Forget Living, We Love Existing

From the time we are born we sleepwalk though life. And when I say we, it’s me included. Until the time we learn to speak and walk, we are curious of things that adults attach no importance. Once, we learn to speak and walk, we become no better than adults. That my dear friends is where as a kid, you and I experience corruption for the first time; the corruption of thought.

In an average lifespan of 60 years, we may end up doing a billion things. We may have a trillion thoughts. And most thinkers, sages blame our miseries on these very thoughts. But not one of us ever pauses to understand why they say so.

My wife the other day was describing conversations that she had with or heard fellow passengers have in Mumbai local trains. At the end, I realized that all they did was crib about people, complain of what they want but couldn’t have, and moan of what life should have been and what life has become. After listening to her, I had just one question—isn’t there anything in life that people appreciate and I am not talking about ownership. She looked at me, thought for a minute, and agreed that most conversations were vents of dissatisfaction than appreciation of life.

That is what I meant by corruption of thought. These thoughts are not there with us when we are born, but we pick them along the way hearing people communicate, seeing people behave. We take immense pleasure in running others down either in their presence or behind their backs. The person who is being targeted feels hurt, but will do the same thing to someone else he doesn’t like.

In all the cribbing and complaining, what we do not realize is the small joys of life that we end up not appreciating until we die. How many of us can name a bird other than a crow that flies past? How many of us know the many species of ants that exist? How many of us bother to find out the names of the various species that roam the earth? How many of us stand to admire a rainbow? How many of us take pleasure in a tree that blooms and admire the falling leaves in winter? How many of us have the time to appreciate the mountains that surround us and protest their breaking in the name of development? And how many of us pause to thank God for what we have, rather than visit temples to ask for what we don’t?

Then to say that life is not worth living means that we haven’t understood the true essence of life; that of learning to appreciate and enjoy nature, of being happy with what we have, and striving to live harmoniously with one another. Until then, we always will just exist, let living be damned.