Once in a billion

Somingam Chamroy *

Billions of years have been passed and millions of years, perhaps, billion years are ahead of us while in between those counts of centuries, we emerge to appear only for a stipulation of dot in a billion of dots. Life is the most precious but is the most temporal gift a man could ever think of. It is the shortest term of service to be functioned in wilderment and in toil as administered by the creator to each and every individual.

Executing the tasks a man should perform in this shortest given span of time after being born on purpose is called the life on earth. However, nothing is set to be everlasting. Generations comes, generations goes, people in the eras vanish with years and another cohort comes to occupy the same as theirs and the same would continue until how long the earth might live.

For thousands of years, philosophers have been speculating the meaning of life but when it comes to determining the purpose of life they are just guessing. Similarly, many people do not have the exact clues, for why we are even placed on a temporary basis; where the World is filled with issues, where there is no peace but problems after problems.

Because of this throes of life, people began to picture life's meanings in metaphors that are seemingly vivacious views like possessions; wealth, cars, houses, land areas, cloths, symphony and so on. People become obsessed with self centeredness and selfish motives by being misinterpreting, that having more, bigger, better gives the meaning of life.

As a result, the desire to acquire becomes the whole goal of human lives. Contrarily, People want to obtain more where as this desire gives birth to hyper-competitiveness on the other hand; jealousy and hatred sprouted, comparison leads to corruption, differences takes the shape and humanity debarred.

Which is why desiring to depict life through metaphor becomes the root cause of all evils. For the fact is, the manifestation of life through metaphor is based on myths that, having more will make happier, more important and more secure. In reality, the more a person gain the more they get responsibilities to meet, the lesser is the lesser tensions and vice versa.

Possession provides only temporary happiness neither successes can determine the destiny of life because things may not change we eventually become bored with them and then want newer, bigger and better. Human wants are unlimited but the world is too intricate in its nature that it is not fit for a mortal being like you and me to handle all these complexity.

For instance, many celebrities and others who are assumed to be on the highest regards are commonly in a case of suicidal and other psychic related problems. Nothing earthly holds the real meaning of life!

The real meaning of life can only be understood after recognizing the concept of visitor. We are on a short vacation. We are just a sojourner, stopover for a time being. In fact, the earth is being loaning to us for a matter of hundred years in a billion of years and would be loaned to another after we die.

When the day your heart stop beating, remember you will no longer be counted as a man on earth. That is the end of 'YOU'. The 'YOU' has never been existed in the past centuries. The 'YOU' will never reappear in the coming years. Whatsoever is reincarnation, the 'YOU' can never be found or rebirth as you again in a billion of years.

We never owned anything during our brief stay. The earth we say 'our world' will no longer be ours! It will be inherited by our children; the land, the properties, the possession will be passed and the gift of life will be expired, as the new generation is on the line and they, will once again rent the earth as theirs. Nevertheless, this unending succession within a bit of years is the beauty of human life on earth.

Obviously, every religion has each beliefs and no one can go against them if you must belief in it. But the unspoken beliefs each of them embrace is what may prevail after dead. According to the holy bible, there is life after dead. The earth is just a rehearsing stage for eternity.

If this is the case, how should we live on earth? I believe that the case is applicable to all the rest of the religions. Correspondingly, our time on earth and our energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships and resources are all a gift. We will be judge in accordance with the way how we care and manage this gift.

Imagine that you are travelling. On the way you met a group of people asking help for raising a fund to enlarge public toilet of the city.

You realize your capacity to help them at that moment is not more than Rs. 10. Here, the question is, will you help them or not? If you had given regardless of its amount, the money you contributed will be forever intact on it in the form of cement or iron or could be it in any form and you will be contented. You will be filled with joy if you must have helped with love from the little thing you got.

Likewise, as a visitor we must contribute our skills in the beautification of this earth which is comparatively like a public amenities. However, it is the perceptions of how we are contributing, because joy is going to derive from it. The rule, here on earth for living is being made simple.

It's to accept who you are, to content with what you have, to contribute your inborn gift for better co-existence and above all, to enjoy the little life you've got; Joy comes when we live for others, joy comes when we sacrifices for other and therefore, joy itself becomes the stand point of our lives.

Then, as a visitor, you'll know that the meaning of life won't come from materialism, possessions and from being wellness but from the joy within and for which the four letter words 'love' matters the most. 'Love conquer, the once in a billions.' All the vertices above can be concluded up in one command 'love others as you love yourself' and from which you derived joy is what determine your life destiny. Without love, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction and event without reason."

The essence of love is not what we think or do or provide for others but how much we give of ourselves.

"I almost die twice from severe gastritis and panic attack. I really thought I will be gone. I had lost all my hopes! While I was on that final edge of death, all I could remember was none other than envisaging my past life with regrets. I realized that the gift of life was too short and so precious, so special and so beautiful.

I regret that I should have been living on it in contentment. I regret that I should have been a better person for the people around me. I realized that I should have been the person who values life with love and maintain relationships with people around me. Because, to my surprise at that very moment was nothing other than love.

I did not care about what I have achieved, what are my properties, my educational degrees, my certificates, houses, wealth, etc. Not even one of them matters to me at all. What keeps me most are the questions that could possibly make me rest in peace.

What are the good things I have done for the people around me? How much love have I shown to the people around me? I don't even want to surround myself with all of my assets and objects that are acquired with pain and struggles but the love was all wanted. I want myself around with people who I love and having a relationship with. From theirs the essence of joy elicited. I also realized that I should have been maintaining a proper relationship with all the people in this world, after all we are all human being."

Why shouldn't we live a loving and a peaceful life when we know our life on earth is temporary? Why shouldn't we realize that we are being blinded by self centeredness? Why should we be proud for who we are? We are nothing like more than a season flower. Wisdoms is learning the truth sooner rather than later. Let love conquers the one life you are living.

When we are still alive, maintain a good relationship and love must be the centre of it and peace shall prevail. Without love, life is trivial, petty and pointless. We are bankrupt without love. Remember, our trip to earth for a matter of days is not meant to build an everlasting kingdom. One day or the other, you must die.

No matter what you strive for, it's all going to be pain in vain. But, how you treated other people, not your wealth or accomplishment, is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth. When you grasp this belief you will stop worrying about having it all on earth.

After all, in our final moments we realize that Love, Joy and Relationship are what life is all about. Don't wait until you are in your deathbed to figures out that nothing other matters more.