L is for Life
L is for Life
L is the twelfth letter of the English alphabet. L stands for Laughter, Longevity, Loyalty, Love, Liking, Leadership and many other interesting words.
The word that I want to write about is Life. The last few weeks have shown us the value of life, like never before in recent history.
Technically, life is the characteristic that differentiates living beings from non-living beings or inanimate objects. However, as we all know, life has much more to it than just living. Life is about having a purpose, it is about making a difference, it is about making an impact on others, and it is also about spreading happiness.
I have written about life as a journey in my post on the letter J. Life is a journey with it’s ups and downs, and a collection of experiences that we accumulate day by day. But we often start believing that we are in the driver’s seat as we move forward in this journey. It is good to have this belief because unless we take control of our lives, we are often subject to being manouvered by others, leaving ourselves to the mercy of our circumstances.
There couldn’t have been a better reminder than what we have gone through in the last few weeks, that while we do get to drive our lives, we should never forget that there are events beyond our control which can change the course of our lives in unimaginable ways. How many of us had heard of Covid-19 three months ago? How many of us would have imagined two months ago, that practually the whole of mankind would be in a lockdown for such an extended period of time? How many of us could have believed that for weeks on end, we would see all commerical activities being suspended, and major companies that make cars or white goods or other items of our regular use, record zero sales for 7–8 weeks? How many of us had ever thought of the skies without aeroplanes, roads without vehicles, and all hotels, malls, restaurants, gymnasiums, etc. shut for such a prolonged period?
The point I am trying to highlight is the unpredictability of life. I don’t want to sound ominous, but the way things are going, we will very soon start seeing our friends and acquaintances being directly affected by the pandemic, if we haven’t already.
Now, these are very unusual times. So whatever we are seeing is unusual and does not fit into the definition of “normalcy” as we know it. But even in the best of times, life has a way of surprising us.
In the last one week, Indian film industry lost two of it’s popular stars to cancer. Both of them had gone abroad for extended periods of time to get the best treatment. But both of them could not win the battle with cancer. Both had strikingly different backgrounds, very different career trajectories, and made their mark by portraying absolutely different kind of roles on screen. But both had such a similar end.
Well, while there is enough to lament about, what I want all of us to remember is that more than anything else, life is a gift. It is a gift that is given to us everyday. But we get so used to receiving it that we start taking it for granted.
The current situation is a wake up call for all of us. We should accept this gift with gratitude and grace, and cherish it for the invaluable gift it is. Make the most of it by enjoying it to the full, by doing everything necessary to make it qualitatively and quantitatively richer, by never forgetting its value.
One of my favourite quotes about life is by William W. Purkey:
“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
Dalai Lama once said that the purpose of life is to be happy. Many of us spend a life time just chasing the elusive happiness. But the key to happiness is to find it here and now. Make your today a happy day. Start every day with a smile and confidence that you will make it a happier day than the one gone by. You will not only find yourself feeling happier, but also spreading happiness around you.
Life will bring it’s surprises, and shocks. But, you have to remind yourself that the sky is constant, it is the weather that keeps changing. Think of yourself as the sky, and everything else as the weather.
These are some thoughts that have been running through my mind. What do you think?
