I was on my regular walk in the garden when this sight of a bunch of rose flowers dragged me to look at it closely- one fully open flower and two in an early stage of opening and the fourth one in a fading stage!
With the heightened tension at the Indo-pakistan border, there is a lot of conversation in the media around war, wounds and death.
All these flowers are found in one rose plant. The rose plant would have had several flowers opening and fading away during this season.
If there is birth, there is death, a dual reality that makes life most significant. The reality is that birth and death co-exist. In each of our lives there is the birth of new experiences, insights, relationships, etc. and decline in our memory, wellness in the body, breakdown of relationships, etc.
What is fascinating and refreshing is how inspite of this paradox in our lives, each of us is endowed with an innate resilient spirit that wants to seek after the wellness of others. Late Dr Mary Varghese, the founder of the department of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at CMC Vellore, suffered spinal cord injury while studying medicine which made her wheel chair bound. She ceased to be well bodily, but within her was an indomitable spirit which made her to offer her hands to take care of others with spinal cord injury! It was 'death' of her normal ability which brought forth a life giving ability in the service of others.
It is from the chaos of 'death' of something important for us, something creative and extra-ordinary can emerge, that can bring forth abundance to others.
I passed by this rose plant where all the flowers except one were fading away. The flowers lived their term. This brought to my attention the transitoriness of life! I met a family recently who lost their two children 15 and 13 years while playing football. The ball fell into the river and one of them got in to fetch it. He was washed away and the older boy jumped into water to save his brother. But he too was lost in the current of water. This domain of reality of death or 'near death' experience alerts us to live soberly, responsibly and altruistically. Our life is conditioned by the reality of the end of life now or later! This consciousness raises within us a call to live resonating goodness, mercy and benevolence. I feel conscious of this reality as I am in the seventh decade of life. One exercise I do every week is to write at least one letter of appreciation and acknowledgement to friends from my medical college days onwards. What if I would not have another opportunity! Now that, I have reached out to about fifty and another 150 or so are remaining, I am drawn by a sense of nearness to most of them. Life gives us the gift of relationships.
When I turned back to return, I happened to notice this plant with two buds in two different stages of maturing to open. That brought back the hope of how life triumphs over death. Death is only a transient narrative, although an authentic narrative. Death is not the final reality. It is transition to life of abundance in another dimension. The eternal dimension gives us a new perspective to our daily living. 'The good we can do, let me do it now, let me not defer it..' is a statement that I have treasured in my heart since my college days. Dr C.K.Eapen, who is in his eighties and works full time in the hospital, once told me, that 'I come to hospital to celebrate life with others I meet' It sounded too solemn to be an impulsive statement. It came forth as his vocation.
I felt uplifted by the visit to the garden in our courtyard, because the buds and flowers in different stages became an anchor to my soul. I have felt some weariness on account of some existential challenges recently.
I am glad that it is joy and hope of life and living that reside in my consciousness now!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
Photoblog: chidldevelopmentashirvad.blogspot.com
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