The Frame

Few days ago, one of my friends invited us and few others to their home for dinner. The living room was moderately but nicely decorated with contemporary furniture. There was a small table against the side wall, and on the table, was a picture in a beautiful small golden frame. The frame was so elegant and shining that every one's eyes were glued on it. Everyone kept admiring it and asking the host where she got it from, how much was it, was it real gold, etc? Over the dinner and rest of the evening, every one kept talking about that golden frame.
No one really saw the picture that was in the frame.

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During my recent visit to India last year, I had an opportunity to visit Shri Gurcharan ji in Panipat, Haryana. He showed me an old and rare group picture of many (about eighty) well known earlier saints along with Shehanshah ji and Baba Gurubachan Singh ji sitting in the middle. The picture was probably taken in mid or late nineteen fifties. Realizing my interest and admiration, he told me he had two copies of the same picture and very generously offered me one. This rare picture was framed in an ordinary old thin wooden frame. The white paint is starting to peel off at some places and has developed few dark spots at the corners. Since I brought it back with me, I have been thinking to change the frame but never got to do it.

Everyone who comes to visit me, takes a keen interest in this rare picture and tries to recognize some of these old time saints.

Interestingly, no one ever notices the thin, old decaying frame.
  
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So, what is more important ? The frame or the picture that is in it ?
I guess the answer would be 'whatever outshines and attracts more'.
Is body more important or what is beneath the body ?
is the outer appearance of people more important or their heart and attitude ?

I think answer would be still the same, 'whatever outshines and attracts more'.
There are some people who always dress up elegantly and keep a charming and attractive outer appearance.
We admire their expensive clothes and jewellery but hardly want to spend time with them because of their arrogant nature.
On the other hand, we meet some people who look very ordinary, dressed up in very simple and ordinary clothes. There is hardly anything about them that catches our eyes, but yet, we enjoy their company immensely and don't feel like leaving them.
                                           Choice is ours.

Do we simply want to become a beautiful frame ... and show people an elegant and attractive outer personality?
Or should we try to make beautiful what is inside the frame, under the outer physical appearance ?

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have both ?
A beautiful soothing picture in a beautiful attractive frame. 

But if we have to choose one, then we should strive for the second, a beautiful interior.

  "Some people make you happy by entering the room and others by leaving."

'Rajan Sachdeva'