Time is running out

(Stanza 4 — Bhaja Govindam — Aadi Shankaracharya)

We lost Hitenbhai Shah in June this year. He was only 51. We
lost another active member Manesh Gandhi in October. He was only 50. Lives of
both these were plucked while they were still in their prime. Such tragedies
convey a very clear message to us. ‘Time is running out.’ We all know
that death is the ultimate certainty and that everything that is born has to die
some day. Only the time is the question.

Yet, we live as if we have all the time in the world to do
whatever we want As if death is never going to come. This is an eternal paradox.
One recalls the incidence in Mahabharat when Yaksha asks Yudhishthir as to ‘what
is the greatest wonder in this world’ and Yudhishthir without hesitation
replies : “Man sees death around him everyday. Hundreds and thousands are dying
all around. Yet he goes on living as if that is never going to come.” How true !
Doesn’t this apply to all of us ?

A renowned Gujarati poet, Mareez has expressed this
beautifully :

— Mareez

This is not a pessimistic message, but a wake-up
call to all of us to live life fully. Whatever our pious intentions and
noble thoughts are, let us put them in practice now, without waiting for
tomorrow, which may or may not come.

This applies to all the fields of our life. How many things
worthy of doing we go on postponing ? We want to call on a friend who is not
well. We wish to write to our mother to whom we have not met for quite a while
and who is pining for our letter. We have not expressed our love to the near and
dear ones. We have not found time to play with our children and spend time with
them. We have deferred showing our gratitude to the Almighty for the blessings
showered on us, we have procrastinated doing charity and paying our debt to
society by giving something to the universe which has provided us with many
priceless gifts. We have not found time to take a vacation with our family. This
list is endless. However, we have been investing our time in pursuit of false
values — always seeking praise and power.

It is of course true that whenever our end comes, our
desk is not likely to be clear. There will always be an unfinished
agenda. However, we can prioritise and first do the things which are really
important to us. As Stephen Covey says keep “First Things First“. In his
book there is a chapter called “How Many People on Their Deathbed Wish They’d
Spent More Time at the Office ?” This is an eye-opener for us. We just give
too much of time to our work and very little to that which is really
meaningful. Reversing this would make our lives happy and satisfying — it
will reduce tension. We would then leave this world with far less regrets and
leave behind an unfinished agenda of relatively less important things. We do not
have to do things faster and in haste, but we have to do ‘right’ and
first attend to the important.

Let us resolve today to step on the accelerator to prioritise
and then act.

From today let us make it our mission to pursue only
fulfilling and satisfying goals, and not get bogged down in the mire of the rat
race — all the time seeking wealth, power and position. Let us pursue our
childhood dreams. Let us learn to sing, dance and enjoy life. Let us do those
things, which we really wanted to do but were scared to do. Let us lift up the
anchor, unfurl the sails, catch the winds and sail the seven seas. Let us
discover new lands, explore new places, climb mountains. Let us sit down and
write down at least three things which we always wanted to do but have not done.
This will put us on the path to realise our unrealised dreams. Let us start
living and remember :