Life teaches lessons
Ab Ovo, everyone says that life is a teacher. It’s true; we learn from different people, situations, and circumstances, which teach us great lessons. These are the lessons that we carry forward with us. Some negative and positive incidents that happen in our life or people around us inspire us in one way or another. Every day we have a new experience to share with others. Many things have happened in my life that have taught me great valuable lessons. I label them as the lessons of life. I see things around me and learn from them. I saw something that happened around me and learned from them. Today I am going to share a few incidents that occurred in my life which changed my life upside down.
Incident#1
Last Monday, like usual, I was traveling from Mumbai to Pune. I quickly rushed onto the train and sat on my seat. I hate traveling on Monday, and that too on a rainy day everyone can agree with me. It was raining heavily outside, and I was busy reading the novel I carried with me. As I was reading, my glance shifted towards a little girl around 3. She was shabbily dressed in rags. There was a dapper woman – around 30 years sporting a modern look sitting next to me. She was wearing Ray Ban Sunglasses. She had an iPhone 5 in her hand. The headphone was plugged into her ears. The little girl was dancing and jumping on the passage between the seats. She squeezed her body inside a circular ring and tried to escape it. Very few people got entertained by her acts. The little girl came toward me to ask for some alms. I never paid heed to her and returned to my business of reading the novel. The rich woman beside me removed a 100 RS note from her purse and handed it to the girl. I was awestruck by the aberrant act of the posh lady. I contemplated pondering over something that had happened in front of me. Then, I saw the little girl, who was full of smiles. The wealthy lady removed the headphones from her ears and kissed and hugged the little girl.
“Beta, aisa kyun karti ho…yeh lag jayega tumhe?” The woman embraced the shabby little kid. She kissed her again.
Her behavior left me agape. She finally bid her goodbye. But before leaving, she handed another 50 RS to the little kid. The girl’s day was already made. I gave a 10 RS note to the kid. This train was her new abode. I used to see her every day, but I was least bothered about her.
The woman alighted from the train at Karjat station. People inside the train were talking about her. I was astonished by her deeds of kindness. Very often, we come across people who never care about others. Such selfish beings run behind materialistic things, eventually making them fret about themselves. They have no time to look at others. So we ignore these little streets and slum kids. It sometimes makes me wonder if humanity still exists in this world. After meeting that rich woman, I realized that the world is still left with good people.
I saw the rich woman and learned that however rich you may be or may belong to an affluent family, take some time for other needy people. She taught me a great lesson to treat everyone with equality, whether they may be rich or poor. From that day onwards, I donate 1 Re to all the little kids I encounter in the train and railway station. The world might mock you, but it’s up to you – who you are! Such an act of kindness will be appreciated by many, but at the end of the day, all you take with you is happiness and blessings.
Incident #2
Anger is the root cause of all problems. Anger is essential, but sometimes too much rage can destroy relations. A relationship is like a string or a thread, to be precise. It will break if you don’t care or give them importance. From time immemorial, people cared only for their loved ones. They form an integral part of their life. I met a stranger one day; I fell in love with her, and our friendship transcended to love. At that time, I realized that her passion was intense and beyond boundaries. She loved me more. I could never reciprocate even 10% of how much she loved me. Lately, I realized that I had been ignoring her feelings for me. I loved her more than any lover could.
I was busy with my office stuff but couldn’t find time for my loved one. She was essential to me. Maybe I had taken her for granted. During one such discussion, she repeatedly pestered me with questions that irked me, and in reply, I burst out at her. My Anger had reached the zenith. She was upset with me and promised never to talk to me again. I was bothered with my temper issues and, more than that – her loss. I lost her to my Anger. It was then I learned that Anger can be hazardous. It can ruin a relationship and hurt people. Since then, I have advised people and provided them with anger management tips. Quite an Irony this! But it’s the truth. The Angry young man in me vanished away when my bond with her broke forever. I saw Anger was causing too much trouble for me, for I couldn’t get my girlfriend back; I learned that henceforth, I would not get vexed at my loved ones.
Incident #3
Once while crossing the road, I slipped in between the road. JM Road is one of the busiest roads in Pune. The road is flooded with vehicles even during the noon hours. That day it was raining heavily. I was crossing the road to reach the other side. While traveling, I slipped and fell down. I was one of the reasons for the heavy traffic. People stopped, looked, and went back. No one came to offer me help. Finally, a bus conductor helped me. It was a crowded bus. Luckily it was the bus that I was supposed to board. He helped me to climb the bus and dropped me at the bus stop where I had to alight. I could have met with a dangerous accident that day or even lost my life. The bus official came as an angel and helped me. He asked me to consult a doctor. Such good Samaritans are rare to find, but they do exist.
I learned that however busy one may be, one should take out some time and help people in distress or trouble. Since then, I have assisted people by helping old people cross the road, dropping them off at home, and so on. Little moments of bliss!
Incident #4
Lies hurt! Lies affect bonds directly or indirectly. Why would you lie and break their faith when someone has immense trust in you? It takes lots of time to build confidence in someone. We should avoid taking people for granted. I recently visited Malshej Ghat. It was a trip to remember. We all had fun under the dark clouds. I got drenched under the waterfalls. My phone got soaked too. The phone stopped functioning, so I couldn’t contact my family. Luckily one of my close friends had my sister’s number. I asked her to get my younger sister and tell her I was okay. Later that day, I failed to know that there was someone who was desperately trying to contact me. She was a woman I have known for the last 2 years, and I am in constant touch with her through phone and text messages. She worried as I never responded to her messages that day. She pinged me on Facebook, but I failed to check the messages. Later that night, I didn’t bother informing her that I was safe. She was in tears when I called her the other day. I had logged into Facebook that night and saw her message, but I never replied to her. Sooner, I logged out and slept. The next day I woke up to her text message.
“Good! Although you were online, you never informed me, nor could you reply to my FB message. I realize my importance in your life. Goodbye!” She had texted me. I lied to her citing some stupid reason for my absence; I even convinced her. She urged me several times not to lie, but I lied to her that day. When she learned about my lie, she bid adieu to me forever. Like Anger, even lies break a relationship.
It was then I realized that one should stop taking people for granted. I learned that I would stop lying to my loved ones, and since then, I have spoken only the truth. It may sound kiddish, but that’s the truth!
These 4 incidents are a few of those incidents which helped me to introspect on how and what I am doing in life for myself and others and how I could change myself!
As aforementioned, life is a good teacher. If you accept it as a teacher, I am sure you would excel. Life is all about cherishing the good times and forgetting the bad memories. Everything that happens in our life has some lessons associated with it. We all need to accept it and make a bulk out of it. I saw, I learned. I know; I learn again…. And it continues!
You just need to learn from things around you and do it right! Happy learning, my lovelies!
