Gerald D'Cunha

“Count your age by friends, not years; Count your life by smiles, not tears.” -      John Lennon -        S ome of my heroes did not live long… Jesus Christ, Swami Vivekananda, Martin Luther King Jr., Terry Fox to name a few. But, I did not say, that did not live a meaningful, purposeful and impactful life. Even Mahatma Gandhi, Gautama Buddha, Mother Teresa did not live for a hundred years. But, did they not live a meaningful, purposeful and impactful life? A long life can never be the barometer of a good life. Yes, if a long life comes my way, welcome. But, a meaningful, purposeful and impactful life doesn’t come my way unless I create it around me… M any young kids, these days, rave about a book by the title ‘IKIGAI- The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life’. I said ‘many young kids’, because, I was introduced to this book by my own young son. Post that, I heard...

“Each reaction we have is there to inspect us and reveal our own nature to ourselves and for ourselves; it is never about others.”  ―  Bryant McGill , R ight now, as I type these words, a bird is chirping. There as a small garden just outside my office… She is sitting somewhere on the branch of one of the trees in this garden… She must be a small bird… For, I cannot spot her despite my efforts to do it… But, her chirping – call it her communication, voice or song whatever – yes, I can distinctly hear… What is that this little bird wants to tell the world? Who cares, anyway! It is a different scenario early in the mornings while I do my rounds of walk… It is pitch-dark and there is absolute silence… In this silence, I can listen to my heartbeats… I can hear and feel each breath I take as I walk… Suddenly, the birds wake up from their sleep… and they all start chirping together incessantly, endlessly… My attention goes to their s...