Bon Voyage !

Life has always fascinated me ! What is life ? Who am I ? From where did I come and where am I going ? These are all very easy questions with very difficult or perhaps no answers. Perhaps an entire lifetime will be spent searching answers for these questions. Probably no answer will be found at the end of it all.

Seers, Philosophers and Scientists have come out with their own versions about life. Some very profound and some inane. I am neither of these special people. I am just a normal guy with probably subnormal Intelligence Quotient ! But that shouldn't stop me from having my own take on life.

So many times, I have traveled by train. Train journey of long duration teaches us a lot of things. It teaches endurance, patience, importance of etiquette in public life and value of good manners. I have made some friends and even have quarreled with some people during train travel.

Traveling alone helps in indulging in some self-searching. One person who inspired me during one such journey was Dr. Shafeeque. He introduced me so many things about the Hindu Philosophy, about Zen and about life !

So here is my take on "The Journey of Life". Life for me is a long and indefinite Train journey ! Yes, We all get on board at some station. Most of the times, we need help to board and to settle down in our seats. And we have to get down at some place. How long will the journey last and when and where we have to alight, is unknown. But we have to get down and the train will continue with the journey.

During the journey, we meet a lot of people. Some passing acquaintances, some enduring contacts and some lifetime relationships. It could be a coffee vendor or someone who might end up as partner in journey.

Some travel first class, some second class and some by general compartment. How happy we are doesn't really depend on the class of the coach, but on our approach; approach to to life ! You can be happy and singing in a General Coach and you can mourn all the way in an Air Conditioned Coach.

All of us carry a luggage. It grows with time. The luggage consists of our achievements, failures, experiences, earnings and sorrows. It also carries our attitude, ego, love, passion and all kind of feelings. The luggage may be good or bad or mostly a mixed bag.

But we should remember one thing; Luggage is Luggage and is a Weight. Howsoever precious it may be; if you carry it on your head, it will be a burden all through journey. Even if you display it on your lap, it still is a weight.

Some may be worried about failures and sorrows. Some people carry their ego or attitude and some plain hatred. But whatever we carry, it doesn't help us and often may hurt others too. Hence it is always better to push the luggage firmly under the seat and travel light.

We should treasure the earnings, happiness and achievements, but never allow them to become a weight on our head. We should also learn from our failures and shortcomings but never be burdened by the weight of negativism.

We know there is an engine driver driving the train. We never really see him, but we trust him to take us safely through the journey. This faith is our strength. There might be a disaster, accident or calamity that might end it all. But the journey still will go on. There is an unknown force that keeps the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, the Stars and the Universe in place. This for me is the idea called God, if we have to have a name for such an entity.

People may give number of definitions and names. The tendency to believe "What I know is the one and the only and the ultimate truth" is almost all pervasive. But the truth is that no one has seen the driving force and no one even remotely knows it.

So, if we leave our luggage safely under the seats and enjoy the journey with the knowledge that all this will end sometime somewhere, we have a happy journey ! I would like to be remembered after I get down. Remembered for making people laugh, feel better and enjoy the journey.

I wish all of us Bon Voyage !


Dr. Pun-dit