ECSTASY OF LIFE

ECSTASY OF LIFE

A summer morning at 6, house no 151 D Nespak Society. Sun is rising, birds are chirping sweetly, the charming fragrance of a variety of flowers is spread out all in their large lawn, enhanced beautifully by the velvety carpet of trimmed green grass.

A man of almost 45 and a girl of 14 are enjoying a walk in this pleasant morning with the sunshine glittering the dew drops on the green leaves. They are praising the delightful scenes of nature. The birds with their attractive colorful bodies were bestowing peace of mind and their melodious voice just like the music played by a flute was wonderfully delighting the enchanting surrounding.

Daughter(girl) : 

I wonder the pattern of the lives of man and birds. The birds only eat, drink, and sleep. They don't have any other activity to do. They have a more easy life to live as compared to human life.

Dad(man):

Yes, because we are intelligent and thus we have more responsibilities.  And our intelligence also leads us to sophistication which further increases our responsibilities. Humans inclined to ease which further engages us in working hard to make life easier, ultimately ending up in a harder life. "No pain no gain" as it is said alright.

Daughter:

(In a concerned way)A man has a lot of worries in his life. To earn, to live, to fulfill his desires, to take care of his family, to educate his kids, and many more. And for all these purposes one needs money as it is the basic unit to run a society. Only a wealthy man can live a happy life. A poor person needs to do a lot of hard work, and then he may or may not get enough money to manage his daily needs. How difficult it is to become a successful man.

Dad:

No! It is one of the fundamental units of life. And wealth alone does not bring happiness in one's life. Do you call a wealthy man successful?

Daughter:

Yes, wealth brings, because he can have anything he wants. For instance, we all are happy because we are wealthy, especially because you are successful, earning a handsome amount of money.

Dad:

Just imagine, I am your very wealthy father, but I do not care for you, I do not love you, instead, I talk to you bitterly and beat you daily. Would you like to spend my money? (she looks at her father frightening) 

Definitely, your answer will be “no”. Even though you would not like me to sit with you because we wouldn’t have a little spark of love for each other. So am I right or not? (asking in an amusing way, raising his one eyebrow up and the other down)

Daughter:

Yes, you are right daddy (laughing).

Dad:

Therefore, your attitude towards others is more important than your money. If you have a lot of money but everyone stays away from you due to your rude, angry, and ill-mannered behavior with others, then what importance your money would have? When you are alone and have no friends in the whole world to talk with. Do you understand what I am trying to say?

Daughter: Yes dad, I have completely understood you. It would be a terrifying situation, a man lost in the dark wilderness forest with beasts all around him...

(She had barely completed her sentence when they heard her mother calling.)

Daughter:

O, daddy! Mom is calling me, I have to set the breakfast, she said lazily.

Dad:

Come on baby! Go help your mother in the kitchen. I will join you at the table, we will continue our talk from exactly where we left.

Daughter:

Fine with me. Meet you again in 5 minutes.

At the breakfast table, there was a delicious aroma of fresh and healthy breakfast.

Dad:

(Sitting on the chair) Hmmm. Seems delicious. Good job. You will get 100 points. 

Daughter:

(amusingly) You see, I am a good chef. Though mommy helped me a little. 

Dad:

(Almost whispering) your mom can hear you. Never underestimate the power of mommy, honey. 

Mom:

I can hear you both. (joining them on the table) 

Dad:

Welcome! Welcome! We were just appreciating your cooking and were waiting for you. 

Mom:

Now, you may start. Thank you, dear! 

Dad:

Let's get back to our previous discussion. 

Mom:

What was the topic?

Dad:

We were talking about the cause of happiness. So should we start?

Daughter and Mom (both at the same time):

Yes, Please.

Dad:

(Picking up the spoon) Have you ever given a thought to the cause of our happiness and success? What makes you happier, gathering and collecting things or distributing those among the needy?

Daughter:

As a matter of fact, I have never particularly noticed it, but yes if I am asked, I would say that I feel much peace and comfort in helping others.

Dad:

Now, you have said right. It is a universal truth, and the fact lies in it. Things bring happiness for a short time but supporting and helping others brings happiness and satisfaction to the soul for the entire life. And do you consider success as a source of happiness for just some time or as a source of contentment for the entire life? (asking her politely)

Daughter:

Happiness for the entire life. She said gently.

Dad:

Success is the satisfaction of your work. If you are satisfied with what you have done, then you are successful in your work. But if you feel discontented and disappointed, then you are on the wrong path. You could not find success this way. You can feel pleasure only in serving destitute and unprivileged peoples.

Everything in this universe is made in balance. Everything follows the principle of being beneficial to others. As water flows from a higher level to a lower level. In biology, a cell shrinks when placed in a concentrated surrounding, it releases the water inside it to balance the proportion on both sides i.e. inside and outside. A tree does not eat its fruit rather it is a source of nutrition for us. So, if everyone starts to act in accordance with nature, starts to care for others, and lives a neutral life they would ultimately reach their destination and become successful.

I know a person who himself was an example of a successful person. Would you like to hear?

Daughter:

Yes, dad. Go ahead. (She said curiously).

Dad: (cutting the pancake with his knife) 

Once, the head of the main banks was invited for an interview because he had established hospitals, schools, colleges, and universities which have now got international importance.

He was asked to start the speech, and the first statement of Mr.Saeed speech was:

" Success does not mean to become wealthy and money can not buy happiness, but the real success is the peace of mind one gains by making others productive and beneficial for the coming generation."

He continued,

" You had asked me about the cause of building the world's best hospitals and the schools and universities? What idea made me take such a big step? What urged me to do that?

I grew up with this wild idea that money is everything, you can have anything you want by having money. Because I had seen before my very eyes the death of my younger brother, lying on the road, his head bleeding, a sports car ran into him, and we had no money for his operation in the hospital as it was demanding 2000 rupees from a laborer, and no one there to help. Because we had no house of our own and we lived in huts which we had to change after each storm. Every season we lived was not less than a disaster. Because I had seen my family starve for days and nights while working hard all day until evening because I had seen my grandparents suffering from pain, but I couldn't help, because I learned that only with money one can fulfill his desires and needs.

Until the age of 30s, I had the same idea.

15 years ago, the guard of my office asked me to pay him an advance salary. With tears in his eyes, he told me gladly but with a little sorrow of not having enough money, that his son had got his name on the merit list which requires a handsome amount of money for admission. I lent him some money because he did not take those as a favour, and admitted his son to the university. That day, I realized the real meaning of life. I realized that I have forgotten the true meaning of my creed. I have left behind the actual purpose of my life. That day flashed my past in my mind. I remember how much my father worked the whole day to make both ends meet. I remember those days when I and my younger brothers were growing up, and the requirements for our growth and nourishment were increasing day by day, and we had nothing to eat for days not even a single bite of bread for my younger brother to quieten his hunger. And we spent many days like that. My mother, at last, made up her mind to work as a maid in people's houses to support her house, and it was quite painful for me. Sometimes she got used and weary clothes from her landlady, eaten food, spoiled bread, and sometimes little money to buy half a kg of vegetables, we did not have enough money to save and buy something useful for us. We had never visited a shop, never bought a single toy, not even a single piece of cloth. Living like this for long did somewhere made me have no desires for myself, but I could not see my younger siblings and my parents suffer. It was as if life was a disaster.

When I reached the age of 10, I had not seen a school before. I wanted to study, I liked the boys going to school wearing school bags, a uniform, and polished shoes. At that age, the uniform was the beautiful dress I wanted to wear, and it did remain my wish until I became 14 years of age."

Daughter:

Didn't he describe his wish to his parents to go to school? She asked worriedly(staring at her father’s face with her large bulging eyes, keeping her hands on the table).

Dad:

No.Because he knew that how could his parents send him to school while they do not have money to eat.

Daughter:

And what did he do then? How did he become educated and the head of all departments of the banks?

Dad:

He learned the basic education from the books gained from a junk dealer. He at his shop, read books and learned too much.

Now, he wanted to appear in the matriculation board examination that requires registration fees which was out of their capacity. Therefore, he worked in a small food shop from where he got 500 rupees a month. He collected money and applied for the exam. He got good grades which built up his confidence in this belief that;

Everything is possible,

Continuous hard work to achieve a goal makes man capable of accomplishing it.

He completes his college education privately. He met a passionate and kind man who taught him mathematics and other subjects free of cost in his college life. After his exams, he also got his name in a government university. Now there was a dire need for money.

Daughter:

(asking worriedly) How did he get into the university then?

Dad:

(After taking a long breath),

He didn't ever let his parents worry about him because they had become very weak by losing their one son. So he borrowed some money from several people but returned them between the course of his education by working part-time.

Mom:

How much he tolerated!

Daughter:

Did not his parents ask him to work and earn money?

Dad:

Interesting question! The answer is yes, they did, but he remained steadfast on his point that he will earn money after completing his studies. So they waited for that time. And at last, that day came up with pleasures and happiness. He was recruited as a banker in the bank. His grandmother had been long dead then. He bought a new house, a car and was living a simple life. He got married and became busy in his personal life. He said:

"It was 1991 when I learned the situation of that old guard. It was shocking news for me. That day, I realized that I had been living so far from my countrymen for so many years. I did not consider that I had enough power to construct educational institutes. These institutes provide scholarships for need-based students, also providing them a chance to study abroad with full fee concession. In the last, I must say that:

There is only one purpose of life, that is hidden in providing others with their due rights no matter at which stage you are living. And this is the real happiness, and this is the real success because one feels comfortable and secured with this profit his whole life."

Dad:

( Finishing his breakfast),

I know in those institutions all the teachers are passionate, kind, and supportive.

Daughter:

How do you know?

Dad:

Because I lived in that environment, The Hawk University, one of his known institutes.

Now, what do you think, what real happiness is? (asking in a teasing manner)

Daughter:

Oh, Daddy! (smiling) I am now grown up, I can understand you. I used to think that one can help others by just supporting them financially. But now, I came to know there are many more ways to help people. In the future, I will be an education minister and will make education free providing them with all the opportunities required to make students groom and well educated. Also, I will construct well-structured primary schools with caring and passionate teachers in the rural and slum areas, as you know there is a lack of better education at the primary level. 

She takes a deep breath. Everyone smiles.