Of life, the only truism that bonds us all as a fallible universe is our understanding that we all shall depart this life some day and there is just no getting around it, which serves as the inspiration of my dissertation today.
Two years back, in March of 2012, I received the most dreaded phone call anyone can receive from my doctor, advising me, my prostate cancer tests were positive. I was also told that the cancer was in a rather advanced stage, thus a great risk that it could be terminal. Matter of fact, the tumor had metastasized to parts of my bladder. By the graces of God and a miracle-surgeon named Sanjai Razdan, I underwent a uniquely successful robotic prostatectomy, the scientific name of my operation, and today, almost two years after-the-fact, the cancer appears to be gone for good. Praise the Lord and the good doctor. Other than my prostate cancer, about eight years back, I was also diagnosed with Type II diabetes - a condition that has worsened over the years due my serious overweight- the latter labeled as "morbid" in my medical sheet.
So, ask you may, what is the point I am trying to make by making reference to both of these medical conditions? And, the answer is more undemanding than first meets the eye. The reason I make reference to these ailments is they are both life-threatening events and, as such, managed to turn my life around completely - both physically and spiritually.
The moral to my story today deals with some simple aphorisms we all should pay close attention to. For anyone who knows me, the story of my life can best be characterized in two words: "good times" - shortsightedly defined in my case as, " a life of excesses" - a life where there was no end to the partying and the good times; a sinful life, if you will, with reversed rewards that dealt more with the meaningless and the futile, more so, than the meaningful and the prolific.
All throughout my youth, I listened to my elders tell me how short life was and, just as soon, I would dismiss their advise as useless, biased, and blamed their presumptuous pessimism, or so I thought at the time, merely as a condition of old-age - a savage misperception, regretfully discovered in hindsight. I would always chastise my mentors mistakenly thinking that we, the younger generation, knew better of course as they, the elderly, were passé, out-of-touch with reality, oblivious to our [the youth's] gifted foresight of life. In lieu of this misbegotten perception, I summarily continued to disregard their counseling as purely inconsequential. After all, you see, it was ingrained in our DNA, that we, the young, knew better. Little did I know. Little did I realize that sooner than later I would become one of them [the elder] - de-facto, a controversy to the perception.
Mortality: I thought life was a forever event--an eternal happening where there would always be a tomorrow
Just in case you may have inadvertently missed it, the point I am trying to make here, if you will, deals with our 'mortality'. I don't know about you, but as far as I am concerned, it was not until I was diagnosed with a life-threatening ailment, that I thought I was immortal. And I mean that. All along, I thought life was a forever event--an eternal happening where there would always be a tomorrow, and, mind you, I was not referring to the eternal life preached to us by the scriptures of my Catholic faith. My feelings of everlastingness were all earthly. In fact, I realized, through my illnesses, that this notion of infiniteness had, indeed, governed most of what I had been in my life, as I think it does for most of us - the breeding grounds for our vainness and our selfishness. In fact, it is only when I found myself staring at my mortality that I realized how our distorted sense of endlessness can serve only to perpetuate our misdeeds, our frailties, and, for many of us, lead us into some irreversible paths of wrongfulness.
My point is simple and straightforward. In my case, for instance, I say it should not have taken any radical events such as was a critical medical situation to realize my finiteness, as well it should not for any of us. It would serve us all well to realize that, in fact, we are really here for a very, very short stay. And, notwithstanding our God-given right to enjoy life and our righteous wish for longevity, it is just as important to realize, understand, and accept, as early as we possibly can, that there are, in fact, more meaningful and fruitful labors of love than merely good times and riches.
Looking at it exclusively from a philosophical perspective, our stay in this life can be shorter than a summer breeze; swifter than the aroma of a flower; nearer in span to a breath of air; and more expedient than time itself. Historically, there has always existed an impending yearning of men to understand the majestic nature of life relative to the briefness of our stay - albeit the existence of religion(s). Equally, there is an imminent marveling in me of the mysticism that involves our enigmatic coinciding with all those, close to us, with whom we have shared this dimension, to wit, our family, parents, spouses, children, friends, relatives and all with whom we have innocently interacted during our brief passing through life. The magnanimity of this realization, should, deservingly so, act as an awe-inspiring consideration to offer all of them, including our foes, the best of us, regardless.
As I enter into the sunset years of my life, I truly believe that our love and affection for one another or lack of it thereof, are fundamentally a true measure on the richness of our lives. Our care for one another should be the true guiding light in all we do as soon we shall not see each other ever again. It is crucial for all of us to understand that the time we are here together, should be one of caring, sharing, cherishing and forgiving one another as though every day was the day of the parting of the ways. Our fears of death, should only be presided by the fear of disregarding all with whom we have mystically coincided in this stay.
The moral to my story today is, regretfully, at times, we all tend to become vain and selfish in our lives. Our priorities, more often than not, are metaphorically distorted by a metallic world where amassing worldly fortunes and seeking self-gratification are forefront motivations to most everything we do, all the while as we bask in false perpetuities of misdeeds. I say, do not be hesitant to offer the best of you unto others before it is too late. Do not wait for the day of reckoning, for sickness, disease and mortality to open your heart to finding new ways about your life and your happiness. Do not wait to tell your husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, friends, how much you love and care for them. Do it now while there is still time. Try to give more than what you take; love more than hate; care more than you despise; praise more than you demean; forgive more than you lay blame on, and if you do, there will be no reason to fear your departure, but instead, a reason to be joyful and grateful for the time cherished with all of them during your brief stay here. God bless you all!
