And so life goes on

Among all the things you get to see, feel, touch, hear and taste, there are some things which strike you right through it all and go into the deepest realm of your soul. These things could at times be perceived as insignificant to some but the hot hammer to the axe to the others.

One such thing that I came across in my life that made a significant impact, in the most unexpected moment of life was when I watched a movie. This animated motion picture if I am not wrong was a Disney but I never heard the name again. It was not the most dire moment in my life though, not all the best things happen at the worst times, some happen along the journey.

What I walked out with was a piece of wisdom for life. The motto at one point the movie adapted was “Keep moving forward”. Yes, it came up in bold letters on the screen, similar to the way we notice the Metro Goldwyn Mayer words when the lion shows up on screen. I barely remember the movie’s story line…was it meetings and partings? was it rags to riches? I I can’t recall, but yes, the 3 words hung on and remained in my head for long.

IN 2007, I moved down to a residential school in Coimbatore to pursue my education in Commerce and Business Administration at the school level. It was the first few days of classes and boarding life where I was just getting into the groove of things. Studying at a mission run school by Hindu Swamijis was something completely new to me as I was brought up and educated in Catholic Christian Convent schools. The changes in my life were considerable; moving away from home for the first time, spiritually inclined discourses, cosmopolitan backgrounds of students.

One day, in my interaction with a seeker of knowledge, a Brahmachari, I was invited over to meet him and have a casual chat with him. I readily accepted it and we fixed an evening after dinner to meet. With me in the room, the Brahmachari sat facing the door to welcome and greet anyone who came to the door casually. A fellow classmate of mine, who too was undergoing the accustomization process, was discussing subjects that can neither be taught in formal classes nor examined on paper. Theories on life, personal experiences and thoughts that bubble up to the surface of your mind were being quizzed upon on and conversed, thereby each one taking away more than what they came in with without either losing. One question that popped up was “What is your favourite movie and why?” asked the scholar in Vedanta. My friend, immediately came up with the phrase “300!“. And when asked upon why, he exclaimed the dedication and determination with which each one of those 300 men conducted to lose their lives and win the respect of from their countrymen. As he narrated, I heard with great enthusiasm knowing well that soon I may have to answer the same.

Searching my thoughts, there were few that crossed my mind. “The Lion King” too went around my head though I could not justify if it was something I could answer a ‘why’ to in any manner. The next moment, it struck me. “Keep moving forward” rang in my head and that’s it, I mentioned the name of the movie, something that neither the Guru nor my friend heard of. I remember I went on to tell more about what I saw in the movie and why the 3 words mattered to everyone’s lives.

Life has its ups and downs, successes and failures, happiness and sorrow, but all that matters is that fact that we have to live and pursue for a better tomorrow than today. Our efforts are to be sincere, the rewards even if they don’t follow immediately, shall definitely will bear fruit after you learn from the failures that take place in your life. The attitude that makes the difference between ‘consistent failure’ and a ‘finally a success’ is the motivation to keep moving forward.

The encounter if seen today in 2016 may just be history, but the takeaway from the events in the past I believe is a part of the eternal truth. Things have to go on, time is an irreversible dimension here, and nothing remains constant even if you choose to stop your heart from beating. Things will change and your faith in the change for the better makes you inspire yourself and the world around you. I promised myself that day that I shall never look back, even if things are bleak, I shall crawl and chug along knowing well that tomorrow is a better day. Because it is “Kalyuga” it doesn’t mean that we just stop and go back to becoming apes, we ought to move forward. It is the only way I choose.