Making the most of life
Harbans Singh
Despite the fact that human’s average life span has gone up quite spectacularly in past 50 years or so, we can still hear people saying, - “Life is too short”, or that “There are not enough hours in the day!” The uncertainty that looms over one’s duration on this unique planet lends considerable weight to this claim.
As one’s life can end without any prior warning, one is well advised to make the most of it while one can and to value ones time. Whilst we can accept, “making most of life” can have a different meaning for different people; we are, nonetheless, able to classify the main views on life into four broad categories.
At one extreme there are those who, subscribe purely to the materialistic belief that there is no more to life than to ‘eat drink and be merry’, and they allow no or little room for spirituality. At the other extreme there ate those very few who adopt a purely spiritual path and who completely shun their worldly responsibilities and forsake everything material in search of salvation of some other truth.
Although very attractive, the first view is individualist, self-centered in the extreme and far too simplistic. It places one in a ‘rat race’, contributes little or nil to the collective happiness that is needed for a prosperous and peaceful society. This philosophy, devoid of spiritual content, can do more damage than good to human well-being, as it is often based on the assertion that, ‘it is my life and I do what I like with it.
On the other hand the acts of those who drop out of society to pursue spiritual ends may be perceived as cowardly and no less individualistic or selfish that the acts of the followers of the materialistic path. For without requisite balance of materialism and spiritualism coupled with the courage to own their social responsibilities, they have bleak hope of achieving and actually fulfilled life or to be of any benefit to society at large.
Yet, there are also those who live in society as active members. They believe in doing good deeds and compassionate acts, helping mankind. They tend to derive utmost satisfaction out of the contribution they make to society. They may be motivated to perform good acts and deeds by their quest for recognition by society, or by ulterior aims of securing spiritual reward of salvation, or both.
The fourth category comprises of those rare self-realized persons who have been fortunate enough to experience the Ultimate Reality in their life and who regard that the real purpose of their life on this earth has been fulfilled. Such people regard materialism and spiritualism as two inseparable wings with which they scale the humanitarian heights.
In a state of absolute bliss, their souls are liberated and they spend their lives in serving their fellow human beings. Their motto is to live in the present as enlightened beings, so that the past will be good and the future will take care of itself. They truly tend to make the most of their time on earth. They go out of their way to remind their fellow beings to make the most of their time and realize the true purpose of life - which is to obtain spiritual enlightenment and in the light of that enlightenment, to lead a purposeful, wholesome and both materialistically and spiritually fulfilled life.
Therefore, time is of the essence and should not be wasted. Let us make good use of the time granted to us, starting from today.
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