Sunday, April 25, 2010

This is the question shot at me by a friend after going through my ‘blog’ “How I Want to Die?”

No further elaboration followed as to what triggered him to pop this question. But, I guess it could be inability to get up after having a fall in the bath room. This is exactly the idea I borrowed from a Bengali version of Deutsche Welle (German Wave) some four decades back. It says, in Germany – it may now include many other countries – majority of seniors die due to fall in the bath room, as, most of them live alone. Should I leave it to your imagination how the poor old man breathes his last, lying in that precarious condition and for how long? A plethora of reactions may rise in one’s mind depending on the basic personality background, and again, may be on the prevailing mood: a sense of utter disgust, get shell-shocked, seized with self-condemnation, aghast with meaninglessness of life, and could there be any end to more relevant feelings. No use of pondering on it further. It is life, and we should be ready to accept it, as it is. That is what I did when I heard the news then and I still hold to that view even now. But, that does in no way mean feeling lonely, or anticipating loneliness.

I won’t like to sound pedantic holding to some rigid notion. I am open to multiplicity of ideas. Still it could probably mean a sense of rejection and loss of self-worth. Rest of the ramifications is built around it. There are many real cases of sufferers of loneliness around us. They feel miserable and dejected. This predicament needs to be totally eradicated. There may seem to be many factors responsible for it – both external and internal. External factors may not be in one’s control but it is desirable to have one’s internal control. Gaining control over oneself it becomes easy to blow away the blues of loneliness.

Come out of the self-created shell and join the world in a myriad ways open to you. Hang around with your buddies in the park or elsewhere. Use your telephone to get lively talking to your friends; get hooked to net working sites to feel the pinch of time you have at your command – you won’t get time to get bored at all. Join some group – any group, social or religious -- and give yourself away in helping others. There are so many ways to get involved and feel the pleasure of making difference in the surroundings you are in. Pick up a hobby, become an active member of an NGO – there are so many – endless possibilities await you to be embraced. Be creative and explore further.

Our past philosopher President Dr. Sarvapalli Rdhakrishnan rightly said,” the universe is the reflection of your mind”. I think, like beauty, loneliness also – or any other feelings – lies in the eyes of the beholder. The good news is that, it can be cultivated. Start doing right now.