We, the human race, are a piece of work aren’t we? We have the ability to create such beautiful things and yet have the same ability to destroy it all in the blink of an eye. Madness versus Order! The world has changed — there seems to be an underlying fear and prejudice, changing people forever. But, as the wise man once said ‘Life will go on, and any change is a good thing.’
Have you ever wondered, as I have, what brings joy into a person’s life? Is it the moment where we are caught up with laughter and uncontrollable joy that we can’t grab a handle on ourselves? Could this be a moment of happiness? Maybe? But then why does it seem as though so many of us find it hard to enjoy the true great moments that life has to offer?
A great wise teacher once told me ‘It is we that make life complicated as we grow older. We are such that we get bored of childhood and as adults long to be children again! We lose our health to make money… and then lose our money to restore our health. By thinking anxiously about the future, we forget the present, such that we live in neither the present nor the future. We live as if we will never die, and die as though we have never lived.’ These pearls of wisdom shared to me by this wonderful teacher stuck in my head like a splinter and life from then has been a soaking experience.
Life has taught me that we cannot make anyone love us. All we can do is let ourselves be loved. I have learned that it is not good to compare ourselves to others. I have learned to forgive by practicing forgiveness. I have learned that it takes only a few seconds to open profound wounds in those we love but it takes many years to heal them. I have learned that a rich person is not one who has the most but is one who needs the least. I have learned that there are people who love you dearly but simply do not yet know how to express or show their feelings. I have always learned to teach myself to stop and smell the roses once in a while.
With that all said and done it brings me to this conclusion — that life is a journey, with no beginning nor end. Life is tough, but I believe we are tougher. I believe in angels, because when I had nothing, they came and gave me everything and left as quietly as they had arrived. I am left with experiences and it doesn’t matter to me who I meet or who you are, I have always wanted to know what sustains people from the inside when everything else falls away
Thinking ahead I see a new world lead by our fearless young minds, who do not see lines of race, color or prejudice blurring their pathways to a unified world. A world that thinks together, shares together, laughs together, grieves together, is that possible? I see all this and much more, because I believe in that better change ahead.
One day at a time, one act of random kindness at a time, can make all the difference before our lifetime in this world comes to an end.
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[Published on SouthAsianLife.com on December 07, 2008: http://www.southasianlife.com/editors-note/our-life-thinking-ahead/]