THE PAST IS GONE, THE FUTURE IS HERE

The year 2017 is coming to an end. The tree 2017 has nearly shed all its leaves, and it’s time not just to turn over a new leaf but to nurture a new tree! 2018 is just beneath the surface waiting to burst from the ground and take its place alongside (the soon to be barren) 2017.

365 days have come and gone. Plenty of water has passed under the bridge. The tides have changed – sometimes high, sometimes low. Perhaps there were floods at some point but no matter what, the river could not have gone dry. Even though there may have been times when it felt like it was dry, the river never ran dry.

The river could stand for both, time and life. As the famous saying goes, “Time and tide wait for no one”. Time is the same for everybody. Everybody had the same 8760 hours that 2017 offered, although some never had all of those hours, others may have been sick or in coma etc but the point is everyone enjoyed time. Each day everybody was gratuitously given 24 hours and now all that time has passed. Nobody can go back and do something all over again. The clock has run out, the tide has gone, the past is past.

Time is merciless. It doesn’t wait if you’re old, sick or infirm. It doesn’t care if you’re not prepared for your exam or interview, or if you have to meet a deadline and things aren’t working out, or if your loved one has contracted cancer and is dying or if your salary hasn’t come through, or your check has bounced. Ready or not, it comes and without you realizing it, it’s gone.

The same goes with life. It doesn’t matter if you see life as linear (you live it once) or cyclic (reincarnation/rebirth), the fact is, you get it only once. In the linear model, it is very evident but so also in the cyclic model. Despite the cycle of karma and rebirth, you live each life only once. The law of karma dictates that your next life is dependent on the manner you live this life. Therefore, great significance is given to this life. There is no room for excuses or complains. Everybody is born at a certain moment in history, in a certain place and under certain conditions, but life is the same for all. Each one will experience life differently depending on his/her condition but life-in-itself is common to all, the particulars might differ.

Everyone is born, lives and eventually dies. Someone said it beautifully: ‘Life is the dash that separates your birth date from your death date on the tombstone.’ No matter how short or long a life you’ve lived, no matter the quality or the amount you’ve earned or the degrees you’re awarded, all of it is collapsed into that dash between those two numbers.

Some complain that life is unfair. Some people, they say, are born with better opportunities and skills than others. I don’t really accept that claim. While there are differences and some privileged over others, that doesn’t mean that only they (the privileged ones) can enjoy life and live it well. It is possible for people to live happy and well even in terrible conditions. History is full of example of people who didn’t let their circumstances dictate the quality and direction of their lives. I remember watching the story of a man who was brought up in a ghetto with a culture of drugs and violence. He went on to rise above the poor socio-economic situation and become a teacher, and work towards educating and rehabilitating the children of his ghetto.

I’m sure you are familiar with the name Thomas Edison. He’s the reason you have lights in your house. He could have easily decided that inventing the light bulb was an impossible goal. After all, he failed at it 1000 times. Maybe you’re thinking that Thomas was simply destined to be successful and that he breezed through life with his amazing skill and intellect. Well, actually Thomas had to work harder than most people. During school he had trouble learning in a traditional way and his teachers even told him that he was “too stupid to learn anything”. His mother however, believed in him and homeschooled him. Later, when he grew up and went in search of work he was fired from his first two jobs for being too “unproductive”. Life may seem unfair but it only becomes so when you give up and let your circumstances decide who or what you should become. These people whose examples I have quoted could so easily have given in to their circumstances. Life was unfair to them and they could have remained helpless and become bitter. But no, they chose to rise up against their circumstances, and thank God they did for if they hadn’t then we would not know a light bulb and those children of the ghetto would never know a better life.

At the threshold of the New Year, it is opportune to look back at 2017 and look forward to 2018. The past year may have borne good and sweet fruits and perhaps some bad and sour ones as well. A few branches may have broken off (I’m thinking of relationships, jobs) and new one may have grown in their place. The soil may have been conducive for growth or may have been stifling. Perhaps there wasn’t enough sunlight, water or nutrients. But whatever be the case, you have arrived at the end of the year. You are who you are because of whatever circumstances you have faced and how you chose to face them. It is not your circumstances alone that determine your character and your status but it is your choices that truly define the person you are. Perhaps you could take a moment and think about the choices you have made in the past year and discover how they have shaped your personality, if they are positive than treasure them and if they are negative than work towards correcting them.

2018 is just beyond the horizon. What kind of you are you taking into the New Year? Things may get better for you or they may not; success may bless your endeavours or it may not; people may stick by you or they may not; don’t fret, don’t lose hope, don’t ever give up. No matter what, you can decide how you want things to turn out. You might not be able to do much to change the circumstances but you sure can adapt to make the best of whatever circumstances come your way. Remember, life and time is the same for all but how they are used makes all the difference. That is what distinguishes the successful from the rest; the extraordinary from the ordinary; the winner from the competitors. The New Year is full of surprises. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. At least, you ought to know what you’re bringing to tomorrow.