Dying to Live

Below is the list of regrets that different people in the final stages of their lives had and shared with a nurse offering palliative care. These five themes seem to be the most common with people in their death bed. I have read a lot of books and articles on dying and living and what struck me about this particular list is the simplicity of it all. I guess that is the beauty of death; it strips all the complexities that we have added to our lives over the years and shows us for who and what we truly are and what we are not. We have nothing to hide behind, nothing with which to protect ourselves from the inevitable truth.

The list:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

When you read the list and introspect, it will hit you; the mistakes you have made and the lost opportunities and you will also realize none of it has anything to do with material comfort.

The secret then to a happy life is to cherish people around you and more importantly surround yourself with people who will cherish you and help you grow. While you are alive try and get most of it right. Make the dying wish a living promise.






Ref. article: http://www.ariseindiaforum.org/nurse-reveals-the-top-5-regrets-people-make-on-their-deathbed/

coming of age of a politician and other related stuff

I never ever thought I would live to see the day when I can make sense out of statements made by Raj Thackeray. However, the man famous for ludicrous protests that hold Maharastrian cities to ransom has finally made a statement which struck a chord, at least with me. Is this what they call coming of age in politics?? He has stated that Belgaum, Nipani-Karwar, Khanapur and other Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka should stay in Karnataka and Maharashtra has nothing special to offer them. With the outburst of protests to this statement, there is a high likelihood that he might withdraw it, or threaten the print media for printing them, and try and get them out of Maharashtra.

However, there is a lot of truth in his statement. Maharashtra has nothing to offer the hundreds of kids dying in Melghat due to malnutrition, no solution to the farmer’s problems in Vidarbha region, no solution to the sorry state of state-sponsored education, and other endless problems that plague them. There is no feasible solution forthcoming from the political class. I still don’t understand why, at a periodic interval (read elections), these politicians flare up the issue and people still fall prey to it.

And all those idiots from these border villages who damage public properties never see that their issue will always be only an issue. They are nothing but a trump card and the moment their problem is solved, they will lose all the political patronage they are enjoying. It will be interesting if these people use this to their favour and get additional benefits out of Karnataka govt., but I don’t see that ever happening. Idiots are always idiots; you see there is no cure for that one.

This is the case with all regions that want to break away from one or join with another.  There is no point. We the people are just expendable pawns to the political players. With the king sitting impassively in the centre, the queen and the knights have all the fun.

 Politicians of this state (and the rest of country), have and will always be, spokesmen and minions for the realtors and other so-called Elite. Yes, I am generalising, as the handful of politicians who are worth their salt don’t give a rats-ass as to whether I generalise or not. They will continue to do their work.

So moral of story - Raj is finally a mature politician, there is still some hope after all for the poor Aam Admi and politicians in general suck.

RAGE

Tearing across the skies

The sound of raging battle

roar of a million lions

Heard in unison, the cry of life

Nature wielding her sword of light

Unbridled arrogance, challenging

Destroying human ego

Born from wind and water

Beautiful in its ugly ferocity

Touching the earth

Like a stairway from hell

This is where the elements meet

Like sparks off a clashing sword

Too instantaneous to grasp

Too immense to behold.

the thorn branch

In one of those random conversations with a friend of mine who can pretty much complete my sentences for me... She made a statement, comparing some relationships in our lives to holding on to a thorn branch for dear life.

Holding on here is as difficult as letting go. The harder you hold the more you hurt yourself. The moment you let go, the dark plunge that follows will take you to bottoms you never knew existed. The only solace of letting go is the few moments of peace and freedom during the free fall before you hit the rock bottom.

Most of us might come out of the abysmal depths, with our sanity intact. The wound inflicted will eventually heal. The scars however will be our constant companion.

The choice of holding onto the thorn branch ever so tightly or letting go and embracing the free fall is up to us. The pain however remains as a common denominator no matter what choice we make.

Is there a way to completely escape all this pain ? I am not sure.

Maybe it’s time we took Buddha’s words more seriously.

-- Ro&I

Kolkata Fire

The recent events at the AMRI, not the fire, we all know that story, but how the government and the judiciary decided to act, baffles me. There was an accident - it could be caused due to the callousness of a few employees of the hospital or it could be an act of arson. One is as likely as the other. However, the government and the judiciary decided to go after the director, some of them never directly involved in the day to day operations of the hospital, and some were there as directors due to some special medical skills that they possess. The government and judiciary gave into popular demand, arrested the people who were not the actual perpetrators of the crime, while the actual criminal has gone scott-free.

This was a case of negligence and it did cost us dearly. But why the directors were targeted without any inquiry? why was the hospital’s license cancelled before an enquiry? I am no authority on the IPC, but I am sure a lot of laws were sidestepped before the dogs were let loose on the directors. Probably now there will be an enquiry which will be custom made to justify the verdict that has already been passed.

So if I go set fire to AIIMS will the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and the rest of the hospital board be arrested and only then an enquiry will be ordered?

I am not supporting the case of the directors; I am just bringing to notice what the government has done. It has set precedence, a dangerous one at that. So from now on when there is failure on the governmental part, will the heads of the ministers roll? I would like to see that happen. Or is there a different set of laws governing aam admi and them?

People should also wake up and also demand the suspension or imprisonment of the railway minister where ever there is an accident or the transport minister when a pothole on the road causes a fatal accident. Is the Government willing to take decisive action then? Will the judiciary sidestep a lot of laws to bring the ministers to justice?

It time someone told the politicians to stop looking at everything as a political leverage and actually do the work they were supposed to do.