Lessons from life that everyone learn

“Every situation in life enriches one’s background and should teach valuable lessons”

You get hurt. Then, you cry and you cry hoping that somehow the tears flowing from your hurting heart will magically heal your world or solve the issue at hand and make everything okay. And you wonder why everything isn’t becoming okay… Maybe, this hope is inspired from the depiction seen in reel scripts. In movies and serials, when the characters cry and there is a terrible mess of a situation, they get support in the form of either a few people or a lot of people. Remarkably, there emerges a way in the face of a seemingly hopeless situation. It makes it all right with a happy ending of that chapter of life.

It might take a while but you soon realize that real life doesn’t unfold like that in the movies or serials. Reality is far from show scripts. Everything doesn’t just become all right always. Other people are human and not supernatural beings who can magically transform your situation or grant wishes. What seems a big life-changing event for you may just be so from your view point. You feel that no one seems to understand the gravity of your hurt.

But, when you see yourself objectively, you learn that every experience is a part of life. There is neither a magical solution to, nor any escape from reality. You finally dry your tears, having exhausted your supply. You slowly pick yourself up. You appreciate the people in your life who support you by their presence, while you try and collect your broken pieces. You learn to be your own best ally. You come to learn that in life, you have to “Cry a river. Build a bridge. Get over it.”

You learn to accept that sometimes, there is no closure. Some things remain suspended even though you seek clarity. But that’s how life is - uncertain. This teaches you to live with life’s ambiguities. You will know where to reach out to reminisce your best moments…they are always inside your heart.

In spite of it all, it also makes you learn to believe in further change of winds. Having survived one, you learn to move ahead with all learnings, yet with a smile, and to look forward to life with all its vagaries, wondering where it will lead you next.

You come to the important realization that, living from moment to moment is the only true way to fully live. Life is in this moment. And moments pass. It is for memories to remind you of the wonderful moments you have lived. You do not have to be stuck in a particular moment. That would rob you of the opportunity of life which is waiting for you in this present moment. When you understand and accept this, situations cease to be devastating and instead, are taken in stride. This also assures you that your best moments which you hold close to your heart, will be a source of joy for you because in that moment, you experienced them completely.
Finally, you understand the great secret of life i.e. all experiences, despite being unpredictable, are a part of life. Hyping and dramatizing them out of proportion only works in movies and television. Instead, focusing on making the most of now is a more fruitful pursuit and saves a lot of mental turmoil.

Everyone learns this stuff at some point of time in their lives. Here is my call to you all:

Your real script is yours to write. Make it one of chasing grand dreams, overcoming challenging obstacles, accepting all events as parts of life and most importantly, valuing the capacity of the present moment to give you the gift of life, if you let it. Being present completely in the here and now is the best way to receive this gift. So go on, Carpe diem*! Remember, the only predictor of a good tomorrow, is to have a good day today!

* Carpe diem = A Latin aphorism, usually translated "seize the day" or “enjoy the moment”, taken from book 1 of the Roman poet Horace's work Odes (23 BC).