What is life? Many definitions abound. Over the centuries, many philosophers, religious leaders, ordinary people and gurus of various stripes have dipped their quills in ink, bent over their manuscripts, and tried to come up with a satisfactory answer. Perhaps you’re asking yourself the same question right now like me.
Bob Geldof said: “The purpose of life is life itself”
Life is something that happens to us – intimately, personally. Instead of accepting and living it, we are guilty of chasing something thinking it is life. We spend our time chasing and dreaming of what life should be that we fail to see the true significance of what it actually is.
We chase with a earnestness and a desire that goes like ..
In his youth, he chased the dream job
Other time, he raced for the beautiful girl with a bob
Planning to live someday when he had his time to lob
Forgetting the present, he was riding the future cobNow a dad, he constantly cared
Worrying about his children all day, he prayed
His life only revolved around them and not shared
Eclipsed by the shadow of his family, change he not dared
Now lying pale on his death bedHe realized a little too late instead
He had died long back,
life that he never lived nor led
Today, only his body was getting ready for the heavenly bed
- an excerpt from the poem "Living the Dead Life", May 2010
We have to accept that life is not a chase. Instead, embrace it as it is. If we start chasing all the time, then it’s probable that life is something we are looking to escape from.
Life is living - being in the moment; experiencing it every second every day. It is not about butchering life from our concepts of good, bad, wrong or right. It is to simply live with what’s transpiring before our eyes right now with no judgement.
Life is a journey with full of unexpected twists and turns and with no specific plan. We suffer because we compare reality to our wishes and expectations which don’t mirror each other. We spend much of our time judging ourselves, others and situations based on what we expect them to be. If it rains when we least expect it, we become unhappy. We are constantly looking for new ways to be disappointed fixating on petty wishes, coveting a new car, a dream home or a perfect complexion. We forget that life is under no obligation to do anything for us.
Instead of being aware of the present moment and cherishing it, we succumb to temptations and feel disappointed and stressed.
All these wishes and expectations are like a veil between us and reality. They keep us from experiencing that cool rain as anything else then the frustrating absence of the weather we expected.
Instead, we should accept everything - the pain, the happiness, the disappointment, the failure, the success and everything that goes with it.
Life doesn’t remember yesterday nor has plans for tomorrow. It is just as it is. There is no one person sitting somewhere controlling everything. So, let us stop blaming the universe.
Uncertainty abounds in life. Almost a giant probability model. This uncertainty shapes our world and produces an image of chaos and negativity, making the world seem wrapped in fear and anxiety. Additionally, the pressures imposed by society and its expectations regarding anything we can't touch, feel or see takes away our ability to feel comfortable inside ourselves. Instead of uncertainty making us panic, It should invigorate us. Instead of worrying about the monsters that might be lurking in corners, we should focus on all the amazing things awaiting discovery. Tools like meditation can help bring calm and create room for our inner voice to speak to us.
The moment to live is only now
Finding the balance between your desire and throw
Walking the line between contentment and sorrow
Experiencing the pain and pleasure in the field narrow
The truth is visible to absorb and grow
Today is the only sun you may see flow
This hard truth is not difficult to perceive or show
Change is the river that washes to flow
Leaving nothing but memories that crow
Be at peace, all will pass and not grow
The pain, the joy, the money and even your estate and dough
Wear the apron of contentment and sow
bask in sunshine of happiness and glow
Without letting go the hope of a sunny arrow
While continuing to play the game of your destiny fashion show
- an excerpt from the poem "Life Explained", Mar 2019