Ramble and Fumble 3: A Plea to the Gallant

The journey from a shore to the top of a hill is neither straightforward nor short. It also does not mean the very start of a journey. It is the start of another journey. We have a habit of discounting whatever we have achieved up to a point whenever we are faced with the prospect of a new journey. Forget whatever you have done so far—say the trainers—this is unlike anything before; your life will change, forget the past.

I protest. No, why should we just forget whatever we have done simply because we have a new mountain to climb? Is it easy to sail across the sea to a new shore? Have not we learned a lifelong worth of lessons during that time? If such were the case, then childhood would be a waste. We learn and we face challenges every day. Sometimes, the shortcomings are our own and we must change to outgrow the obstacles that stand within us. Other times, we must evolve to overcome the external challenges. The journey begins from the moment one decides to leave the harbour. The mountain ahead on the shore is neither the first challenge nor the last. Every day, something tests us and we best it. When we don’t we know it and we best it another day. Some of us get pushed by the idea that the comfort of a chair will be our end, while some work hard to enjoy the peace of the chair. Of course, there are some who believe in neither but I do not speak for those. I speak for those who struggle, who fight and who survive.

My humble plea is a simple one. Life is long and our goals are our individual mountains. But in the midst of this all, there are beautiful shores to behold, mesmerizing valleys to explore, a blanket of stars to count and the bauble of the river to contemplate. Life is much more than moving from point A to point B. Tell yourself, as I did, that it is okay to take a break, it is okay to let your limbs rest, muscles to relax, and most importantly to reflect upon the lessons learnt. This we must do for a happier and healthier life.

And to the ones who proclaim that what I say is for the ones who like to stay on the ground and not achieve greatness, I tell you this—an unhealthy mind is a recipe for disaster not success. If one ought to take care of a bad cold or a crimson stomach, one ought to take care of the mind too. After all, the mind is everything. The past makes us what we are. The present remains a consequence of the past. The future will be according to the present. When one says that the past is irrelevant, that too is a consequence of the past. Irrespective of the words floating the breeze, the past is important. We need not dwell on it but it would be foolish not to accept it. To deny the past is to deny the present, which is to shroud the future in the clouds of doubt.