There are rare occasions when one is pleased with his work and achievement. There are even rarer occasions when one is actually both pleased and contented. There is a very thin line of difference between the aforementioned statements. In the former, the person puts all his efforts in the task and achieves success. However in the latter, the person is completely satisfied by the quality of his efforts irrespective of the cumulative result. If we take a look around, we will discover that most of us belong to the first category for the simple reason that we never realise the importance of our actions, their purpose and the rationale behind it all. We accomplished them (somehow) because we were instructed to do so. Yet, at the end of the day, did we actually receive what we call the ‘fruits of success’?
What if we did not have to do any work… ever? What if we held opposing views to the notion ‘All work and no play make jack a dull boy’? If we did harbour such views, will they in any form, change us or the people around us? This is the question I seek an answer to.
There was a time when my teacher asked the class “What do u like doing the most?” A variety of answers was heard; painting, singing, dancing, photography etc. When it was my turn, I boldly stood up and said “I like doing nothing!” The teacher did not seem to be all that delighted with my response, so she asked me again “Define ‘nothing’” I plainly said “It means to be in an idle mode, performing no activity yet being aware of the surroundings.” The teacher asked me to sit down without another word. Perhaps I had spoken a little too much or should I say, she failed to comprehend the profundity of my statement.
I have seen people around me running a rat race. Here is a peek into their typical working day.
0600 hrs: Alarm rings… WAKE UP TIME!
0605 hrs: Brush teeth.
0616 hrs-0635 hrs: Take a quick shower; get decked up
0636 hrs-0700 hrs: Manage to swallow down 4 slices of bread and somehow manage to flip through the pages of a newspaper.
0701 hrs-0715 hrs: Unnecessary activities!
0716 hrs: Catch the office bus.
0720 hrs: After spending four odd minutes on choosing the right seat; blankly gaze outside the window, pity at the city’s growing population and consequently pollution…
0800 hrs: Reach office (unfortunately in time; implying more work!)
0805 hrs- 1600 hrs: Slog and slog and yawn and sleep and slog again!
1605 hrs: Catch the office bus back home.
1730 hrs: At last you are home with immense hatred for the traffic!
PS: you’ve already exhausted 3/4th of your fuel!
1735 hrs:(Could be any insane hour!): You only crave for a delectable meal and a tight sleep. But then phone calls, this important soccer match coming on TV, ‘orkutting’, pending chores and blah blah…
0100 hrs: You finally sleep!
A ‘perfect’ day, isn’t it??
Well, no harm in having such a programmed life but did you not just fail to notice yourself in this dynamic play of things? Did you pause to check how good/bad you are looking? Did you stop for a second to appreciate your grit, your strength and your fortitude for having made a successful yesterday? Did you even stop to acknowledge the beauty around you; birds chanting morning hymns, the cool breeze waving at you; lofty trees bowing down to you and the seamless sky greeting you with its open arms? You missed everything in this hustle and bustle of life! Right from the moment you woke up and till the time you went off to sleep; all your actions were calculated and you were thinking in an unswerving line. You did not allow your mind to deviate because you were afraid… afraid that any element of distraction would imbalance your designed life!
I am neither a ten pointer nor a computer wizard nor am I a big shot in any of the college clubs. I am like any other ordinary student, an average second year MITian whose sense of achievement lies in transforming an otherwise usual day into a delightful one; living every moment to the fullest, breathing each drift of air, feeling the coolness of dew drops sitting lazily on the leaves, smelling the sweet scent of the hyacinth, basking in the smoky rays of the sun and admiring even the slightest shred of beauty around me.
I am not against leading a life of calculated moves but why not squeeze out time from that life to appreciate yourself and the nature around you. It feels amazing when you are able to associate yourself with the objects of nature. Look at a flower lovingly and with appreciation you will feel that even the flower is looking back at you with that same sense of warmth. Believe me, that feeling is splendid…inexplicable!
One should perform his duties, do all his work and celebrate his victories. But then do not be oblivious to the fact that everything has life, YOU have a separate entity of life within. Discover it, release it, and enliven it and you will not wish for anything else.
Live like you have never lived before.
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