Unique Gift of Life

Maybe I will never be able to realize what D&R have gone through in life, and if only I know how each of their days pass by, I might be more empathetic towards them. Now what is this D&R? Dinesh and Reshma or Dravid and Rani, or David and Reena! Maybe these are some of the commonplace names, but behind these names are individuals who are "made for each other", but are left to grope in darkness with no child they can call their own. The number of childless couples is growing, and medical science is helpless to make them not only rear, but also bear a child! Pro-creation has always been one of the primary goals of Christian marriage, as we hear it from our catechism classes!

When the couple finds out that one of them is incapable of cooperating in the bearing of a child a few years after their marriage, all troubles start. The husband may blame the wife and the wife the husband; and the couple may blame the parents, and every other person they can think of! Unfortunately their problem of bearing a child does not end there. They try to undergo any kind of medical treatment, even the witches and the ojhas, with the hope that one day they would be the proud parents of a child. What happens when all of these costly attempts fail is what I dare not imagine.

I have seen so many couples who belong to this category; how nice it would be if the angel Gabriel visits all the houses of these couples and announce the birth of a child through unusual means, through divine intervention. Even angel Gabriel does not seem to like visiting our planet. But when their attempts fail, the bond of union that had kept them together all these days, begin to be brittle; men may indulge (if they are still young enough) in extra-marital affairs, alcoholism, smoking, bad company, and anything which can make them forget the harsh fact that he has no child of his own!

If men are able to give vent to their feelings and frustrations externally, women may do just the opposite. They may keep everything within their hearts, and may one day explode. Often such feelings may find expression in obesity, all sorts of diseases, gossipping, backbiting, suspicion and finding fault with the husband, jealous of their friends having cute little babes. The unhappiness of men and women often find some concrete expression, and it may be dangerous if these people are not able to find some sort of outlet for their emotions. Ideally the husband and wife should be able to find an outlet in their spouses, but when it fails, they should find adequate means.

We live in a world, where moneyed men and women are discovering newer formulae to manage life; some years ago, I have come across people who felt having a child was a nuisance, and so would love to be by themselves. The care of a third person, for whom they may have to give up all their comforts and pleasures, might appear too much for these kind of couples, and many of them decide not to have any children, even if they are physically fit to bear and rear a child. The gift of a child is a great gift; nothing on earth can equal this gift; but if someone is deliberately refusing to have this gift, then we can only assume that these persons do not know the value and worth of the gifts. Maybe they would realize what it means to have a child, when they feel old age fast catching up with them!

When Nature Spread Carpets...

All around I see a white carpet of snow, carefully strewn on plants, housetops, on top of every conceivable object on the lanes and by-lanes of this vast city. It is a treat to one’s eyes, and as I walked along the streets, with hedgerows piled with snow, I stretch out my hand to touch them, and they immediately slip from my hands, as if playing hide-n-seek with me. Unadulterated white powder generously strewn, no human mechanism may be able to reproduce such artistry, such delicate work of love. But alas, there is hardly anyone to even take note of this wondrous miracle! Gifts of nature abound all around us, every day, and every hour and every minute, and we need a thousand eyes to behold her beauty, not out there, but here and now.

The greatest miracle-worker, nature, does not measure and give to the world; her gifts are always in unlimited measure, like a true lover showering all that he has on his beloved. He does not calculate and measure when it comes to self-offering. Nature gives all that she has, and the best gift that she could give to the world is herself, and is there anyone to receive them? As I walked along a park with lovely carpet of snow all around, so soft and so gentle, at times I felt indignant to put my foot on them! Oh, how can I be so cruel to stamp this lovely gift of nature? I would like to take this gift in both my hands and give it a gentle kiss! Oh no! I am too old to do that! I should be a little child to do that, and no one would frown at me; they would think that it was part of my childish play. But now, I have to be careful as to what others will think, how they would regard me if I were to do that. I cannot be entirely what I am as I behold nature; I have to be heartless and emotionless before her bounty.

Nature’s great gift lying in vain, unregarded, uncared, and the vast part with trees around, I can find hardly anyone. A gift is often exchanged only between people who care for each other; we do not give gifts to someone we do not like. Nature showers her gifts on us only out of her boundless love for us, and even if we do not treasure her gifts, is it not proper that we at least receive them with dignity and honor? What we can give her in return is a big question, we cannot enter into, but is it not human to treat her with love for giving to her gifts we surely do not deserve? The only people who really recognize this gift are children; I could see three children while walking along the road, play with snow, throwing it on one another. She becomes the object of joy and happiness among people, and probably that is the reason why she came down from heaven. Is it not true then that when she is down, the temperature is kept under control? How can we be so blind to take note of her in our midst?

If the weather is cloudy for days on end, then we look forward to the sun, and are very happy when he turns up (though science would warn us that it is not he who turns up, but that we who turn ourselves to him!), and we get out of our heated rooms, to be bathed in the natural stream of warmth and life. But when the sun light is too much in abundance, we hardly take note of him, and the gifts of nature that come in large measure become a routine object, like the church bell chiming each day at the appointed time, or the train passing by with a loud horn at a particular hour each day! Unfortunately we have so many things to keep us busy the whole day long, that even some of the most beautiful events and incidents of life become routine exercises, and we can care very less. There may be a year, when we may not find snow spreading a lovely white carpet all around our city, and then we may complain to nature what made her turn to us harshly, for denying the lovely gift!

Today I would like to pause for a while to reflect about the different gifts of nature that come to me unannounced, unprepared! They come to me so casually without much pomp that I don’t pay attention to them, and they may even escape my notice, and I may miss them forever. Today I go through my mind’s eye and enlist all such gifts that come to me freely – the air I breathe, the water I drink, the sunlight and the moonlight at day and night respectively, the cool breeze that soothe my drooping spirit, and enliven my heart, the blue sky that takes me beyond the horizon, the birds of the air and the flowers, plants, even a little grass has tidings of joy and happiness for me! They all make the world and my life beautiful, if I really care for them. Today I fold my hands in sincere reverence and love for nature, for her unconditional love for humanity! I do not dare to promise her that hence forth I will take her seriously, and accept her gifts with open arms; if I do that, then I will have to regret for making such a promise I cannot keep. I plead with her to bear with me when I am blind to her beauty, deaf to her music, senseless to her soothing sensations, tasteless to savor her sweetness, and give me the grace to accept her whole-heartedly into myself and be immersed by her love beyond all measure! (Brussels)

Covered by a Crystal Carpet!

All around I see a white carpet of snow, carefully strewn on plants, housetops, on top of every conceivable object on the lanes and by-lanes of this vast city. It is a treat to one’s eyes, and as I walked along the streets, with hedgerows piled with snow, I stretch out my hand to touch them, and they immediately slip from my hands, as if playing hide-n-seek with me. Unadulterated white powder generously strewn, no human mechanism may be able to reproduce such artistry, such delicate work of love. But alas, there is hardly anyone to even take note of this wondrous miracle! Gifts of nature abound all around us, every day, and every hour and every minute, and we need a thousand eyes to behold her beauty, not out there, but here and now.

The greatest miracle-worker, nature, does not measure and give to the world; her gifts are always in unlimited measure, like a true lover showering all that he has on his beloved. He does not calculate and measure when it comes to self-offering. Nature gives all that she has, and the best gift that she could give to the world is herself, and is there anyone to receive them? As I walked along a park with lovely carpet of snow all around, so soft and so gentle, at times I felt indignant to put my foot on them! Oh, how can I be so cruel to stamp this lovely gift of nature? Fine crystal grains spread all around, shining in the soft warm rays of the sun. I would like to take this gift in both my hands and give it a gentle kiss! Oh no! I am too old to do that! I should be a little child to do that, and no one would frown at me; they would think that it was part of my childish play. But now, I have to be careful as to what others will think, how they would regard me if I were to do that. I cannot be entirely what I am as I behold nature; I have to be heartless and emotionless before her bounty.

Nature’s great gift lying in vain, unregarded, uncared, and the vast part with trees around, I can find hardly anyone. A gift is often exchanged only between people who care for each other; we do not give gifts to someone we do not like. Nature showers her gifts on us only out of her boundless love for us, and even if we do not treasure her gifts, is it not proper that we at least receive them with dignity and honor? What we can give her in return is a big question, we cannot enter into, but is it not human to treat her with love for giving to her gifts we surely do not deserve? The only people who really recognize this gift are children; I could see three children while walking along the road, play with snow, throwing it on one another. She becomes the object of joy and happiness among people, and probably that is the reason why she came down from heaven. Is it not true then that when she is down, the temperature is kept under control? How can we be so blind to take note of her in our midst?

If the weather is cloudy for days on end, then we look forward to the sun, and are very happy when he turns up (though science would warn us that it is not he who turns up, but that we who turn ourselves to him!), and we get out of our heated rooms, to be bathed in the natural stream of warmth and life. But when the sun light is too much in abundance, we hardly take note of him, and the gifts of nature that come in large measure become a routine object, like the church bell chiming each day at the appointed time, or the train passing by with a loud horn at a particular hour each day! Unfortunately we have so many things to keep us busy the whole day long, that even some of the most beautiful events and incidents of life become routine exercises, and we can care very less. There may be a year, when we may not find snow spreading a lovely white carpet all around our city, and then we may complain to nature what made her turn to us harshly, for denying the lovely gift!

Today I would like to pause for a while to reflect about the different gifts of nature that come to me unannounced, unprepared! They come to me so casually without much pomp that I don’t pay attention to them, and they may even escape my notice, and I may miss them forever. Today I go through my mind’s eye and enlist all such gifts that come to me freely – the air I breathe, the water I drink, the sunlight and the moonlight at day and night respectively, the cool breeze that soothe my drooping spirit, and enliven my heart, the blue sky that takes me beyond the horizon, the birds of the air and the flowers, plants, even a little grass has tidings of joy and happiness for me! They all make the world and my life beautiful, if I really care for them. Today I fold my hands in sincere reverence and love for nature, for her unconditional love for humanity! I do not dare to promise her that hence forth I will take her seriously, and accept her gifts with open arms; if I do that, then I will have to regret for making such a promise I cannot keep. I plead with her to bear with me when I am blind to her beauty, deaf to her music, senseless to her soothing sensations, tasteless to savor her sweetness, and give me the grace to accept her whole-heartedly into myself and be immersed by her love beyond all measure! (Brussels)

Fall for Freebies

It has become customary these days for popular commercial brands to offer freebies in order to attract and woe customers. Buy two get one free is often the slogan that goes round the commercial houses, and that is what makes people to rush for them, irrespective of the price tag that these products carry. In fact, our human mentality is such that we would be attracted to the freebies more than the quality of the product or the price tag, which for the most part would be far more than the normal price. And sure enough, manufacturing houses and industries have been making use of the gullible human sensibilities in order to reap a rich harvest of profit and benefit. It is beyond the understanding of common people to think that by going for freebies they are in fact paying much more than their normal price.

Bonus is another such concept which employees often look forward to with keen interest, because this is something that they receive as extra. It is this little bit of extra that can boost their morale and strengthen their commitment to an institution. To come back to freebies, often in the advertisements for products, it is the freebies that take more space, and they are advertised as if as a customer you would receive far more than what you are paying for, and the freebies are given indeed freely. But it does not take us more time to realise that we are most of the time duped by these people. No firm will go all out to give things freely, in incur a great loss in their profit. This is one thing that we need to realise when we are attracted to freebies.

In fact we need to take seriously anything that comes to us as "extra"; unfortunately in many of the countries bribe is an accepted phenomenon, so much so no work will proceed unless you pay that extra under the table! Needless to say in many cases, people think that they are entitled to these extra, which is far more than their official salary or remuneration, because they are either under-paid or they cannot make both ends meet with their salary. We may not even know that any attempt to look for avenues to make a little extra income is the gateway to greed. Even if the chances of being caught are very thin, still one may have to carry the burden of using unlawful means to make a living, will prick one's conscience all through one's life.

Anything free comes with a huge concealed price-tag, though it may not be so very conspicuous at the first sight. But the discerning minds would not fail to notice that 'free' means it has a hidden agenda beneath it, or a hook to trick you. So I am not to be excessively attracted to anything that comes free. After all, why should any one do something for me free of cost, or give something just for nothing! Rarely do we come across persons, who do something good for us or give us something precious out of sheer good will. But in that case, it may not be too hard to find out their hidden motives. Some might do it habitually in order to curry favor in future, and some others may let the small fish be eaten, in order to catch a bigger fish.

Today I pause for a while and see for myself who are the persons whom I make use of for my personal benefit or welfare; or what are the situations and events when I look for 'freebies' to satisfy my own needs, or give away freebies in order to hook someone. Sometimes I am thrown in a situation when it is too hard for me to get anything done through the normal course of action, and it is only giving something under the table which would free me from all unnecessary tension; what am I to do in such situations? To bear the consequences, or just give away something in order to buy peace of mind? It is a hard and bitter choice that we are called to make often in life. But the conflict in the heart is worth going through, so that when it is my turn to give, I don't demand from others what I myself hate to give as a 'gift'!

The Greatest Gift

Today all the dailies flashed headlines of the barbaric bomb attack on people of high society in most luxurious hotels of Mumbai, and the papers said at least 80 people were feared dead, including some of the highly placed government officials. What bothers and worries me as I open the newspapers each day is the number of persons killed each day... violence, hatred, jealousy, the reason may be anything, and it is so easy to take the life of a neighbour that a very thought of it is enough to start the pellets shooting in the sky.

Needless to say the greatest casualty of our times is the human species; I may be exaggerating if I were to say that there are more people killed today than the number of people dying of ripe old age. In fact many in our society find no reason to kill another, and yet when their spirits are low, they dare to do the impossible. The weeklies are full of stories of children killing their parents, mothers tossing of their children in the river, whole family taking recourse to self-poisoning, and there does not seem to be an end to all these.

I am made to pause for a moment and think what is my life worth? Is the human life a dispensable commodity, like a tissue or a sanitarywares? It is only those who have valued the beauty of human life would ever make an attempt to preserve it. Those who think that they are a burden to the society and the world at large, would think the whole of humanity in such a position. They would not hesitate to lay down their lives for a silly and worthless cause, and in the bargain show their anger and vengence on innocent people living around them. It may also be due to utter frustration they may go through which might land them in such an unpredictable situation.

My life on earth is a perhaps the greatest gift of God, and I have no right to take it out by my own free will... My life, to put it figuratively, belongs to the universe, and I have a specific role to play in the cosmic ordering of things, as the Bhagavad Gita would say. When I begin to cherish the beauty and wonder of my life, the world around me begins to smile, I begin to see a thousand hues and colors in them, and it is then that even a blue sky could take me far beyond the horizon, to a land where I can be perfectly in peace with myself and the world around me.

Am I proposing an impossible proposition? Today I would like to forget the world around me; sit quietly all by myself in a "secret" place, far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and spend just two minutes, taking an inward journey into the core of my being... just I and myself, and no one else. Let me look at myself as I truly am, and listen to the silent whipsers of my heart, the colorful paintings of my spirit in the space before my eyes, the throbs of every grass and plants, the sheer joy of living in every birds and animals... In humble submission, I can hear my heart cry with joy, Thank you Lord, for the gift of Life!