Life is so fickle. One moment you may be on the top of the world and in next moment you may literally be on the top of the world if you know what I mean. One moment you may be driving back home looking forward to a nice dinner and next moment you may be dead due to a bomb blast. And there can be more examples of how uncertain life is. In the next moment you may never see the people you care about ever again. You may never get to make that pending phone call again or finish those long due stuff on your “to-do” list. You may never get to say that “I’m sorry” or “I love you” ever again. One moment you are making money left and right and next moment you are dead before you could enjoy the fruits of your labor (legal or otherwise).
And yet we spend or shall I say waste so much time in quarreling, petty arguments, back biting, being mean, being rude, neglecting near and dear ones, procrastinating spending quality time or taking a break or calling up old friends, running after fame, money or some absurd religious beliefs, deceiving people, playing dirty politics, committing crimes and even killing hundreds of people. In short we are always postponing living. Without even knowing what is going to happen in the next moment, we are always postponing living in the moment. So I say make that phone call now. Go on that trip now. Meet those people now. Stop doing that crime now. Finish that work now. Spend that quality time now. Say that “I love you” or “I’m sorry” or “I care” or “I need you” now!! Before its too late and your time is up.
This post comes in wake of the sudden death of Ishmeet Singh, who had become a star overnight by winning the Voice of India reality/talent show on Star Plus. One moment he is a celebrity ruling over hearts with his voice and next moment; ashes. May his soul rest in peace. Death reminds me of this very famous poem.
The Chariot
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.
We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.
We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible.
The cornice but a mound.
Since then ’tis centuries but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses’ heads
Were toward eternity.
My Random Thoughts 
preach it sister!
Lets get out and live while we still can and always keep the right and most important things in mind!
Yea…right….before you even realize what life is all about – you die !!!
We rarely get some time to think what if we die now or what would we do if we know we will die tomorrow or soon…am sure we’ll feel like doing a lot of things….calling mom…calling the person we loved but could never tell…saying sorry to many people we never did but we should have….going to places we always just plan for!!! so many more….sometimes we should just get some time for ourselves and do the things we SHOULD do or our hearts asks us to do w/o any hesitant!!
anyway, nice site & nice thoughts Reema 🙂
Wow !! This was straight from your heart , I must say that ..
Yeah ! It’s shocking to hear about the untimely demise of Ishmeet Singh .. May his soul rest in peace ..
Fight on !!
I agree with you.
These are the moments which make us wonder about the future.
I have always been a firm believer of living for the moment and I try to do that but this time the blasts have left a mark. I am worried deep down….dunno why….
Lovely thoughts and I hope am able to follow few and smile 🙂
Yeah, I read the article this morning, and i was shocked!
Life plays a very delicate game with us… We don’t know the rules, we don’t know who rolls the dice… We just have to play blindly… Can’t really tell what’s gonna happen when…
Its all about being Yo-Yo of God again? May be its not. Sad things teach us lessons….. like you wrote “we must do some things before its too late and your time is up….”
We wake up every morning without thanking the day that is gifted to us. We never ever think that any danger can affect us.
Its sad how Ishmeet died. Life plays all games with us. We never know how ours is gonna be.
Like someone once said, live life as if today is going to be your last day.
I don’t know hwy but your post today brought tears in my eyes.. probably the recent deaths, bomb blasts and now i hear about Ishmeet’s death… prolly getting a bit down… No i was never a fan of Ishmeet, but he was so young! Just a kid! And then i heard of the two young boys who got severelyhurt in the bomb blasts and their dad died who was teaching them to ride a bicycle when the bomb blew them away!
you are right, we take our life too much for granted…
Wake up call?? I am thinking… should I stop blogging and start living?? hehehe or blogging is included in living. Again living can be different for different people,its a very subjective term, isn’t it?
Just enjoy every moment that life brings to you and bring some joyful moments to living 🙂
ahh.. i really do not know what I am writing…
Enjoy Life!!!
nice post…yes it is important to live…but what is life? as you said doing what you have to do…but isn’t not doing also a part of what you should do? Who decides what you have to do?
The next moment you may be dead…it’s a terrifying thought isn’t it! The terrorists are not human, they are psychopaths. This world is full of crazy people. And even if it weren’t, life itself is so uncertain…an airplane crash, a road accident, and it’s all over. In the old days it was diseases, today it’s accidents.
As you said, we should spread the LOVE.
@Hodekin Rightly said. 🙂
@Lipna Welcome to my blog! Thats exactly my point 🙂 Thanks! See u around!
@Soham yes it was as i always believe in this and I live in the moment, for the moment 🙂 Fight on!!
@Smita Thanks! Relax dear. I can understand the inner restlessness and worry but calm down..else God forbid if there is another case U may panic too much. What is needed is inner strength.
@Suda
I think I need to patent that phrase “God’s yo-yo!” 😀
People are using it everywhere! 😀
@Nikhil I guess its a game of cat n mice between Life n Death..Death being a very smart cat (unlike Tom) and once it catches Life, game over.
@Suda This isnt about good luck or bad luck. Its about the inevitable eternal truth of Death. :)And due to that we should stop thinking like immortals and live while there is life.
@Taju As I say count one’s blessings each day. Thats enough to keep one happy and content. Yes we always think all this happens to them and forget we can be one of them anyday!! Live life kingsize!! 😀
@Sakhi yes I think u r already emotionally sensitive at present and thus my post hit u that way. I never watched one episode of any reality show but the sudden death and fickleness of life made me write this post. Ohh so sad to hear such a incident. 😦
@Sharad If blogging is a part of ur priorities then do that. Dont postpone it. Thats what I mean :)Blogging is included in living!! By living I just mean to do what one’s heart yearns to do (not something extreme like killing someone etc) and should do without just postponing till tomorrow. As the famous quote says Past is history, Future is a mystery.Today is a gift thats why its called Present. 😀
@Vishesh One’s heart and sense of right & wrong decides what should be done. Ur question is actually the answer in itself. I know I should not ignore my dear ones so that automatically becomes part of what I should do i.e. to spend some time with them. I know I should not take bribe so that automatically becomes I should be honest cuz I dont know if i would ever live to enjoy the wealth I accumulated dishonestly. Hope u get what I mean 🙂
@Nita yes not only terrorists there are many more causes of death. But till one is alive. show that you are really ALIVE. yes Spread Love and Peace!! 🙂
@Nikhil I think u will soon see that phrase in oxford dictionary or webster guys 😉 😉 But apparently the term isn’t new. I googled it and these are the results.
http://www.writing.com/main/books/entry_id/578193
http://www.stencilrevolution.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=66253
🙂 😀
I agree. Postponing living to me means: there is always a sense of ‘waiting for something’ to make them happy. Like, I will be happy (or happier) if I finish this job/ if I buy this car/ if I buy this dress/ if I get this contract/ etc. My concept of living is, be happy in this present moment. The way to do it is: enjoy the road/ journey. It increases my ‘happy time’, because the pause at every destination is a short time, most of the time is spent traveling.
Also, the good old things we learnt as kids about being nice, altruistic and honest seems childish and impractical to most people, it also makes them feel insecure and vulnerable. But it is not so, most of the truly happy people are happy by successfully following these ‘adarshwadi principles’, however absurd that may seem to skeptics.
where is life…? the poor cant think of it, the rich dont know what it is, the middle ones dont want to become poor, hence are racing to be richer and in the struggle forgetting what life is.
if its not money, its fame! reality shows, politics, filmdom, small screen, Guinness records, and even crime too!
else its ignorance! what a lovely feeling it is! ignoring things and being ignorant abt things can keep you in an eternal state of uselessness and hence, free from work and tension!
now-a-days, i don’t see life in the little ones also, who are constantly driven by the competitive mindset of parents 😦 .
as time continues, i think life will be just a matter of eating, drinking, breathing and nothing else… everything will be a confusion and a scenario of “Survival of the fittest” will keep people racing right from the stage of being an embryo!
I Pity you – World! coz, I’m pitying myself for living in you! now come on and fill some life in me…
Such a touching post Reema..loved it…you know after 9/11 attack on US, human bonding grew in US at an alarming rate..its time now for us to enjoy life..kya jane kya hoga kal…aaj iss pal ko hath se na jaane do!
nicely put, Reema. i’ve been thinking the same, struggling with the same thoughts since i read the news about him yesterday.
Death remains the only truth in our lives until mankind discovers/invents cure for it. With death around us all the time, it’s impossible to find happiness the way we wish. At the best, we can have some moments of bliss..
The interesting point, however, is that we all are in the same boat, no matter what we think ourselves to be.
My mother had followed Ishmeet’s run in that reality show ( she supported him too);she was pretty shocked yesterday. In any case, celebrity or not, to die at such a young age and that too in such a bizarre manner is very heart wrenching. May nature gives strenght to his parents and loved ones to endure the pain.
I wish too Reema that we all could rise above petty things to enjoy and make the most of what we have.
P.S.: What a creepy coincidence that just a day before this incident, I had put a scene from one of my many favourite woody allen’s movies on my blog. As is the wont of Allen, the scene , though funny at surface, touches deep philosophical questions about God and death.
Oh My Goodness!! I loved the second one! Awesome sketch! I think I should photoshop my pic instead of the globe and wow!! 😀
@Nomad Thanks for sharing your insightful view.
@Harsha Wow!! a deep philosophical comment. looks like my post touched a raw nerve 🙂 Thanks for ur comment.
@Swathi Thanks dear!
@Roop Thanks! Yes I read ur post on Ishmeet.
@Dev A cure for death??? There cant be one ever. And infact shouldn’t be.I dont want Earth to be spilling over with humans and animals. Yes thats the point that we are all in same boat. Death is a great leveller. Yes I did see the video.
@Nikhil 😀 😀
@ Reema- I got to know about this news from your blog..am not regular on internet these day and not reading Indian news…this is such a set back…..he was just now basking in glory and now as you said all ashes…
All of us have the same fate …you may never know when is it gonna be your last good bye….you may never now its gonna be the last time you’re gonna feel a person’s warmth..he just leaves….and then looking at the things make you feel heavy….and guilty for not spending more time or having more picture perfect moments together…thanks for maintaining the spiit of writing a blog..people nowadays are using blogging as a medium for personal diary space and forgetting any social conscience..thanks a lot..I salute your spirit….
i was shocked to know that Ishmeet is no more…eight months back he had won everybody’s hearts and all of a sudden he is gone..RIP Ishmeet…
This post reminded me of Kal ho na ho…
Well, I dont mind a cure. Why not? And, if mankind gets so far as to find a cure or atleast extend life expectancy to few thousand years, why do you think we will only have Earth to live? Universe is vast my dear..they already talk about colonizing moon/mars..picture abhi baaki hai..
well, the post caught me in the right mood! i was a lifeless dumb corpse-like mass of flesh during the holidays that i am ‘enjoying’ now u see…
@Mahak Awww I m flattered. Thanks a lot!!!
@Bhavana Its always har pal jiyo, kal ho na ho 😀
@Dev 😀 Yes anything is possible but I seriously dont want to live day after day till some thousands of years!! how boring!!
@Harsha Hmm when is college going to re open?
You know, today they were showing his funeral on the news channel and they showed his dead body and his face for a fleeting moment. That thing scared me. Just 8 months back, that guy was on top of the world. And now, he’s dead. His face lifeless. It just reminds you how fickle and how unpredictable life is. And I agree with you completely, one should live life and enjoy. I do it one day at a time. As Mahak mentioned, kya pata, kal ho na ho.
Like the saying goes…
‘Dance like there’s no one watchin…live like there;s no tomorrow…”
Never postpone things saying today is not a gud day…If yu think everyday is a gud day, just try missing one!!
i’m reinded of terrible things after reading this! 😦
I was seriously shocked to know that Ismeet was no more. I never believed it. How could that happen. Does God love us so much or is he taking an revenge? I guess no could actually answer this!
I feel so sorry for his family. 😦
May his souls RIP…
And life is also weird. I feel it to be very funny. I mean you don’t know what will happen next. We have to be ready and that is what we know. So be prepared…
BTW nice post rReema.. really liked it 🙂
@Ish yes I also saw the same thing. So ur namesake is dead. I remember u had written about him in one of ur posts. I too live life to its fullest one day at a time.
@Priya A very true and apt quotation. Ohh I’m sorry to have triggered terrible memories by my post. 😦
@Joel How can one be prepared for what is unknown and sometimes unimaginable?? Least one can do is to enjoy the present. Thanks!!
The life of a 19 year old wasted like that, it is really sad.But don’t you think we are going a little too far.State funeral for Ishmeet? State funerals are meant for people who have done something exceptional for the country. This young boy was talented and I felt sad for his parents but I don’t think he had made a difference to the society at large. Unfortunately he didn’t live long enough to do anything.
one more week to go! 😦 and after that it’ll be fun for sometime and again the boredom of coll routine starts! see… there is no life… 😛
wonderfull post…live life to the fullest .
feel sorry for ishmeet ..
may his soul rest in peace..
wonder what his parents would be going through ..he was so young 😦 and yeah famous too
@Prerna I didnt know that news! That is not quite fair. Dignitaries dont go to Maneckshaw’s funeral and arrange a state funeral for Ishmeet!! Indians!
@Harsha Awww but we will get all college tidbits posts no?
@Arvind Thanks! It must be so hard for parents 😦
@Reems : thats the (only) silver lining…!
@Harsha arent there any cute girls on ur class?? That should be another silver lining 🙂
I don’t know Ishmeet Singh, but I get what you mean. After a long delay, I recently wrote a 5 page long letter to an uncle in India who refuses to receive emails and has long been asking me to write to him 🙂
@Lekhni Its been a while since I wrote a letter to anyone. I also write long letters once the words start flowing. 🙂
Yes, you are right. I still can’t believe that he is gone. Sometimes I just can’t understand God.
I have been postponing many things and I am afraid that by the time I would come to do those things it would be too late.
@Amit Dont be afraid dear. Just do the things and live life to its fullest!
It’s so true…life is full of uncertainties. We end up ruining our today by cribbing over past and future. Let’s learn to live in this moment enjoying every bit of it because as SRK said “Kal ho na ho!” 😀
@Willow Har pal jiyo, kal ho na ho!!
@Reems – There’s something about this post I like – I dont know what! I read it thrice already and might read it again. As far as my comment about this post goes – Its simple electric! Nice thought, simple words and aligns with my idea of life so I like it more.
“Live everyday as if it were the last day in your life!”
@RJ Thanks.
Hey I have read many posts of yours but this one of my favourites. Even I used to keep all my feelings within myself and never shared with others. But the situation have changed now. I started enjoying each and every moment of my life. I regret now for wasting all those days. Life is toooo short for arguements and misunderstandings. Exactly right. 🙂
Reema: Welcome to my blog. Thanks!! I am glad you have started living your life. Keep visiting!