Life's riddles

Life... It harbours unknown treasures as well as dangers and takes you on a journey across unfamiliar grounds.

Life... You fear its essence. It instills a dread in your heart which you cannot quite explain in words.

Life... It is like a long voyage you take after dark in an unidentified road. You are alone and with not a sign of existence in view.

Life... It is one of the few things which you call your own for it is purely yours. You might be advised on which course to take or pressured to make decisions but in the end whatever step you take or whatever action you undergo, remember that you will have to take up the burdens or reap the fruit.

Life... It is a riddle which has a distinctive answer which we each have to seek on our own.

Take this to heart and let your thoughts unwind for a minute. Your ideology of life should be your own choice. We are each different in personalities, needs and talent. We each give prominence to certain aspects in life according to our perspective and grade it according to our background. You should never judge your life from another's angle. Never look at your future through the eyes of another. This list includes your friends, siblings, parents or even I who drop a few words into your mind for you to ponder over every week. We do not hold your destiny in our palm. It is you who should mould your future.

Your life is different from others. It is not something that can be duplicated. Never make your life a photocopy of another's however much you admire them.

Think of your life as a bare plot of land. The title deed is in your hand and you are free to decide on how to put your land to use. Would you cultivate crops? Would you build a house? Would you begin work and later keep on changing your mind till the surroundings becomes a confused heap? Or would you just let it out to the wilderness?

This incident occured after O\Ls. My best friend who originally wanted to follow the Commerce stream changed her mind and chose Arts because she wanted to be with me. Normally it was I who usually changed my rules to suit her tastes and it was usually little things like opting for vanilla ice cream instead of chocolate or taking the bus which came from the other route instead of walking a bit further and taking the bus nearer to my home. But this was an important decision in my life. I did not budge though she made references how there are many job on offer for those who excell in Commerce.

So she chose my stream and how unhappy she was! She could not stand the classes, assignments or examinations. At one time she tearfully harped on the idiom that one had to 'play the drum that one chose'. It was a sad confession and one that made me shudder least it would have been the other way round! A sense of guilt enveloped me because she had taken this rash decision because she wanted to be with me.

Had she put some heart into her studies she could have gone to places. I did my best to support her but anyone could see that her heart was not in it. Thankfully she passed the exam but this time she did not join me in pursuing higher studies. She got a job at a company which had nothing to do with what she had learnt.

Her parents were dismayed.

I talked to her on their behalf but I felt that was what she wanted at the time. Years later when I met her once again, I realized that she was finally happy with the course that her life has taken. Though she might have had her past regrets, she is at peace now.

Shehara - [email protected]