THE TOMORROW'S SUN
I remember my friend, Joe, today. He used his 'funny bone' well to his advantage in his selling career. I had never seen him dull or dejected, ever, for all those twenty years - running around the cities and villages - selling detergents. Yes, the Eskimos bought ice from him, believing that Joe's was the better ice!
And, naturally, when someone from his own 'tribe' ventured to sell his ice to this Eskimo - my friend, Joe - he would have fun dealing with him.
One day, a smart sales guy from a new company came to sell fans to him. "Sir, we give a life-time warranty," the young man tried to impress upon Joe.
"Is it?" my friend exclaimed his delight.
"Hundred percent right sir," the novice felt he was moving in.
"But, tell me, my friend: whose life-time? ... Mine or Fan's or your Company's?"
Within two years, the Company folded up!
Not long ago, almost all the credit card companies started 'gifting' us 'Life-time-free' credit cards. They thought they could make us, the 'gullible', their 'life-time debtors', and so, they showered loans freely on us - from left, right and centre. Before our life-time ended - and the tenure of the loans, too - many of these banks have killed themselves!
A few months back, every financial 'expert' harped on having a sizable amount of our investments in Equities and Real Estate - the two notorious cousins! Now, the markets have tanked; the 'experts' have gone underground!
"The good-old F.D's are back in fashion." ... Today's headlines.
"Life does not come with guarantees and warranty's," we all know it. But, still, we go about our lives either offering them to others or expecting from them. We fool around; we live in a fool's paradise.
Every empire has risen and fallen. Alexander and Ashoka's kingdoms are no more the lands of 'pristine glory'... They are ruins, now. Even the most enduring of the empires - the Egyptian empire - lasted for only three thousand years. You won't call Egypt a great nation, today.
How many young men, today, know who was John D. Rockefeller? They know who Bill Gates is, who Lakshmi Mittal and Ambani Brothers are. Perhaps, they need to be reminded that no empire - be it political, business or spiritual - yes, no empire comes with an 'ever-lasting' tag around it ... All of them come with a 'shelf-life', with the 'mortal' tag around.
'Taj Mahal' may be, according to the History texts, one of the "Seven Wonders' of the world. But, the same History books narrate to us the unbelievably lonely and tragic end of the man who created such a wonder - Emperor Shah Jahan. How his own son brought about this tragedy on his father - this legend is kept alive, even today, by the guides at the Agra Fort.
Never must've Lenin dreamt, even in his wildest imagination, that the USSR - which was once feared to be an 'evil empire' - would collapse so soon, and in such a manner, just like a pack of cards! But, when it did, it brought down, along with it, every statue of Lenin, from every public square.
The Nazi's fell; Hitler killed himself.
Sadam Hussein was smoked out of a hole; he was hanged.
Any body hears about Haji Mastan, today - except when some one plans a movie on this man?
Life is short. No matter who we are, there is only so much each one of us can achieve in our short life span ... Yes, be it Mr. Bala Saheb Thackeray or Mr. Amithab Bachchan. There is only so much we can achieve, before the curtain falls!
"Kal ka suraj kisne dhekha?" Has any one seen the 'tomorrow's sun?
Joe, my buddy, had seen. He used to tell us about it through this peculiar doctor's peculiar prescription:
"Here are three tablets.
Take one now;
one at night, before you go to bed ...
and, the third one you take tomorrow morning.
But, 'only' if you get up!"
GERALD D'CUNHA
Life dossn't come with gurantees
And, naturally, when someone from his own 'tribe' ventured to sell his ice to this Eskimo - my friend, Joe - he would have fun dealing with him.
One day, a smart sales guy from a new company came to sell fans to him. "Sir, we give a life-time warranty," the young man tried to impress upon Joe.
"Is it?" my friend exclaimed his delight.
"Hundred percent right sir," the novice felt he was moving in.
"But, tell me, my friend: whose life-time? ... Mine or Fan's or your Company's?"
Within two years, the Company folded up!
Not long ago, almost all the credit card companies started 'gifting' us 'Life-time-free' credit cards. They thought they could make us, the 'gullible', their 'life-time debtors', and so, they showered loans freely on us - from left, right and centre. Before our life-time ended - and the tenure of the loans, too - many of these banks have killed themselves!
A few months back, every financial 'expert' harped on having a sizable amount of our investments in Equities and Real Estate - the two notorious cousins! Now, the markets have tanked; the 'experts' have gone underground!
"The good-old F.D's are back in fashion." ... Today's headlines.
"Life does not come with guarantees and warranty's," we all know it. But, still, we go about our lives either offering them to others or expecting from them. We fool around; we live in a fool's paradise.
Every empire has risen and fallen. Alexander and Ashoka's kingdoms are no more the lands of 'pristine glory'... They are ruins, now. Even the most enduring of the empires - the Egyptian empire - lasted for only three thousand years. You won't call Egypt a great nation, today.
How many young men, today, know who was John D. Rockefeller? They know who Bill Gates is, who Lakshmi Mittal and Ambani Brothers are. Perhaps, they need to be reminded that no empire - be it political, business or spiritual - yes, no empire comes with an 'ever-lasting' tag around it ... All of them come with a 'shelf-life', with the 'mortal' tag around.
'Taj Mahal' may be, according to the History texts, one of the "Seven Wonders' of the world. But, the same History books narrate to us the unbelievably lonely and tragic end of the man who created such a wonder - Emperor Shah Jahan. How his own son brought about this tragedy on his father - this legend is kept alive, even today, by the guides at the Agra Fort.
Never must've Lenin dreamt, even in his wildest imagination, that the USSR - which was once feared to be an 'evil empire' - would collapse so soon, and in such a manner, just like a pack of cards! But, when it did, it brought down, along with it, every statue of Lenin, from every public square.
The Nazi's fell; Hitler killed himself.
Sadam Hussein was smoked out of a hole; he was hanged.
Any body hears about Haji Mastan, today - except when some one plans a movie on this man?
Life is short. No matter who we are, there is only so much each one of us can achieve in our short life span ... Yes, be it Mr. Bala Saheb Thackeray or Mr. Amithab Bachchan. There is only so much we can achieve, before the curtain falls!
"Kal ka suraj kisne dhekha?" Has any one seen the 'tomorrow's sun?
Joe, my buddy, had seen. He used to tell us about it through this peculiar doctor's peculiar prescription:
"Here are three tablets.
Take one now;
one at night, before you go to bed ...
and, the third one you take tomorrow morning.
But, 'only' if you get up!"
GERALD D'CUNHA
Life dossn't come with gurantees
Comments
Would like to say "Change is rule of nature" Every thing will change with the span of time.
An example which immediately came in mind after reading this is
An Infant has Fresh Eyes
A child has Curious Eyes
A Teenager has Mischievious Eyes or Ambitious Eyes
An adult has Responsbile Eyes
An Old Person has Experienced Eyes
A Dead Man has Calm Eyes
What can be preserved is the spark in ones eyes.
Things fall and rise or I say they fall to rise and after rising they settle. Your articles are lesson of life. I have to learn a lot from you. Thanks a lot.
I liked your feedback; the little poem was very though-provoking.
Life is an open book, you see. For me, this book is 'pageless'!
Do contribute your little experiences; and do read and comment on other contribtoros' articles. Pl check 'Blog Roll' section on The Dawn Club Blog home page.
Love,
GERRY