Imagine life as a roller coaster engineered by a madman. The
structure is sky-high, the twists and turns are as numerous as the sands in the
desert, and every drop feels like free-falling from Mt. Everest. It is totally
out-of this-world that only similarly insane people would want to take a chance
on this monstrosity.
In an act of goodwill, the owner of the rollercoaster is giving away unlimited boxes of delicious pies as freebies for those who take
the trip. Pineapple pie, apple pie, meat pie – all types of mouth-watering pies
from the best bakeries in the whole universe. Only thing is, the boxes of pies are hanging
in bubble wraps at the most precarious parts of the ride.
No one is forced to buy a ticket; you can just join the
crowd watching from the sidelines. “Why risk it all for a humble pie.” they
say. “Let’s just stay here and laugh at all those people throwing up.”
You might agree with them. But, what if those pies in the
sky represent your dreams, your aspirations, and all you ever want in your
life? Would you not still take the risk?
Your heart, despite wanting to faint at the mere sight of
the rollercoaster, is softly saying YES.
So, despite your fear of heights, you summon the courage to
buy a ticket, walk to the rollercoaster (which looks like it’s going to swallow
you whole) and strap on the seatbelts. You receive a Dora-patented bag to store
your haul.
Before you can compose yourself, you are jerked up and
thrown wildly in all directions. It is very bouncy and fast and you are
suddenly gasping for air. Just when you are beginning to enjoy it, you enter
another round of dizzying heights and crazier loops.
Suddenly, you are facing the sky and inches away from you is
a pie. But, something pulls you back and you are again veering out of control. You
want to scream except that you are nauseous. And then, another pie is in your
line of vision. You grab it excitedly but got disappointed when you saw it is
not one of your favorite pies. Your frustration grows as you encounter many of
these pseudo-pies. It does not help that some of those in the crowd are
laughing and jeering whenever you pick wrongly. They even have the gall to
bring a loudspeaker to tell you “We told you so!”
Your body is now taut from exhaustion and you just want to
give up. But you keep on reaching for those pies in the sky anyways. Until,
holy pie! you manage to grab a box of your favorite pie. And then another, and
then another. This time, the crowd is now cheering you on. Amazingly, some of
them, inspired by you, are even lining up to buy rollercoaster tickets.
The end of the story? You leave the rollercoaster very
grateful and ecstatic that you took the risk. And at the exit, you surrender
your bulging bag of pies to the smiling engineer.
Because, of course, when we die, we cannot take our Earthly achievements
to the next life. The rollercoaster is a symbol for our daring to be fully
alive rather than to just simply be contented to live a mundane existence. When
the time’s up, the crowd in the sideline will regret that they did not have the
courage to buy tickets to that rollercoaster.
*** *** ***
At the start of every journey, it can be tough to be
different and to do something different when you don’t know how things will
turn out five or ten years down to road.
You’ll be dealing with discouragement and negativity. There
will be that voice inside your head telling you it might not be worth it and you’ll
be better off following the crowd.
You’ll have to learn to prioritize and have the will to say
NO to things which do not bring you closer to your dreams. No to things that do not really matter to you.
You’ll be lost. You’ll be tired. You’ll be disconcerted.
You’ll be called insane or serious or whatever tags they give to people who
dream of making a difference. Or maybe, you’ll just be plainly ignored.
And yet, don’t let that stop you from taking risks,
exploring new things, and doing what you know in your heart is the right thing
to do. Many great people have first been called foolish before their genius and
wisdom changed the world. They followed their hearts and stayed on the
rollercoaster of life despite the discomfort, because the thrill of following
your dreams is just as exciting as the achievement of getting those pies on the
sky itself.
That rollercoaster ticket is our key to a meaningful and
fulfilled life, with each twist and turn and drop a reminder that we are fully,
completely alive.
“The future belongs to
those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Labels: Musings and Opinions
