Being normal in sick world

        

“I want to be famous; I want to earn riches, I want to live like a queen…”

Like all, these words resided on my tongue tip as well. Such dreams filled my existence. I had seen the world like this. I had seen the people running behind money and careers, bidding their present for a bright green future, kowtowing in front of their authority for favors... I had heard my elders blessing me with the words, “May god gift you with fame name and money…”

Knowingly, unknowingly, when this fame, name and money became part and parcel of my dreams I never realized and like all I started running in the gold hunt of life, looking for my ways to excel… I soon got admission in a medical college. So things were going smooth. Though frustration, anger, depression and sadness filled my being but these are all integral components of today’s life. So all in all things were normal…

Once we were sent to ‘Life’s Good hospital’, a known cancer hospital of our city. Here we were briefed about cancer, recent advances in treatment, and then we were made to meet the patients. Dr. Aadi led us. Seeing so many young patients on death bed my soul was shaken and uncontrollably words busted off my mouth, “This is so sick of you god!!!”  Dr. Aadi heard it. She smiled and said, “God is never sick, not to any one…” Humbly I opposed her saying, “But isn’t this unfair of god snatching life at such young age? I mean before the age of thirty you don’t even build a good career or get a job. Seeing death at this age then means living a life without happiness…”

Laughing on my perspective Dr. Aadi explained it to me, “See the problem lies here. The sickness lies in your thoughts and not in life or god. But it’s neither your fault. This is what today’s world is all about – competing and succeeding… Failures have become a big stigma today and success glorifies your being like a gem studded effigy. So afraid of failures every one follows this rat race without any prior thought. You get busy in achieving your ambitions now. You start sacrificing-- first your sleep, then your happiness and finally your present, just in hope of ‘Someday’, thinking someday I’ll buy all pleasures and that day I’ll live for me…  But what if that ‘someday’ never comes??? This cancer, this ail has freed my patients from this unyielding run. You call this disease unfair but at least these people know they have one, two or five more years to live. So they in real sense live their life, they celebrate their today and try to fulfill all those desires which we normally burry due to our tight monotonous schedules. They live a day of pleasure before seeing the date of end. But poor you, what if a car hits you as you step out of this place? All your dreams, your ambitions would remain here and you would die with a heavy heart and unsatisfied soul. You may call my patients sick but my patients now out of this sick world are normal. World pities on the ail of my patients but my patients pity on the sickness of this world…”

                                   

                                                                                                 

Her words shook me deeply… Yes she was right… We people are unknowingly caught in this time trap. Competition runs continuously in our minds. We are those vagabonds who run continuously in the desire of that bait which we are not sure about getting and forget to collect the accessible small coins on our way. This race is ruining our life. We have forgotten the beauty of moment of void and sweetness of silence. Today we have big friend circle but no friend in real sense. We love our goals and gadgets but not our companions. Relationships are nothing more than give and take deals now. We may not know all about our best friend but we surely know all strategies of our competitors. We may not have time to help a friend in need but we surely have time to pull our competitor’s shoe lace.

But does this mean I forget all my ambitions??? Does being normal in this sick world mean living like a man without desires???

Finding the answer took my peace for several days. I felt like banging my head somewhere. Finally I found a way. I asked to myself, “How would I live if I had one month of life left with me???” The answer showed me the way to normal life…

I would have stolen small moments of happiness. I would have taken time to see my mom dad smile, to sleep on my mom’s lap, to listen to my dad sing, to discuss all shitty things with my sister and do all crazy stuff, to hug my friend and say “I care”, to confess in front of  all my loved ones—yes I loved them truly, to live out my way, to dress the way I like, to walk, to speak, to behave the way I like and not as the way society wants to see me, to sing, to dance, to enjoy, to hold balloons and run on seaside, to build my dream castle on beach, to sit eye in eye with my love holding his hand and whispering, “I love you too.”

Being normal in this sick world doesn’t mean forgetting your ambition. It means – not forgetting your life. What we people today have mistaken is we have made our ambitions our purpose of existence. But this is not true. Our ambitions are only a part of our existence. The purpose of existence of each soul on this land is to enjoy and live its share of happiness. Your degree, post, money or name would never give you satiety on your death bed. The moments of love, rejoice and having people around you who really care make even your journey to death peaceful.

So people leave this sickness for a while and try leading a normal life for a change. Work for your ambitions but don’t forget your now. Be true to someone, become the helping hand for someone, be the smile on someone’s face and hug a needy with healer’s love and grace. And then see each step toward your goal would become more enjoyable. The quota of dejection and depression would diminish from your life and life would become a journey on roses…

Enough of quoting ‘Shakespeare’ and ‘Wordsworth’ fellows lend your ear now to me –

Steal little joys from life’s treasure,

The gangplank between life and death would then become full of pleasure.

No regrets of past and no planning future,

Present lies in your hand live it today and make it dearer.

Remember this secret of normal life

 This would make your living wonderful,

There’s no place here for tears and roars

Life, my friend, is really beautiful….

CHEERS!!!