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| Steam Clock in Gastown, Vancouver |
I heard this story on the radio this morning...
Once upon a time in India, a beautiful young woman came up to a handsome philosopher in her village and said to him, "Marry me for you will not find another woman who loves you more in this village." The philosopher replied, "Let me think about this and I will talk to your father when I have a decision."
The philosopher pondered over the marriage proposal for a long time. He could only come up with an equal number of pros and cons. Then he remembered what his teacher taught him. He should opt for a path that would allow him to have new experience if he ever came upon a crossroad in his life. He went to the young woman's house and told the woman's father of this decision of marrying his daughter. The older man shook his head and said, "Too late, my daughter is now happily married and is a mother of three children."
The philosopher went home and became very depressed. He died shortly after. Before he died, he burned all his books and writings except a small note on which he wrote "Half of my life was spent on reckoning and the other half regretting."
Well, a majority of the people I know also have many regrets in their lives. When asked if they would lead their lives the same way again, their answer has been a resounding "No". I often wonder how much more improved and regret-free their lifestyles could be if they have let their imagination run wild and acted on new ideas or opportunities. I suppose most people are afraid of failures and prefer to sit on the fence until the last obstacle is removed from their paths.
I made a wish on my 50th birthday that I will find my Shangri-La - a place where I am free to act on my ideas without hurting other living things. In about a month's time, I will be celebrating my 51st birthday. I don't think I can have a birthday cake in rural India but I will continue to wish for the same thing a year ago.
On Sept 24th, 2013, I was in Hospet waiting for a bus for 12 hours to go to Bangalore, and I had a piece of cake during the wait. The lady at Hospet railway station gave me a BD gift by selling me a sleeper ticket from Bangalore to Kayankulum when the train was fully booked.My birthday wish was to be able to say "Happy Birthday" to Amma on her BD, and it came true on Sept 27th at 10:30 p.m. when I hugged Amma.
