|| WE HAVE ONE LIFE ||

 

All these years in the universe, the sun rises in the morning and sets at night. The moon rises to remove darkness and vanishes once the bright sun rises again. The day ends, night comes, and after the night, another day arises. Plants grow; they lose their leaves and grow again. The weather keeps changing to balance the air in the atmosphere. We have gods and goddesses who are worshipped, and we also have devils around us. Gods and goddesses do their best to make them vanish from society. If you see, or rather, it's said that everything needs to be balanced for the universe to survive. But here, to be noticed, though the sun, moon, stars, day, or plant, or gods and goddesses— whoever works for dharma or the right things—one common thing among them is that they remain humble. There is no attitude that the universe only survives because of them. They all work for themselves and to survive, and they also work for others. They only believe that, in whatever situation, we have to rise. After rising, people may or may not appreciate their existence, but they have to keep on doing their best to rise and make a difference. Friends, we humans have one such life; why not work for it?

 

Lord Krishna says, 'I have given you one life, humans; it's up to you how you can balance it.' Lord Krishna also states that whenever devils take a higher position, he will come to balance the universe by making his existence known. The shastras of Indian culture suggest that humans have created havoc over the years, requiring Lord Krishna to incarnate just to balance dharma and adharma, multiple times in the universe. We are so engrossed and addicted to the scientific revolution and technology, yet we have never looked into our religious books or delved into the depth of spirituality to find the real meaning of life. Why do gods and devils exist in our society? Is it because of our attitude, ignorance towards real dharma, or because we have shifted from society at large to our individual benefits? The more we use our minds and think by our minds, the more we lose the value of our life.

 

My writing aims to inspire people to think positively. I realized this when a 92-year-old uncle traveled from South Mumbai to Juhu, spending one hour in a car to meet me. He had previously worked in the stock exchange and engaged in creative work. He developed Parkinson's a few years back, reducing his hand motor coordination and affecting his speech. Financially well-off, his family did their best for him. What I observed was his excellent willpower. Despite family advice against travel, his tremendous desire to improve led him to visit me personally. He is a Bhakt of Lord Krishna. I gave him my book and received blessings from him. At the age of 92, he is ready to learn—a truly admirable personality. I feel fortunate to have received his blessings.

 

On the other side, I had a lady visit me from outside Mumbai. She is a professional singer and has participated in many shows. Due to some pathology, she experienced difficulty in singing at times, leading to subpar performances. Additionally, she faced breathing issues, preventing her from singing higher-tone songs. From that point on, she began to believe that she might not be able to sing anymore. After a few treatments, she recovered, but a subsequent cold caused irritation in her throat. The doctor prescribed medicines, and as a voice therapist, I was tasked with guiding her. Through discussions and counselling, I discovered that after losing her voice twice and not performing well on a couple of occasions, she became nervous and consistently had negative thoughts. Consequently, her own willpower hindered her from singing.

 

In this competitive world, we sometimes forget our abilities and potential. We build false walls around ourselves, preventing personal growth. Her husband, also a singer, and even their kids encouraged her to participate in functions, but she feared that if asked to sing, she would face difficulties, so she avoided such situations. Consider these two contrasting individuals: a 92-year-old with faith and a readiness to learn, and a young lady unwilling to accept her difficulties and struggling to cope. This prompts me to ask every reader: Do we consider only physical and mental health important, or does spirituality also play an equally significant role in our lives?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I travel for international conferences every year, a hobby I've pursued for many years. My interest lies in learning about what people worldwide are doing, how they are progressing, and what makes them feel more advanced than us in India. I've observed that we Indians often don't speak much, either out of respect or due to a feeling of inadequacy in terms of money, power, education, facilities, or systems. This perception has, in turn, contributed to our remaining underdeveloped. However, let me emphasize that spiritually, we are incredibly strong. If we begin to believe in ourselves and have faith, nothing is impossible for us. We all have one life on this universe, and we are not fundamentally different from any human in other parts of the world. So, let's strive to do our best, especially for our country.

 

Another valuable life lesson can be learned from our special kids. Despite facing numerous life challenges, they consistently strive to be good humans. Witnessing and hearing them every day inspires me to be a better human being. The saying is just perfect for our beautiful souls, our special kids—'Their souls are like water flows, earth grows, fire glows, wind blows, and spirit knows.' My friends, can we at least try to be like them?

 

As another year of our lives comes to an end, and a new year is about to begin, let's color our days with peace and goodwill. Let's embark on a journey of understanding ourselves, fostering inner peace, and surrounding ourselves with good people who make us believe in who we are. Happiness is the creation of our own minds; let's express gratitude to happiness, recognizing it as our birthright, and have faith that God still exists. The stars have written our story before we were born, but in this one life, let's do our best and engage in good karma. The stars will undoubtedly help us shine, as positivity indeed shines.