Namaste.
Being a person who has been through life-threatening situations in which the chances of my surviving looked quite bleak, and after having discussed in the last couple of decades with many others like me, who had been to the edge of life, I can confidently state some of the thoughts that ran in our minds during those moments which could have been our last ones.
They were:
1. “What have I done in my life?” and NOT “How comfortably did I live my life?”!
2. “What all did I experience and not experience in life” and NOT “How much money did I make or how much real estate I possessed?”!
3. “Who were the people I hurt but did not apologise to for hurting them?” and NOT “How many people did I miss hurting?”!
4. “I should have taken that opportunity instead of missing it due to silly reasons.”
5. “How interesting has my life been?” and NOT “How comfortable has my life been?”!
In my post “The Cup of Life“ dated 13.08.2019, I had written, “People who have celebrated life and have lived it to the fullest, relish the crescendo of life as well as its climax moment, while those who have been sad, discontent, selfish, egoistic, angry or bitter all through their time on earth, don’t.”
The very purpose of life is learning – Learning to learn; to get up from a fall; to experience good and bad as well as pleasure and pain; to love; to share; to endure; to survive, and conclude a lifetime feeling one with the system. At the time of departure, it is a life full of surprises, different people and great experiences that one usually wishes they had. Those who have had such a life, are the ones that are the happiest during the final seconds of earthly existence. Having lived a plush, comfortable and trouble-free life at someone else’s cost is certainly not what makes people happy at that highest moment. The happiest are those who loved; were kind; kept their word; loved children; loved animals; admired flowers and butterflies; enjoyed gardening; cooked with passion; dreamt; strived; struggled; worked hard; shared; burned and fell but rose again from the ashes; built their world on their own from nothing; helped others and made them happy; contributed towards protecting nature, and left a legacy behind that generations of people could benefit from.
During the years when I was much younger, many of my friends disapproved my decision to choose an adventurous life instead of a peaceful one that a person enjoys by doing a comfortable ‘9 to 5’ job. Well, the result of my decision has been my highly eventful, extremely thrilling, enormously rewarding and greatly educative life that is filled with such a large number of stories that even after my son has turned 15, I have still not managed to recount to him beyond 15-18% of all that has happened in my life so far.
It would definitely be great to possess a lot of wealth, but what about those who are not affluent? Why should they feel sad for not possessing something that does not guarantee great health, peace and happiness? The truth is that, a truly rich life is one which is rich with various kinds of experiences, one in which you met many people, and one that teaches you stuff that no university can ever teach. If one had Moksha or salvation as the ultimate goal, learning through experience would be the only way to get there.
Therefore, experiences, both good and bad, are amazing divine blessings that one needs to be thankful for. But for them, one neither grows nor evolves. However, during troubling times in life, reading the following Shloka should help one get some solace :
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः |
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत || २ १४ ||
maatra-sparshaas-tu kaunteya sheetoshna-sukhad-duhkhadaaha
aagamaa-paayino-‘nityaas- taam-sthithikshasva-bhaarata
SBG 2:14 O son of Kunti (Arjuna), impermanent things like happiness and sadness, heat and cold in summer and winter, come and go. They are temporary so learn to endure them.
Be a free thinking and modest seeker.
May Divine Blessings continue to shower upon you, giving you a rich and fulfilling life.
Jai Shri Krishna
Tavamithram Sarvada 
Jai shri krishna !
A bit late to reply for this blog .
This article I continuously remember as Sir had mentioned me more than a year back on similar lines.. He prompted to compare life of an ordinary King and Shivaji … who had cherished Life no ordinary one . Me too going from a torrid Life changes very unpleasant at times . But when I remember this ideolgy I feel relaxed that atleast this life there is some Logic which is better than doing nothing and it is adding so much to Life experiences ..
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