A few months ago, my six year old niece came and asked me a question. She stood in front of me, her huge brown eyes wide open, reflecting the innocence and naivety of her tender years and asked me , “Di,What is Life?”. It caught me completely offguard, I was unsure of what to say and for the fear of sounding like a bumbling idiot, I took the easy way out. I told her to go ask her mom. Later, my curiosity got the best of me and I looked up 'life' in the dictionary...... only to get more confused. Active principles of existence of plants and animals.... whatever that was. So,i resorted to the good old art of thinking, thus putting my overactive yet little used brain to task. Sure enough ,a few hours later, the answer hit me full in the face at mach five. I realized that the answer to the enigma-that is easy way out. I told her to go ask her mom. Later, my curiosity got the best of me and I looked up 'life' in the dictionary...... only to get more confused. Active principles of existence of plants and animals.... whatever that was. So,I resorted to the good old art of thinking, thus putting my overactive yet little used brain to task. Sure enough ,a few hours later, the answer hit me full in the face at mach five. I realized that the answer to the enigma-that is life- lay in the word itself. Life was just that.....L.I.F.E. - love, imagination, friendship and experience.
Well, it’s true! Love, yes love, it makes the world go around. Love is a wonderful thing it comforts and heals, offers hope, helps complete forgotten journeys and accomplish impossible tasks. However, at the same time it can poison hearts, drive men to evil, cause downfall of kingdoms (remember Troy ? ) and even cause death. Love is the single most favourite Muse of artists, poets and other dead and great people, not to forget the songwriters. From Chaucer to Byron, Michaelangelo to Elvis and even the Roadside Romeo, they’ve all been struck by cupid's arrow. You can choose to fall in love or simply, just love someone. One cannot extol the true value of Love. It must be experienced to be understood and everyone should fall in love at least once in their lives. Love definitely makes this world a more interesting if not a better place.
Muhammad Ali has rightly said “The man who has no imagination has no wings”. Imagine and you can. The beginning of plans, the foundation of all great achievements. Imagination is a powerful tool. It helps transform even the most mundane and dreary things into interesting and beautiful ones. The mother of art, ideas, great inventions and entertainment, our fertile imagination has always pushed us towards the betterment of life. It works even when we sleep leading us into the Technicolor world of dreams. Dreams, our windows to newer horizons. Dare to dream and it just mind come true, for once you set your heart to it, your thoughts, body and environment will strive to achieve it.
One person, several roles, a guide, philosopher, partner in crime, supporter, babysitter, bank..... The list goes on. It is said,” No man is an island and we all need someone to hold our hand in times of trial”. So, whether it’s to bail you out of trouble, share joys, sorrows or just some fashion advice, we all need friends. Friends, the angels who lift you up when your wings have trouble. Friends, who walk in when the rest of the world walks out. We find friends in our parents, siblings, spouses, even neighbors and relatives if we stretch ourselves. Friendship transcends all boundaries like age, sex, race and even physical boundaries like borders. All relationship begin and end in friendship ands its a wonderful gift, to be cherished by all.
And last but not the least, Experience (although I must confess that in today's world economy would be more fitting, but is I still choose to stick with the former). Our lives are ruled by the new experiences and how we choose to react to them, what we learn from them and how we choose to inculcate these lessons in out lives. Our experiences- the people we meet, the hands that we shake, the doors we go in, emotions we feel- educate us. They empower us to live our lives better, enrich our beings and color our world in rich and vibrant hues. Each new flavor, aroma, sensation and emotion should be savored. So whether it’s a new word or a mistake we definitely learn. Even something as simple as, learning not to drive with a hot cup of coffee in your lap should be embraced, as it makes us smarter and better people. And hey, who would not want to arrive at the pearly gates of heaven and tell St. Peter, “ Dude, I've done it all !!!”.
In my opinion one does not need clothing or money to make them complete persons, but these four essentials. We should inculcate them in our life for without them the true meaning of life is lost. You see, Life is a journey, not a destination and these four things are the wheels of your car.
And since I choose to dispense my advice so freely, I am sure you are wondering about my qualifications, before you follow my advice. Well, dudes and dudettes, I was schooled in the Institution of Life...
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