writes Shahzad Hussain Hamdani
While driving in my car the other day, I heard an old song “aanewala pal janewala hai……..ho sake toh isame zindagi bita do …pal jo yeh janewala hai.” that instantly transported me to a vivid scene of my life. I’m a not yet teenager, sitting in the kitchen and having an after-school snack.
I recall feeling at that moment that something had just shifted in my sense of who I was, who I was becoming. I believe it was more than just the rumblings of impending adolescence, or thinking about a new mischief in the neighbourhood. It was a new awareness about who this “self” was, inside me — that I was no longer just the person I thought I was a moment before. It was a turning point in my consciousness about myself.
We experience many turning points in our lives, whenever we shift direction this way or that. Perhaps a decision about a relationship, or what interests to pursue. Maybe about an educational or career choice. Some turning points are conscious, others less so; some may be imposed by family or other persuasive people. But all involve turning away from one path, and toward another. And they shape the self that you experience and define as “you,” along the way.
Viewed this way, your inner self is the realm of your innate capacities, sensitivities, and awareness — all which is prior to the conditioning that you experience along the way, from day one. Your inner self keeps pushing to be heard, enacted, and expressed — in the face of whatever path you follow. It’s giving you a coded message, from yourself, to yourself. If you unlock its mystery, it reveals a challenge you’re constantly giving to yourself, within both your “failures” and “successes”: to identify that which you need to face, deal with, or embrace, in order for your true self manifest in your life.
Reflecting on this i remember a book written by B. John Zavrel “the mystery of life”. At the end of the book the author quotes a beautiful poem:
The time has come to face up to the truth,
whatever the consequences, those are the rules.
Nothing happens by luck or by chance,
the timing is perfect and your world is enhanced.
You’re reading this message because of a light,
that has guided you inward, to see toward what’s right.
Some of the travellers who get on this ride,
are not ready to see it, to think or decide.
They just need a push, a shove or a guide,
the great illusion is inward, and not just outside.
It’s the secret of life that flows in us all,
but why understand it and why climb this wall?
Nothing is simple as we hide under our beds,
all is a paradox and it’s all in our heads.
You are to take responsibility for your own life.
Fantasy is lucid on this trip through the dream,
the path travels inward building high self esteem.
Overcoming all images of fear and of strife.
thought creates reality …that’s the Mystery of Life!
I do sometimes feel the change inside me, not only transformed me into what i am today but also what i do today. The experience I have gained through all the years of my life may be little but for me it’s more valuable. The period of Struggle which taught me the bitter side of life, which taught that everything happens for a reason, nothing happens by chance or by means of luck.
Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.
Today while accepting my responsibility in life gives me the power to move, change, and grow. It means I am independent. My life is not dependent on what others do or think. Sometimes i come across to so many people having the habit of blaming someone else for their unfortunate situations. Whatever is wrong in a person’s life is blamed on unfair sibling relationships, uncaring spouses, needy children, taxes, imperfect schools, or having been born at the wrong time. This is what we as humans are surrounded with. The truth is; Life deceives. It confuses. It heals and it hurts. It can make you lose your mind. Yet people still are trying to explain life, to measure it and to capture it.
To explain it further i would like to share a story
Once A professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, and your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else “The small stuff.”
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your Family. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.
Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
Remember, make every day count!!! Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you. You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.