Let me be (Save Trees)

Let me be, basking in the sunny life,

Tucked away from the battering human knife,

Bereft of fear, camouflaged in nature’s guise,

 Unscathed, protected from the domineering device.

I shudder at the cries in my neighborhood, of felled life,

And the stories of the zealous devil stacking storied rife,

Erasing my likes mercilessly, with reasons unfathomable and disguised,

Conniving and belligerent but always unbiased,

Feeling powerless, unable to run or hide, amidst cries loud,

I wish for a mask to blend into the modern shroud,

Wrapping me from head to toe, or making me invisible to human eye,

Casing me up whenever there is an impending danger nearby.

There isn’t much that I ask for, but a small space to grow and bloom,

To shelter birds and insects in my folds, to help them live and groom,

Be sacrificial in sharing my fruits, to protect lives under my shady wings,

To adorn the parks, where families cradle up my feet to spend the evenings,

I am but a life and I want to play my part,

Amongst the wild and in every heart,

As a part of the ecosystem forming a nurturing path,

Let me be, lest you shall face nature’s wrath.

The indomitable Spirit

It is blasphemous and beyond the purview of medical science to claim that you will live to be a hundred years. When you claim to be able to do something as rare as that, there has to be a greater force than your mere confidence that prompts you about its possibility. It could be intuition, but that alone cannot make your claim a valid one. The spirit, which is present in each one of us, though in varying degrees, compels under certain situations to make a claim.  In our vicinity, it is not uncommon to hear an elderly lady make an unwavering claim that she will be around for the marriage of her grandson or granddaughter or may live to see the birth of her great-grandson or great-granddaughter.  We often dismiss such statements as a misdemeanor or something uttered at the spur of the moment.  We tend to attach less importance to it.  A peek into the mind of the person and analyzing it closely reveals the presence of a profound mental strength and an undying spirit. When you talk with conviction about challenging something as final and inevitable as death, you undeniably possess a spirit that is mighty and unshakeable as the mountains. 

In our readiness to personify God, we ruefully accept any unfortunate and unhappy incident as an act of God or ill fate. We feel hurt, but take it in our stride and move on. We do not think about taking up the gauntlet ourselves and do some soul-searching. It could be possible that the situation could well have been caused due to our own folly and we are simply the victim of our own handiwork. Things are different when we stop believing in our fate and rely in our inner spirit to guide us. We feel less remorseful and tend to think that whatever transpired is for the good. It sees us through tough times and helps us come out of it less scarred.

We fail to recognize the often hidden meanings in every intricacies of life because our mind is always preoccupied in worldly matters.  We live a life of imitation right from our childhood.  Our minds get wired the way we witness life.  We imbibe the habits and mannerisms of our parents and the people around us. We take in a lot of good vibes, but some bad and very destructive element also makes its way into our mental maze. A shake-up or upheaval usually happens when a tragedy strikes and leaves us bewildered and overwhelmed. This is when we take stock of what is important in our lives and try to make amends.  This is when we are the closest to our inner self.  We often go through a life changing experience during such times. It is how you react to such situations that make all the difference.  It boils down to the test of our spirits. It either withers our spirit or makes it stronger.  If you have learned to tame your spirit, you come out a stronger man.    

We have heard people say,’ that is the spirit’ or ‘take it in the right spirit’ on number of occasions. The spirit that we often talk about is the life force which makes something you are not capable of doing, doable. You are not overcome by the enormity of the situation and take control of how you ought to behave or act. The inner tranquility allows you to withstand any odds in life. You think and act without fear and inhibition and your hunger to achieve dreams and the quest for self-fulfillment never ceases. You rise above the crowd and become a master of your destiny.  

There is something very significant about a man who is in possession of the indomitable spirit.  He exudes confidence in each and every work he undertakes.  His presence or appearance is greeted with affirmation. He creates an aura around himself. He has patrons aplenty and is never alone. A nondescript spirit may or may not be able to leave an impression, but nobody can deny the power of the man who has the priceless spirit of life. He is one among the very few who make a difference in this world through their lives.

My grandfather died at the age of 96, four years short of a century. He was a man of indomitable spirit. He lived his life on his own terms and was in total control of his faculties even on his death bed. His body became frail and detached from his spirit. The spirit was intact, so he died a peaceful death. His face glowed in peace minutes after his death. His was a life well lived.  I had never seen him overcome with grief or losing his temper or showing any signs of fear at any point in his life. He was known to people as a strong-willed and disciplined man. He had tamed his spirit to dictate the terms and conditions of life, so his mind and body remained faithful to him till the end.

Spirit aliened with spirituality helps a human being live a life of utmost happiness and inner peace.  Spirit, which is the highest consciousness defining the mental, intellectual and emotional powers in a human, is in perfect harmony with spirituality, which is the set of values, that a human inculcates to achieve happiness in life.  Spirit and spirituality in such a state, allow a man to live a life free of disease, hatred and fear.  There is serenity and clarity in thought and action. There is and a sense of purpose and decisiveness in every movement. There is finality in what a person wants and the execution is perfect.  

The spirit of a person is the first to take the brunt of any emotional or spiritual damage.  An overload of this kind of damage can result in the death of the spirit. When the spirit dies, the mind which follows closely behind prepares for its death and then there is the body, not very far behind. The mind is prone to frequent attacks of fear, anger and despair which takes its toll on the body and every cell in your body gets into a negative gear, allowing harmful elements to take root inside it. When the spirit of a person dies, it is indicative of the end being near. If you take charge of your spirit, you are in for a long haul and nothing can stop you from living a wholesome life. The body fails with time and since it is the law of nature to give life and take it away, you become a victim of mortality rather than a puppet of your own self-destructive designs.

In the end, when you are closer to death, fear is the farthest from you and you are in peace with yourself. You do not hold any regrets. You are ready to accept death as a happening in your life that is without any consequence, pain or ego. You rest in peace, in the arms of the indomitable spirit.