As The Sun Goes Westerly…
The pervasive conviction of the living is that our time is distant and far away. This is something that happens to others. We generally feel that we are immortal till the time our parents are alive. Such is life that we subconsciously tend to think that nature will follow the same sequence during departure as it had ordained for our arrival. But alas, fickle indeed is nature and we all know that. In fact, that is the reason, the ‘out-of-turn’ allotments hurt and hurt very badly.
We have experienced the innocence of adolescence, the foolishness and exuberance of youth and the worldly illusions of the middle kingdom. We have made our contributions to causes and affiliations and made our share of mistakes. The cabinets are full with rusting trophies and mementoes tinged with fading memories. Life seems to come full circle and flashes in parts like movie trailers. Mellowed pride over high points and diluted regrets over the near misses, it is a mixed medley indeed.
As the sun goes westerly, there is an unacknowledged and unsaid realization about the realities and inevitability of life. You lose friends, dear ones and not so dear ones along the way. We mourn them, we miss them, we celebrate them but then we pick up our pieces once again and move on as no kinship is greater than life.
A serene sense of gratitude to the guy above engulfs for the opportunity to have lived through unique experiences, for the superb friendships made along the way, for the joyous occasions to remember, for being able to contribute and make a difference and more importantly for existence itself. As Rob Thomas expresses his gratefulness in his famous and hard-hitting lyrics “I’m one less day from dying young”. I guess each one of us needs to do the same.
At the same time, you do come across a multitude of fellow travellers who still have not gotten over their turmoil, imbalances, biases and dogmas; quite a reflection of the life they have probably lead. Try convincing them that in a few years or even decades if they are lucky, no one is going to remember them for their politics, their religious beliefs or where they landed up in the snakes & ladders game. They are still fighting battles like the Japanese soldiers hidden in jungles who refused to believe that the Great War was over long time back. Experience dictates that there is no point in engaging them. They will drain your time and energy without any meaningful outcome.
Also, the coming generations are bubbling with energy and ideas. Much against our feeble attempts to steer them, they would prefer to make their own mistakes rather than learn from our experiences. We did the same isn’t it? Nevertheless, having them around and passing the baton is such a joy. Forget control and guidance, just love them a little bit more. They will be just fine on their own.
Somewhere along the path, while we were busy counting our acquisitions, we forgot to count our blessings. It is still not too late. Now is the time to sit back and enjoy. Savour and appreciate what is good around us, for we have focused on righting the wrongs far too long. Now is the time to give back in whatever form we can so that our bag is empty when the time comes. We need to live joyfully, be delighted to give, do good and celebrate each breath. A simple driver could be to listen to our heart much more and have no regrets at all.
Long used to having it ‘our way’, it is time to accept other ways however imperfect they may seem at first glance. We need to acknowledge the inevitability of differences and make peace with ourselves along with the rest of the world. People often remember you for what you stood for and how you made them feel. By leaving the world a shade better place than what we inherited, we will continue to live and not just exist, in the thoughts and memories of those who follow us. No better way to immortality!
Horax (Casper)
08 April 2021
First published at Seekmediation.com on 08/04/2
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