To be Worthy of Existence

It's a universal fact, isn't it, that no matter who or where you are, you get 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, no more, no less! But everyone uses the same amount of time in their way. While some touch the skies in their chosen field, others do nothing substantial. Compared with us lesser mortals like you and me, quite a few are ‘Worthy of existence’ to put it bluntly. What makes them tick, is a question that I often ask myself and a few concrete facts reveal themselves in answer when I really grapple with it. ??

The first and foremost sign of these greats is the clarity that they possess about their life purpose and their values. These noteworthy contributors to society invariably put their effort to the litmus test of their life purpose and values, and then dive headlong into the depths of only those endeavors that stand this test. That they give their hundred per cent to their chosen tasks is but a given, but are ruthlessly forthright in discarding any idea that even remotely goes against their life purpose and values. This clarity affords them to make quick but well-educated decisions as to which ideas to take on, and which to discard. Once a decision is made, they do everything humanly possible to bring it to fruition. ?

Defining our values may be a little easier than finding a worthy life purpose, but the latter is as tricky a task as it is crucial. This takes some serious introspection about our existence from every possible angle. One never knows at what point in their life one might get a worthwhile insight about this. A handful of fortunate ones might strike upon the answer in their twenties, while others might keep plodding at it well into their thirties, forties, and even fifties. Numerous people go through their entire lives without finding their answer, and there are even more who don’t feel the need to find it at all. However, you can bet that no matter when in your life you find your answer, the moment is nothing short of a eureka! The revelation hits that you are a royal swan, so to speak, and not just another duck in the pond. To say the least, life transforms! There is a palpable difference between your existence before and after the miraculous moment. ?

The crux of this matter is the uncanny and unmistakable fact that, in such scenarios, the life purpose revolves around the non-material. Once the realization sinks in that our existence is not solely based on the material side, the journey to fulfilling our life purpose becomes an absolute pleasure. The resulting satisfaction is simply indescribable in words. We often hear the word 'Passion' used quite casually, don't we? The closest I can come to the core of it, without precisely nailing down the exact meaning, would be to describe it as an intense feeling about something. In the present context, it would mean taking on a worthy task without bothering about its material gains, and yet, amusingly enough, the results one achieves are invariably of exceptional quality. This is what we witness when observing the work of those who champion a social cause and achieve spectacular results. The combination of great purpose and a burning desire to fulfil it is the alchemy that is at work wherever we come across such moments around us. ?

It is often said that the desire to make life a song can be fulfilled only if it is inherently in tune with a great purpose. However, I beg to differ. Most people are born with a certain type of physical and mental capacity, although there are exceptions to this conjecture. At times, we tend to overlook this and endow divinity upon those among us who are exceptionally capable, and in the process undermine or overlook our own capacity to do anything worthwhile. Our overall growth, both individual and social, largely depends upon our social ecosystem, and hence it is believed that we can train and develop our minds the way we want, roughly up until age 7. But, of course, this does not mean that the process is ironclad and can't be altered at a later date. It most certainly can! Let me tell you how…

The mantra we need to inculcate is learning, unlearning, and relearning. In a nutshell, it is wise to pass on the life skills we have learned up to a particular point to another person. This process is called unlearning. Once unlearning is done, we are free to explore new horizons, calling for a new beginning and the need to learn different skills—this is the relearning part. The entire process keeps life fresh and happening.? The thought of boredom doesn’t even occur to us when we embrace this process and age remains a mere number when it comes to accepting new challenges. ??

Once this sequence is grasped, meticulous planning is the quality that enhances it. ‘Failing to plan means planning to fail’ just about sums up the situation when we do not plan an endeavor. The more time you invest in planning the better your chances of finding fulfilment in your chosen task. ?

When you have a plan in place, the next step involves your decision-making skills. We may wait for the perfect decisions, but it’s a proven fact that those who consistently make apparently right decisions are the ones who have made a lot of wrong decisions at various points in their lives. While success often comes from making the right decisions, valuable lessons are learned from the wrong ones. Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. Thus, your decision-making ability develops through such experiences

Ready with your decision-making acumen? Great, but it is useful only if you are ready to act! Without action, your decisions remain unfulfilled dreams. Dillydallying in action is nothing but procrastination, so once you take up a task, you must be prepared to invest yourself physically as well as mentally. The joy of fulfilling a task with forthright action is nothing short of heavenly, not to mention the self-confidence that you earn along with it. ?

However, these attributes thrive with perseverance and grit. There is a great movie named 'Founder,' based on the life and times of Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's. In it, Kroc delivers a memorable line: 'Perseverance beats genius.' Someone might be average at best in terms of intelligence, but if they can make up for it with perseverance, they stand a better chance than most at success. I happen to know many successful people who have quietly nurtured their dreams patiently and have fulfilled them by making well-timed decisions, acting upon them and being single-mindedly focused on the process. ?

So, there you have it all in a nutshell! In my opinion, these few principles are the difference between those who are truly worthy of existence and those who aren't, especially in terms of their exploits in life. As I mentioned right at the outset of this dialogue, each of us is given 24 hours every day, and it is largely in our power how we choose to put them to use. Here's wishing you a happy new year that inspires you to do so!

Original Article in Marathi: Published in Loksatta 23/12/23

Translated by: Mr Sadanand Bendre