There is an old saying, “Never take life seriously, it is going to kill you anyways.” I have always thought about this statement. On one hand, we have our lives as a gift from above and we are entrusted in ensuring that we live it up to our fullest potential. If an average man lives (say for instance) up to 70 years old, he has a finite amount of time left to leave his mark (if he intends to) in this world before his death. Death is a certainty, living life of significance and up to its maximum potential is uncertain.
We live our life believing in hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better job, hope for a better and prosperous times etc. We have faith in that hope that ‘in the end, everything turns out for the good’. But what would happen when a person is convinced that there is no hope left? There is no hope that the status quo would change. There is no hope that the economy will get better. There is no hope that your dreams would not come to pass. When hope fades, purpose dies and uncertainty kicks in.
Let’s take an example of a sea faring sailor. By the time he sets for sail, he wishes to sail to his destination. It is not even certain that he would reach his destination. There is a possibility that he could die in the raging seas before he even reaches his destination. Yet the possibilities don’t deter him, but the uncertainties spur him on. Most of the time life is like that.
I have always felt uncertainty as stagnant water. It neither goes up (evaporates) nor does down (drain away). And to add insult to injury, it breeds mosquitoes. Mosquito bites are never blissful. I hate mosquitoes and also uncertainties. But just like the sailor, I move on.
If uncertainty was a chapter, hope is a book. Hope never ends. Our loss of hope welcomes uncertainties. However one should realise that you can only finish a book by finishing a chapter. And a book will end, only when everything turns out for the better in the end.
Image courtesy: http://rsdkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/There_Is_Always_Hope_by_Krzyho.jpg
Tenny Thomas 