz GUYS JUST GET GUYS!!! I don’t profess to be an expert on the “bro – ness” of it all, but there must be something to it for even the “Bro Code” (no, not the one invented by Barney Stinson, but an actual one) to exist.

That is why it is heartbreaking when a brotherhood so strong suddenly disintegrates into nothingness. Guys who have had this extra strong bond for years, sometimes for most of their lives (even growing up together), guys who have stood up for each other through any hurdle in their way, guys who have been inseparable; Brothers at heart…… Is there really something so bad that they could do to one another to break that bond of brotherhood that has grown rock solid over the years? Is there really one act so heinous that it could damage even the strongest of bonds? Shouldn’t their trust in each other be able to withstand anything? Shouldn’t they be able to forgive each other regardless of what it was, considering how long they have been “Brothers”? Or does it really come down to the biology of it all…. Would biological brothers be able to forgive more easily than ‘bros’ simply because they’re related? Shouldn’t brotherhood built up over years of trust and understanding be able to withstand more than simple biology?

Maybe I’m rambling on at this point, but as a sister who has personally witnessed first hand the breaking of such brotherhood, it is very sad and difficult to understand; and it does make me want to figure out what went wrong. However, being a girl and not privy to their relationship it is unfathomable to me how people so close could be torn so far apart…….. Would them being biological brothers have made it easier to accept that one did something terribly wrong and that the other should be able to forgive him? I will probably  never know……

Anyways here’s hoping that by some miracle somehow that things could go back to the way they were before, even though at times their closeness would lead to them ganging up on me and bugging the life out of me (figuratively of course!); it would be way better than this feeling now of not knowing what went wrong and how to fix it……… 

I guess figuring it all out sometimes does not only extend to yourself but also to those closest to you……. And right now I’m gonna go back to it….xoxo 

Cross Roads - Demon??!!

According to ‘Supernatural’ Folklore ‘Cross Roads Demons’ are entities that make formal agreements or bargains with humans, granting any wish in exchange for claiming their life and soul at a fixed point in the future and are generally summoned by burying a container of ritual items, including a photograph of the summoner, graveyard dirt, a black cat bone, and possibly yarrow at the center of a crossroads. Very random I know…… but this is the first thing that crossed my mind when I started thinking of crossroads, which brings me back to the actual point, which is the metaphorical demon also known as the “cross road”……..

It’s like; just when you think that you’ve finally got a firm grip on that thing  called life and you actually come up with – wait for it – “a plausible plan”, then  Bam!, you hit a crossroad that has an equally enticing offer on the other end. That’s when everything falls apart again… ok now I’m being a tad overdramatic…… but cross roads do end up making you question and rethink everything you are doing…..

My cross road at the moment is the choice between doing what is expected of me or what I’ve always dreamed of doing even though it might not bring out the results I want….. Which brings me to my dilemma….. In Sri Lanka since the culture basically revolves around the family unit and since in my case my parents are still financially setting me up, the issue at hand is - should I take the route they want me to take and live the “perfect life” in a dream job that could secure my future and settle down comfortably in SL?  Or should I just chuck it all and go for what my gut is telling me to, which is to get out, travel for a while and go to the land down under in pursuit of higher studies (and other things :P) regardless of the consequences?

I was chatting to an old friend today over an iced tea and a hot chocolate, when we started talking about where we thought we would be today if our daydreams had come true…… and believe me when I tell you that we both are a trillion miles away from those blissful dreams of our younger days….. and not in a good way either!!!! This got me thinking – shouldn’t we go for our dreams while we are still young even though we may crash and burn in the process? At almost a quarter century old I’m definitely not getting any younger and pretty soon whether I like it or not I’m gonna have to start thinking of that “dreaded M word” (marriage :S) and settling down in life….. so isn’t this the time to lay it all on the line and just go for it……

But on the other hand am I being selfish in only thinking of what I want??? Shouldn’t I think of what my parents want me to be…. After all they are the ones who brought me up for all of my life, so shouldn’t I buck up and do what they want… because let’s face it, they aren’t getting any younger either and aren’t going to be totally financially independent forever….so shouldn’t I work towards providing some sort of security for them as well?? Maybe I should take the job because it is a really really good one, that I know I could end up enjoying and they are right in saying that I might not get as golden an opportunity as this one (coz there are people who would kill for this job)!!!!

Which brings me back to the crossroads and at the moment I would gladly make a deal with a crossroads demon to make this choice for me…. But life wouldn’t be the ride it is and not even an ounce as fun if everything came easy….

So off I go to figure things out once again… maybe I should just flip a coin and see what happens!!!!! xoxo