To Be & Not to Be

What is it to be present and not to be present at the same place at the same time? To answer this, allow me to take you on a story ride – boring or not but a story. Bear it to understand the meaning of the phrase.

Once a boy asked his grandfather, “You always say that one can be at a place and not be there at the same time. How is it possible?” The grandfather replied, “Son, I am glad that you pay heed to what I say and as your reward, I will take you to a fair.” So, the grandfather and his grandson went on to a big fair. As they approached, grandfather said, “Dear, I will buy anything you like and spend as much you want. We will stay here as long as you desire and you will guide me through this fare but I have a simple condition, while we enjoy this fare, you will carry an earthen pot on your head and it will be filled with water to the brim. All you have to do is make sure that it does not spill over – not a drop should fall from it.” It was a weird condition but nevertheless, the grandson accepted it. So, they went on. The grandson was enthusiastic at the beginning and extremely careful. By the end, he grew tired and requested to go back home soon. The grandfather asked him to remove the pot from his head and appreciated his efforts. On their way back, grandfather asked him, “So, do you enjoyed the fair? What all did you like?” The grandson’s face fell. “What happened?” asked the grandfather. “To be honest, I did not enjoy the fair. I had all my attention towards the pot I was carrying. I did not want to spill any water from the pot.” “Well, it means that you were and you were not there in the fair at the same time,” replied the grandfather.

The boy was present and not present in the fair. He went to the fair but did not enjoy it for he went with a load on his head. He was busy carrying that load and taking care of it. Doesn’t the same thing happen with us often? How busy we get in making the ends meet that we forget to enjoy life? How many days pass without a smile on our face? How many nights pass in restlessness for the morning? And still, we will assert that we are living. Are we? What is it to life if not happiness? What is it to this world fare if not enjoyment? What is it to all breathes and beats if not life?

Somebody had once said and it has been repeated a hundred times, “We all are poor rats in a big rat race.”  We all are running towards what, we don’t know for sure because our destination is so static that it changes every day. We have a hazy idea of our destiny but nothing beyond it. Still, we love to run in this rat race or perhaps, we feel obliged to run. Why? Neither you know nor I.

It does not take much to smile and laugh and yet we postpone it and say that we have no reason to do that. Why wait for reasons, why not be the reason yourself. When I wake up every morning, I make it a point to smile at the beautiful life I have irrespective of all the bad happenings of the past and present. I laugh even when I am the laughing butt, even when the joke is not worth the laugh and I practice it every day so that I keep doing it till the end of my life.

Add life in years and not years in life. You never know when the luxury called life and the fair called world will end for you. Enjoy it and if you cannot initially, then learn and then practice to enjoy it. You will definitely have a great life ahead.