EMAILS AND PHILOSOPHY

Of late I have been receiving a lot of mails which preach me on the way to lead life. I had begun to wonder whether the people around me had come to the conclusion that I was one among those abysmal failures who failed to appreciate the value of life. However, moments later as I noticed the number of email ids to which these mails had been forwarded to before it landed in my inbox confirmed to me that these fears were unfounded. But then it was material enough for me to muse over. Therefore I thought I would share some in my blog.

One of them read as under:

First I was dying to finish my high school to start college,
And then I was dying to finish college to start working
Then I was dying to marry and have children
And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough
so I could go back to work
but then I was dying to retire
and now I am dying and suddenly realize
I forgot to live

At first shot it looked wonderful philosophy. Similar mails on how to remain happy and contented are plenty in circulation. Read between the lines and don't you think the man who penned it has lived his life in full zest always shifting his goalpost farther and raising the bar. Contentment is one thing and achievement is another. Zest for living should essentially mean the thirst for achieving something more. The change from trying to achieve something personally to taking on responsibilities is another growth area. Then comes the life lived for others' priorities which gives more satisfaction than one's own. Imagine the happiness on the child's face at the sight of a lollipop which could not be achieved by earning millions of dollars. Therefore, I believe this man who penned these lines lived life to maximum levels.

Another cute mail came along on the issue of temper. Undoubtedly, people who know me well are prone to tell that I am very patient until tested. But once tested there is no holds barred. This mail spoke of a young boy who was advised by his father to drive a nail into a fence each time he lost his temper. Soon a day came when the boy had no occasion to drive a nail since he had not lost his temper. Then the father advised him to pull out a nail on each day he did not lose his temper. Soon all the nails had been removed. The father then shows the holes caused on the fence which cannot be mended. However, does it mean that we should never lose temper. My understanding is that as long as affection and love can bring in the bushels there would be no reason for acrimony. But if you deal with irrational and incorrigible people who presume that patience is more a weakness than a strength then it may be necessary to display anger. Similarly, anger built into oneself is more dangerous. It causes holes in yourself which is worse than the holes that may be caused in relationships with others. A tete a tete after reading the mail with the sender of the mail later I handed out an assurance that it would be a subject matter of one of my blogs and here it is.

Another mail read as under:

There was
a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving friend. He was always
there for her.. She told her friend, 'If I could only see
the world, I will marry you.'
One day,
someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages
came off, she was able to see everything, including her
friend.
He asked
her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The
girl looked at her friend and saw that he was blind. The
sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected
that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life
led her to refuse to marry him.
Her
friend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her
saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before
they were yours, they were mine.'
This is
how the human brain often works when our status changes.
Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who
was always by their side in the most painful situations.
Life Is a
Gift
Today
before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't
speak.
Before
you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone
who has nothing to eat.
Before
you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone
who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today
before you complain about life - Think of someone who went
too early to heaven.
Before
whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who
walks the same distance with their feet.
And when
you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the
unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your
job.
And when
depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on
your face and think: you're alive and still
around.

The piece was riveting at the stage when the friend discloses that the eyes which were once his was now hers. Many events happen around the world where the act of kindness is not noticed. In many cases people do not wish to understand or acknowledge the acts of kindness. In fact the mail would have been even better had the girl reprimanded the boy saying he was foolish to have donated both his eyes or claimed that he was pulling a fast one.

Will we regain our humanitarian credentials?