keep looking up

I had to dig into the archives to
come up with some of the
boring stuff from years past,
the relevance, I believe, is
enduring. Psychologist Abraham Maslow
classified the hierarchy of human
needs and at the apex of his
pyramid was self-actualization,
with self-esteem right below. Beyond the need for money and
big houses, value of the smaller
things in life has been linked
with creating more happiness,
leading to satisfaction and good
health. Knowing this, when was the last
time you fed a stranger’ s expired parking meter? Have
you given food to a homeless
man? Do you enjoy the simple
things in a life that are
otherwise inherently beyond
your control? Sometime ago, school children
became a surprise target for
berserk gunmen. That
notwithstanding, you probably
still dropped your kids at school
the next day and even this morning without knowing
whether they will come back or
not. Divorce rates are soaring,
but your search for a life
partner still goes on. Right?
Probably, you are hoping that Prince Charming will sweep you
off your feet into a happy-ever
after castle. Or are you actually
someone’ s Prince Charming? Maybe, even now when the
unemployment rates are hitting
a high, you are still
contemplating buying a new
home. Faith, the element of believing in
unseen things, is a great
component of human life and
survival. That unwavering belief
that things will happen as we
want them to, has been the anchor that created our success
as the human race from
generation to generation. The same faith that made the
Wright brothers desire to
transform humanity and invent
the airplane. It is the same faith
that makes you plan for your
spring classes without even knowing what tomorrow will
bring. It makes you continue
looking for the special one, or
the dream home, even with odds
being against you. As the rest of university woke
up to yet another day of
seeking to complete exams,
meet bosses and attend classes,
a group of people woke up to
their last day. Fate had it painfully planned
that a few of us would not live
beyond last week. Fort Hood was unfortunate and
thinking about it still fills me
with the fear of the indisputable
mortality and serendipity of
human life. Even as we mourn
the loss of brothers and sisters, life has to go on, with all its
suspense and surprises lurking in
the foreground. Once in a while, I inevitably find
life reducing me to a thinker
without answers, asking myself
the same question as Garth
Brooks asked in his song, “What if tomorrow never comes?” The same food we pleasurably
indulge in could choke us to
death. The hours we spend
reading for exams and classes
could damage our sanity and
health. The roof over our heads could give way. The thought of
the bigger things that could
happen to humans is scary.
Imagine what would happen if
the wheels on your car decided
that enough was enough and began to run faster than your
car? Simple health is the one wish for
many people. The man, or
woman, who wakes up next to
you, is a gem. The food that
you take for granted is the be-
all, end-all for some people. Next time you reach home safely, give
thanks. When your kids come
home from school, give thanks. When you begin appreciating the
simple things in life, the bigger
things will not be a problem.
Nevertheless, I believe that
despite our frailties as humans,
there is an invisible hand that holds and takes care of us and
our plans. So, go ahead and work like
today’ s your last, but plan like you’ ll live forever. "There is a thin line between
truth and fiction. This is that
line."