MY SPIRIT IS IN A HURRY



























“We have two lives and the second begins
when you realize you only have one.”

-          Mario de Andrade, Brazilian poet


There are only two kinds of people in this world: Those who want to be right, and those who want to be peaceful.


To the first kind, Life is never too short… They think, that Life is long enough for them to prove they are right. Proving to be right is central to their existence… Minus that obsession, that sole battle, there is no purpose for their lives. You see many of them waging their battles even from their death-beds… even when they know there is nothing to prove to anyone from a death-bed… even when the entire Life is wasted on a blind pursuit… Yes, they don’t mind taking their I-want-to-prove-‘am-right battle to the graveyard!


To the second kind, Life is too short to be wasted with mindless battles. The desire to live in peace is central to their existence… That is the purpose of their existence. They can see, as clearly as a blue sky, that, in Life, there is nothing to prove to anyone, anything… that, we are here on this God’s land on a short lease. Importantly, we have not ‘earned’ this lease, we have not paid for it… The lease has just been ‘gifted’ – granted - to us, and hence, the obsession to prove we are right is an abuse of this divine privilege. This group would rather choose being peaceful over being right… And, rightly so!


Is Life, really, too short?
Well, is anyone needed to tell, that it is?


To me, the piercing realization in my soul, that Life is too short and I cannot afford to squander and abuse it with a madness called ‘I want to be right’ – yes, it’s the essence of our existence… It’s true spirituality. In fact, it’s the only way we can ever pray to God… Yes, through an attitude of gratitude…


Today morning, Ashok, my friend, had sent to me this amazing poem by Brazilian poet Mario de Andrade (1893-1945)…
MY SOUL HAS A HAT

I counted my years and realized
that I have less time to live by,
than I have lived so far.

I feel like a child who won a pack of candies:
at  first, he ate them with pleasure,
but when he realized that there was little left,
he began to taste them intensely.

I have no time for endless meetings
where the statutes, rules, procedures
and internal regulations are discussed,
knowing that nothing will be done.

I  no longer have the patience to stand absurd people,
who, despite their chronological age,
have not grown up.

My time is too short:
I want the essence; my spirit is in a hurry.
I do not have much candy in the package anymore.

I want to live next to humans, very realistic people
who know how to laugh at their mistakes
and who are not inflated by their own triumphs
and who take responsibility for their actions.
In this way, human dignity is defended
and we live in truth and honesty.
It is the essentials that make life useful.

I want to surround myself with people
who know how to touch the hearts of those
whom hard strokes of life have learned to grow with
sweet touches of the soul.

Yes, I'm in a hurry. I'm in a hurry to live with
the intensity that only maturity can give.

I do not intend to waste any of the remaining desserts.
I am sure they will be exquisite,
much more than those eaten so far.

My goal is to reach the end satisfied and at peace
with my loved ones and my conscience.

We have two lives and the second begins
when you realize you only have one.
__________________________



Let me repeat. There are only two kinds of people in this world: Those who want to be right, and those who want to be peaceful.


GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Usha Prasadh

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