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Of Passion
by Manjit Handa, PhD
Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to publish our magazine in the last couple of months. But I hope we haven’t lost our treasured reader, for whom we have utmost respect. This hiatus only affirmed my faith in the uncertainty of life; if there is smooth sailing, there are also going to be hiccups.
We hear about sticking to our guns and materializing dreams but sometimes things just do not work out. It is equally impossible to remain unfettered during the lows (given that we are only human). Well, times like these only call for swallowing the bitterness of the moment and hanging in there. We did it and things did turn around, finally.
Did you ever wonder if God (presuming you are not an atheist) had a fixed share of blessings for each mortal, which he evenly or unevenly distributed during one’s lifetime? What if we desired more than our fixed share?
When I was doing my Masters, my mom visited an astrologer with her friend and as her friend was asking about her future prospects my mom was tempted to ask about her kids too. For me the astrologer predicted that there would not be much education after whatever I was doing at the time according to my birth chart. Coming home, when my mom told me the ‘truth’, it disheartened me for a while. What if it was really true? Nevertheless I gave my best to the course I was taking and scored well. Before long I also won scholarships for higher education. Perhaps I was too young at the time to even ponder on the bigger purpose of life and hence focused solely on my passion for the field of study. It worked in my favor. As we grow older the passion for the things we once had slackens and a general mode of acceptance of fate sets in. This is a dangerous turn because then we defend our share as a fixed one. The truth of the matter is that an extra share is out of question, we do not even claim our own share.
It takes effort to keep our passions vital and there is ample evidence in the world that with sincere motives and focused efforts we are sure to be showered with the bounty of the holy loot. Poet Iqbal says:
Khudi ko kar buland itna
Ki har taqdeer se pehle khhuda bande se khud poocche
Ki bata teri raza kya hai?
Translation (loosely): Make yourself so strong and capable o mortal being, that before penning your destiny God himself is compelled to ask, “How would you like yours?”
Your call,
Manjit
Published on December 10, 2007 01:54 PM
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