3 Indispensable Lessons Life Has Taught Me

Happiness, Forgiveness and Unconditional Love are probably the most indispensable and obligatory 3 Lessons that Life has taught me.

Lesson No. 1: Take The Challenge

Recently, when I bumped my foot accidentally into the Amirah, my son asked me as to how could I murmur a ‘Thank You’ on getting hurt. ‘Did you not feel the pain?’ was his query. I told him, ’Of course son, I did feel the pain. But I thanked God because he saved me. He let me feel this little pain, and saved me from maybe a disaster’. He still had perplexed look on his face. But I told him that the entire almirah could have fallen on top of my head! I am sure that he could understand.

Although a common incident comes to mind and that is to be hitting back (as I was doing it as a small child). Every time the child bumps into a table, or the door, or whatever non-living thing that comes on his way, he is unknowingly told to hit back. Does his act relieve the pain? The child is too small to ponder over the thought. This perhaps becomes an escape for him. When he hits back, he does not even acknowledge that once again it is he who is experiencing the hurt, the non-living object does not feel the pain.

Nevertheless getting over the pain and acknowledging gratitude is certainly the positivity that guides life.

Now, though I could understand the need to be happy ‘always’, there surely comes up a time when there is dialogue and discussion.

Me -‘ But how can I be happy in this situation? Not easy at all!’

The Reply – ‘ Yes, but this is the Challenge’

Me – ‘What Challenge?? When did I ask for this Challenge?’

The Reply -‘That very day when you qualified for Human life’.

Me – ‘All right then, of course this situation and many others of the kind do not leave me feel happy. All I can do is at least prevent myself consciously from feeling un-happy. Will this do?’

The Reply – ‘This sure will. But as you must understand that only happiness attracts more happiness. If you cannot be happy, don’t really expect more happiness in life’.

Me – ‘Hmm.. But that’s ok. I will try my level best not to allow the sadness to set in. Does this change my life?

The Reply – ‘Yes, you will keep away from sadness.’

Me -‘ Then will I attract more happiness?’

The Reply – ‘ You will not. If you want more happiness, then be happy now. Take the Challenge!’

Lesson No. 2: Pain Is Inevitable But Suffering Is Optional

Once there came a patient at my clinic complaining of severe body pains. When I asked him to be more specific about which part is paining, he told me that his each and every body part is aching and terribly painful. I had to then ask him to demonstrate pain in specific body parts by touching his body with his finger. And to my surprise, wherever he touched, he yelled with pain. Be it his stomach, his chest, his legs, his head or even his hands, he was seemingly cynical. As a doctor who had to offer treatment to the ailing patient, I had then decided to double check his condition and therefore repeated the entire process of identifying pain in his body. And to my utter dismay and also relief, wherever I touched and inquired, there was absolutely no pain. It was only then that I could realize that there is no pain in his body; rather pain is only in his finger. Wherever he touched the ailing finger, it pains. And this leaves him perplexed that his entire body is painful.

As in the case with this particular patient, are we not somehow treading the emotion of pain and suffering? We are surely exasperating and exaggerating our grievance. But what is wrong in this? If we feel pain, we have to scream. If we are hurt, we are sure to retaliate. If there is a bad memory, we would simply cry. If the world has been inflicting immorality, we tend to become sensitive. And so on and so forth. But the question remains – Are we born to Suffer?

We are not born to suffer. We are gifted with yet another human life with the golden chance to be able to release the accrual of the Karma. And the easy way out is every time pain inflicts you, wind back into the security and happiness of the present moment that you are blessed with. The present that you are blessed with surely allays the fears of the past and insecurities of the future. God does not want you to suffer. You are His chosen one. The pain that you would be yielding is mainly to make you strong and balance the cycle of Karma that you have been carrying with yourself since so many lives. You will be free and you will be happy with whatever the circumstances by accepting your karma and taking the blame. Forgive first and then forget. I learnt this lesson to always remember that we are not born to suffer. But we are born so that we can gain all the strength that the cycles of karma demands so as to be neutralized by your worthy deeds and positive emotion.

Lesson No. 3: Love Is Unconditional And Innocent

When my daughter was hardly three years of age, I still remember that she had conveyed to me then – “Mamma, I wish you were not a doctor.” At that time I was rather busy in establishing my clinical practice, although was taken all ears to these naïve words of my child. But I wanted her to tell me. I asked her then, “But my dear, what would I be then, if not a doctor. There is hardly any other profession I can think of.” The child had whispered to me then, “Only Mamma!” I was touched. Her simple words communicated a world of love to me. How a child needs her mother! It was then I had decided to give a back-seat to my profession as a doctor, and spend more and more time with my child. Years later, now, I can read the message of God in those words of innocent love uttered to me then, when now other than seeing to patients, I am happy being an author and speaker creating awareness and offering the goodness and virtues of holistic wellness to the world.

This is another story about Love and Ego. Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived together. One day there was a storm in the sea and the island was about to get drowned. Every feeling was scared but Love made a boat to escape. Every feeling boarded the boat. Only one feeling was left. Love got down seeing who it was. It was Ego! Love tried and tried but ego wasn’t moving also the water was rising. Every one asked love to leave him and come in the boat, but love was made to love. At last all the feelings escape and Love dies with ego on the island. Love Dies because of Ego.

I could understand that you can love a flower as long as you do not pluck it. Once plucked, you have interfered with the bliss the flower was enjoying as well as giving. The flower has lost its life, and also a true example of love has been gone forever.