Many of you might remember the old NCERT textbooks which had one page right at the beginning sharing the Talisman propounded by Mahatma Gandhi.
At the time, I didn’t completely get the meaning of his words which are now crystal clear.
What Gandhiji meant when he gave us that mantra was – there are always people more unfortunate than us and that every step, every action undertaken by us should be carried out keeping in mind the welfare of those less fortunate ones.
My piece here lays down no such lofty ideals. I just want to underline the fact that each of us thinks that the troubles and trials of our lives are unique and beyond endurance. But in essence, life isn’t easy for any of us. We just have to make the best of what is given to us.
There are people who are enduring terminal illnesses, there are some who have been turned out of their own homes by their own flesh and blood, others still lead lives of penury and want, there are many who are either too fat or too thin, some suffer physical handicaps others mental ailments, there are yet others who have no talent or scope for education and few who are low on luck despite the degrees, some are financially well off but have no mental peace others can’t make their two ends meet. For some there are marital troubles for others relationships are difficult. Some are in agony because they are childless some worry because they have too many mouths to feed. There are some for whom their sexuality or gender is a cross, they are born that way, others still whose choices society doesn’t accept.
In nutshell, as long as we have human lives, we have desires. These desires are the root cause of pain. The unending want for more create a gloom and unhappiness that is beyond our control. We suffer because we always want something that has not been served to us. We suffer because we constantly compare our lives with others. For us grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. We don’t acknowledge the fact that the grass is greener where it is watered.
We cry and make a hullabaloo about the suffering we have to sustain. We pray to our Gods to alleviate our burdens. We cut corners, we try and cheat fate and hoodwink our destiny. All in vain.
We have been given one life. True, it has some challenges. We each have our crosses to bear and carry but if we do so with a song in our heart and a smile on our lips, won’t it be more convenient and bearable?
In any case we have to live through the entire span of life given to us. Why not face it headlong without complaining and cribbing about it.. Why make it tougher than it already is? We can strive to improve our lot in life, that’s our right and prerogative but there really isn’t any use lamenting the things we lack or the burdens we have to carry. We won’t die before it is our time so why not live it up despite the tests assigned to us.
Think about it!
They understood how the world went around, they realized the value of life, virtues of patience, honesty, loyalty, respect, hardwork & perseverance. They experienced what it was to work hard and yet lose when their efforts were pit against divine & natural deterrents. They fathomed how to win against insurmountable odds. They appreciated that their children will model after them & their behavior. They discerned that they were the lighthouses that would steer the navigators of the future to a safe & sure shore. They stood witness to a society brought up on so many virtues of good living. Their resolve, when put against adversities was exemplary. Rarely ever, were they perturbed with the bouncers that life so unerringly threw at them. They were Pure Gold-those people, who inhabited our planet just a generation back. 
My mother told me this evening, “what is gone is gone, may be it never was meant to be yours in the first place. Make all the efforts you need to, in order to retrieve what you have lost but then if you don’t recover it, just let it be. Don’t waste your days & spoil a good night’s sleep, moping, sulking & bewailing the loss of something that cannot be reclaimed. ‘What ifs’ just bring in misery & wretchedness. Crying over it won’t help. It will just cloud your judgement and prevent you from finding a way out.”
