ON A DATE WITH REALITY

We all have phases in life. Times when we want and desire something. When the surging wish to achieve is so forceful that it surges a cyclone in the heart and soul, to persevere. The hurdles are all blown apart. And we achieve our objectives. There are times, when we want something, and by default everything falls in place. As if someone is holding you hand on the canvas and painting it all. And then there are times, which test the resolve. Moments when things don’t happen as you desire, when failure is the song of the day and goes on and on for days. The scholars have called it, “testing times”. Maybe they are testing our true grit and valor, but more than that, it’s the time to take a look, deep inside, into our existence, into our ways of living and to make corrections in the way we have come across.

I am an ardent reader, by the gift of my miasm; I am a searcher, someone who tries to find answers to all the poised questions of life. And I tend to discover everything myself, rather than relying or depending on others. A born Capricorn, it’s the heights that I desire. But there is a confession I need to make. Searching for personal heights is like mountain climbing. I love that. But there is a great problem in that. When you are under the mountain all you see is the peak that you want to get to. And you strive, sweat and shed blood and emotions to get there. Once there, does fulfillment comes through? No. Why? Because, when on the peak of the mountain, the area of vision broadens deeply and you tend to see, all around that was left unconquered, that was left untouched, that was left inexperienced. You feel as if having come too fast and too early. So the satisfaction is not the feeling on the dish of achievement. What else?

The second most evident problem is once on top, when you raise your head above, the clouds obscuring the vision give way. And the vision is at its best. So, you tend to see far off. And the first thing that catches the eye is the other peaks that are out there. And you sit at the peak and gaze around, confused to the thought, on which would be the next mountain to climb. Time passes and finally by all means of exploration and assumption, you make a choice. And there starts another journey to achieve another height, another feather on the victory hat, another laurel to gather. And this is one common trait of all, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin. Sometimes, I wonder, why I wasn’t born with the genes of Gandhi or Tagore. And being as I am what have I achieved?

And the answer hits my thought. Life is not about the peaks we have climbed to, it is not about the personal heights that we have made to, it is about the journey. It is about the time, when however sure footed we feel, we slip and somehow keep ourselves from falling. It is also about slipping a foot low and then recollecting and climbing again. It is about the experience when we meet people, who guide our ascent, who hold us when we are about to slip, who await to motivate us when we fall. Life is all about the moments that we live and experience throughout this journey. What makes a man? The miasm affects his emotions and thoughts, the DNA decides his true traits, the Zodiac gives him a personality order (disorder), but are these what defines a man? No, he is defined by his own free will, his own truth, his own heart and the choices he makes. And this is what over rides everything else. So, if someone said that a Leo can’t be a person who would compromise, he better checks his pulse again. For if he is alive then there is no question on what a man can’t do. A man is known by the limits he may extend himself to. And that is what writes him and history.

I know, this world is but a stage and we all are but actors. We must play our part and bid adieu. And I am not afraid of the end, but yes, all I desire is to perform, to perform such that when I am gone, the act be remembered by my name and memories be afresh in the eyes and minds of those who witnessed the act. So, let not a zodiac or a personality test guide or impress your judgment. Let not psychology detain or dictate you the norms of life. Let none decide that. For, the right on what to choose and what to follow is yours and the decision between the right and wrong is to be made and consequences born by you. So let that be your charter and let there you begin.