Imagine you have a terminal illness, and
have limited time left to live. Would you waste precious moments feeling unhappy
about your life situation, angry with other people, upset about little things?
Or would you let it all go, and make the most of what time you have left?
I have news for you. You do have a terminal condition. It’s
called life. And there is no known cure. You will die someday. You have limited
time left.
Years ago, I read a novel called Train to Pakistan by Khuswant Singh. In
it was a character named Hukum Chand, a government magistrate, whose backstory
created a strong impression on me.
Death had been an obsession for Hukum Chand.
As a child, he saw his aunt die after prolonged suffering. For weeks, she had
hallucinations, and would wave her arms frantically at imaginary spirits.
Eventually she died, shrieking with terror, her tongue sticking out, staring
and pointing at the ceiling.
This scene never left Hukum Chand’s mind.
Later, he tried to overcome his fear of death by spending countless hours at
cremation grounds. He watched bodies, young and old, being brought there, lamented
for, and then burned.
Through this, he developed a sense of
tranquility. He got over his anxiety about death, but the idea of ultimate
dissolution was always present in the background of his mind. It made him kind,
charitable, and tolerant. It made him cheerful in adversity. He took the loss
of his children with a calm acceptance. He lived through a bad marriage with a
spiteful wife, without complaint.
It all came from his belief that the only
absolute truth was death. Everything else – pride, ambition, wealth, success,
love – was to be taken with a pinch of salt. Nothing really mattered in the
end. This was the core of Hukum Chand’s philosophy, and he lived well.
The awareness of the transient nature of all
things can be liberating. If nothing lasts, then why worry about what will
happen tomorrow, or dwell about what happened yesterday? None of it will
matter.
To internalize this awareness, start with
something small. Look at any object around you: your phone, a table, a glass,
anything. At some point, this thing did not exist. Someone made it, and now you’re
seeing it and using it. With time, it will start to decay, and then be
discarded and destroyed.
Look at any building, like your home or
office. In the past, this structure was not there. Today, it stands before you.
It will gradually experience wear and tear. Maybe fifty or a hundred years from
now, it will be taken down, and replaced by something new.
Think of the people in your life. Before
they were born, they were not in this world. Now, they’re here. As the years roll
by, they will inevitably age, and the condition of their body and mind
will deteriorate. Until one day, they will no longer be in this world.
Think about the city you live in. Ages ago,
this city didn’t exist. The land was very different, and maybe even uninhabited.
Then, at one point in history, the city was built. And who knows how long it
will last? There’ll come a time when no such city exists anymore. It could get submerged
under water, destroyed by earthquakes, or by man-made catastrophes like war.
The same goes for the country, even the planet.
Earth was not here from the beginning. It took a while to come into being in
the universe. Like any planet, it has a finite lifetime. One day, it too will
cease to exist.
Everything is temporary. Nothing lasts. So,
don’t take life so seriously. Don’t take yourself so seriously.
Understand this: everything you do, become,
achieve or create will fade away in time, and eventually be lost in the annals of history.
Don’t hold on to your life’s problems, big or
small. Don’t hold on to your attachments to possessions, and to people. Don’t
hold on to your expectations of who you are, what you must achieve, and how
your life must turn out. Don’t hold on to anything.
Let it all go.
You’ll feel so much lighter. You’ll be free
at last. Free to enjoy each moment, whatever it may bring.
Breathe. Relax. Have fun. Enjoy the moment.
Let it go.
Life has two simple rules:
Rule No 1) Don’t worry about the small stuff.
Rule No 2) It’s all small stuff.
