I recently came across an article about the life of a
traveler. It was written by a person,
who had travelled the whole country. He practiced
law for fifteen years, and then moved on to become a full time traveler and
explorer. Here was a man who had dared
to follow his heart. His article managed
to leave a mark on my mind.
When we are children, we have infinite number of dreams. We dream of traveling to space, becoming
painters or sculptors, etc; As years move on, we reduce the amount of time we
spend dreaming, for obvious reasons. We have exams to clear, colleges to apply
to, companies to work for, houses and cars to buy. It’s not a certain age group that is
affected. Students, working professionals, house wives, old people, everyone
seems to be going through the same situation.
We no longer have time to think of our passion. We are not even aware of what it is that
would make our heart happy. I remember
speaking to a friend recently. This person has been a football enthusiast
throughout his life. During the course of the conversation, I asked him about
his interest in football. To my shock,
he told me it has been long since he played or watched a match being
played. He said he didn’t have time for
it anymore, and it didn’t interest him anymore. He said he didn’t really have
many interests now. He never took time to think about what his hobbies were. This is just one example I’m quoting. There are many such people I’ve encountered
over the months. I too have been through such phases in my life.
Life has become very fast paced today. Mornings usually start by checking the ‘Smart
Phone’, to check our’ WhatsApp’ pings or social media notifications. Most of us don’t hear the sound of birds celebrating
the onset of a new day. In some places,
birds no longer chirp in the mornings. In
other places, there are no birds. People hurry to schools, colleges or offices.
No one really remembers what they ate
for breakfast. Many people don’t have time for breakfast. Life is being lived
mechanically. In a disinterested way. We are becoming similar to robots. We have our ear phones plugged in most of the
time while travelling, but no one is really aware of which song is being played. We listen just for the sake of it.
As I reflect on this, I realize how important it is to take
some time out to at least know what our interests are. We might not have a lot of time, but it’s our
duty to ourselves to find out what we enjoy doing. It is not practically possible to leave our
current job or study, but a few minutes of contemplation would definitely
help. Once we are aware of what our passions are, we should try and spend some time in pursuing them. We should
follow our heart, for a few moments, if not for a long time. The voice of the heart is a tiny voice within
us. It is a knowing of the truth. Of our
truth. The heart never screams like the ego. It is gentle, yet firm.
It wouldn’t be a good idea to reach the grave with regrets
that we never tried to follow our heart.
Those regrets would weigh heavily on us.
So before it’s too late, let’s try to make small changes in our lives,
and bring in some time for what we truly love doing.
As I conclude, let me share a beautiful quote I read:
“You know all those
things you’ve always wanted to do? Go, do them now!” – By Unknown
