But if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
Well, I deserve nothing more than I get
'Cause nothing I have is truly mine
----Dido
One day someone is alive and the next minute he can be gone. Such is life. Unexpected and sometimes even ruthless. It doesn't wait for consent or acceptance and leave room for predictability.
What should we do in such times? How to wrap your head around life's unexpected twists and turns? Does it all just go away somehow? How can we even fathom the consequences of such situations?
In truth doctors, get to see this phenomenon almost every day, especially in modern medicine. The harsh realities of life, death, and the struggle is real and palpable.
One suggestion is to change one's perspective. To know life is short and we are truly living a life for rent. This body we live in will serve us for a while and then slowly give way, the house we live in may not be ours tomorrow, our families may become smaller as people find their own paths and move out, jobs change, and where you fitted in once doesn't seem conducive anymore. Therefore, we can see that on numerous occasions, the constant of flux and change is veracious.
But if we really ever lived like this, knowing life is for rent, and that it may last for a very short while, then how would we live it? Would we let bygones be bygones, trust more, love more fierecely, live more fully, than die every day? How would this change the way you live your life now?
Give importance to the things that make your heart sing and your soul fly for tomorrow you may be gone.
In mindful living lies the secret of life. The greats know that and they shall remain immortal because of their message to humankind.
Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo - all propogate the Buddha's message of inner peace and compassion. A life well- lived in balance. Can we teach our children this unique message in a way that will help them live a compassionate life, with resilience?
More on that in the upcoming blog posts...
Image Courtesy: Unsplash
Xoxo
The Storyteller_Mumbai