When We Became Characters

We all have different purposes in life. Study well to be a professional. Work well to earn money. And make money to live now and in the future. However, at some point in our life, we get short of a purpose. Have you ever been like that???

Let me take you to my flat during the time of COVID-19 outbreak. The scary lockdown. The world knocked us down to our homes. No one stepped out. Working online, learning online, shopping online, meeting online, and dreaming online. ?

I also started my ‘work from home' pattern. Our children attended online classes. My then 4-year-old son began his studies in a school that he had not seen yet. Imagine… my one-bedroom flat turned out to be a home + office + school.?

Every day, I woke up and worked like a machine. Glued to my laptop for 10 to 14 hours. I am 24 hours sitting at home in the presence of my son, daughter, and wife. However, no talking, no listening, and no smiling. I didn’t even get the time to look at them. Slowly, the beautiful river of our life started flowing in reverse. ?

One day, my son came up to me. I held him by my side without even lifting my head from the computer. He asked me the most challenging question in my life, “Babba.. are we real people? Or are we the characters that I watch in cartoons and movies?” ?

I looked at him and he looked at me as if nothing happened. I felt empty in my heart. Started freezing. The question crushed me as a father. Guilt started tearing me apart. Tears of emotions started flowing down my eyes.??

“Are we characters or real people?” My son was still standing by my side. When I looked for an answer; I found only new questions. About our realities, our relationships, health, work, market, culture, and many more.??

I held my son close to my chest and told him: “Honey, we are not cartoon characters. This special time crushed our character as humans. The ‘work from home’ life, in fact, worked against us. The distance learning actually distanced us apart.” ??

Dear friends, the pandemic set up a new format for our life. Isn’t it? It changed our world and our view of the world. It changed our way of life and view of life. And when the lockdown knocked us down, we forgot our purposes in life. ?

“Are we characters or real people?” My son’s question pushed me to find again the purpose that I forgot during the pandemic.??

Dear friends, life is like a wheel. Let’s look at the wheel of our life… I mean all the areas of our life -- relationship, health, wealth, job, business, personal growth, social life, fun and recreation, and everything. Now, from zero and 10, how much have you scored in each of these areas? ?

Now, look at the most important routines. When you fall in love with those routines, you will fall in love with your life. Because those routines drive us to the purpose of our life. And when you fall in love with your life, “You” become your own purpose. Now, you are the real people, not characters. ?

Let the beautiful river of your life continue flowing.?