Since the dawn of civilization, people have wondered about their
source of creation, the purpose of life, and the meaning behind everything we
do.
Holy men, philosophers, and thinkers have provided us with several answers,
yet the modern man still wonders and doubts his own capabilities.
But turn around and take a look at what mankind has done over the
ages. We have mastered fire, built cities and highways, eradicated hundreds of
diseases, created symphonies, and flown to the moon and back. We have done many
things that would have amazed and stupefied every generation that existed
before us.
So, perhaps if we do not have answers to the bigger questions of
life, we can acknowledge our progress and make that an answer. Let us keep our
faith in the daily chores that we perform and leave the higher questions to be
answered, in time, by humanity.
There is a story about the most favored angel who went to the
Creator and asked the Creator if he had any favorite beings other than him. He
was surprised when the Creator pointed to an ordinary peanut farmer named John
Doe in Georgia, USA as His most favorite being.
Envious and angry, the angel flew from the Heavens to Earth and went
to observe the lifestyle of John Doe, the peanut farmer. John Doe’s daily
routine was to wake up, wash up, eat breakfast, bid adieu to his family and go
to the farm for work. But as he would step out of the house, John Doe would
look up into the skies and whisper a humble “Thank you.”
He would toil all day in the farm. Come evening he’d have a drink,
shoot some pool, and stumble home to his family. He would love and hug them and
soon knock off to sleep. But every time he entered his doorstep, John Doe would
look up into the skies and again whisper a humble “Thank you.”
The angel was pretty upset at seeing all this and he took the next
flight out of Earth to Heaven.
Back in the presence of the Creator, he loudly and angrily explained
the boring, humdrum, sinful lifestyle of John Doe and wondered why he was the
Creator’s favorite being.
The Creator explained with a gentle smile. He said, “John Doe is my
favorite being because he does exactly what he is supposed to do as a farmer.
And to top it all, he expresses his gratefulness for his living and life twice
a day to me. You, on the other hand, have good, angelic work to do, but instead
you become insecure about your position, compare notes and become bitter about
things.”
The lesson is that it doesn’t really matter what it is that we do in
life but it is how we do it. The lesson is that destinations and achievements
are not the ultimate goals. The journey and processes are important too.
Whatever it is that we do, we must keep our faith, enjoy life, and thrive on
our contribution to humankind and nature.
All it takes is for us to put our heads, hearts, and humor into what
we do, and the whole universe will turn around on its axis to provide us with
our destinations, achievements, and accolades in life.
Live well, love much, and laugh often. All you need to do to become
an excellent person is to use your head rationally, put your heart into all you
do, and take all your shortcomings lightly.
By: Raju Mandhyan
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