Reflections from the Journey's End

"I have walked a stair of swords, / I have worn a coat of scars. / I have vowed with hollow words, / I have lied my way to the stars."
~ Catherine Fisher, Source: Songs of Sapphic

With every breath we take, we take a step towards death. Finally, after what seemed an interminable number of breaths, we draw the final breath. In that moment of life's cessation, instant of extinction of existence, the moment before the last breath, innumerable thoughts flood the fading consciousness: Thoughts, a lifetime of living could not have brought forth; contemplations, no wisdom ever dreamt.

Countless assessments, introspections, reflections, all cloud the mind, speedier than the speed of light, seeking response. It seems as though the only journey left, is the journey within, inward, into the recesses of the mind. A lonely star simmering in the depths of the universe, this dying embers of life, embarks on a quest of life lived.

It is lonely, for no other soul joins in the journey beyond; nor in the search of the conscience before this journey ends and another, in to the abyss of the unknown, commence.

Soon it will be time to burn or bury the carcass that had carried all the burdens of belief, of trust, of mistrust, of living; and the time has come, for some to begin, for sometime at least, the charade of wailing; and for others to commence to forget. This is life, the never-ending cycle.

Where have all the brothers and sisters, mother and father, friends and foes, acquaintances and adversaries; gone before, gone? Where am I, headed to? What will I see? Will I see whom I know? What will it be like? Questions, queries, and inquiries; from a fading mind, to the receding awareness: all to no avail, to no purpose.

Yet, the mind refuses to break off; for it knows, not all those who wander are lost; not all who step in the river of life step in the same river twice, for it is not the same river, nor the same life. It is good to have an end to this journey; but it is the journey and not the end, that had mattered in the end.

In our passage through planet earth, we travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other journeys, other destinations. No one else can travel that road for us. Journey we must, on our own.

Perhaps we have been on it before, and will be on it again; but walk we must the lonely path, without the fear of becoming lost, always in search of something new.

Learn

However, the beautiful journey of the present can only begin when we learn to let go of the past; and realise that the most important reason for going from one voyage to another is, to see what is in it, what is in between; to seek and experience the experience. Learn from it and carry the force of learning, into the next journey. Take great pleasure in doing so: justly, honourably, and nobly, for there is no other path to deliverance, redemption, or nirvana, other than these.

We have all heard that no two lives are alike.

Thus, take each life with perfection for the maximum efficiency and effectiveness for its journey. At times, the universal force of being, gives us a shared destination. Nevertheless, necessarily, and definitely; each of us must take a different path.

For that is the law of the universe. Along this gravity driven journey, some of us collide and damage each other; some collide and join-together; and some, influenced by the cosmic winds of love, hate, and greed; journey on.

There are so many transitions and changes that take place along the many paths of life's journey, that no matter what the change, life always finds itself on a journey.

All that is gold, does not glitter; and all that glitters, is not gold. Likewise, by the show of perfection of a moment, knowing the fleeting nature of it, we should not judge people by their peak of excellence; for that too by nature, is a passing moment. Hence determine them by the distance they have travelled from the point where they started; and judge by the mode of their accomplishments. Further, if you wish to truly know; take them, put them on a journey, give them peril, and find out who and what they really are.

If in spite of the hazards, they find joy in the journey; if they do not care so much about the destination and simply enjoy the journey; if they show ability to reach out, take someone's hand, and at other times, allow another to take theirs; they possess what nature intended man to be. Even if another's life may begin at different times and places, when their paths cross, if they have the aptitude to show and share love, compassion, observations, and hope; then they possess the quality of character that life's journey requires; and that sets them apart in the designs of the universe. At the journey's end, that is all that matters and nothing else. In such people, repose trust; in them is located, hope.

Destination

Ultimately, all of us, all of life, the entire universe is headed in the same direction. We are being driven by, a universal force to the same destination: the beginning. We may all be individuals taking different journeys, but along our journey, we sometimes cross paths, and become affected, or altered by the encounter. At times, in the course of countless journeys, we take different physical forms.

Think of what understanding this great orchestration could mean for relationships. Imagine interacting with others, knowing that they too each share this parallel experience. Like us, they too are, headed to the same place. No matter what or how they may appear to be to us, they have taken the path and form, determined by life for their journey.

How strong our relationships would be if we could see and respect the only truth: that we are all perfectly imperfect for our journey; a journey that is an odyssey in search of meaning of life, through life.

There is great meaning in life for those who are willing to journey; and it is the deviation of man from the state in which he was intended to be by nature, that seems to have proved to him a prolific source of diseases.

I believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but the journey is the reward. However, to be preoccupied with the journey is to forget the journey. If you are facing in the right direction of your journey, all you need to do is keep on walking; but try not to go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

Nevertheless, remember that no amount of travel on the wrong road will bring you to the right destination. Life, after all, is an experiment, the more experiments one makes the better. Imagination is the faculty of the life, and experiment with imagination. Man is born to live, not to philosophise about living. The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination. As one nears the journey's end; the realisation dawns that the end is a goal, not a catastrophe.

See you this day next week. Until then, keep thinking; keep laughing. Life is mostly about these two activities.

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