Perils of Zero
In academics, getting zero in a subject/class is most dreaded and is shunned by all of us. In terms pf prosperity, however, getting to suffix zero to our wealth, whatever it be, includes all successful industrialists/entrepreneurs in India and globally too, is never short on demand and is always looked up to, in all seasons, with lot of optimism and fanfare.
Zero has one more role.......Anything multiplied by zero* is zero. It's like you are struck by lightening or tsunami. Just recollect Covid times, and one still shivers in total disbelief to what happened to human lives all across the globe, So if you have all that a human being may dream and aspire, and all of a sudden, you touch a live wire, 'zero', all that you have becomes meaningless, and is no good, even if a part of it or whole of it materially may still exist.
But what is zero* ? In the dream picturesque life we envision, strive and love to live,….........
- Loss of near and dear is zero
- Life threatening sickness is zero (think of Covid times)
- An unexpected physical handicap is zero
- Serious injury is zero
- A severe accident is zero
- Imprisonment is zero
- Loss of wealth is zero
- Loss of position and prestige is zero
- Loneliness is zero
- Poverty is zero
- Bad spouse is……irretrievably ZERO
* zero here means zero or nearly zero
So when your life is in crescendo and all look pink and rosy, beware that 'zero' may be lurking around, and if it touches your life, all that you have, while you may continue to have that physically and materially, the value of life becomes zero.
Look at the celebrities who lost their lives prematurely in an accident or due to sudden sickness, look at the people once in power, and who never thought that their actions will be challenged any time ever (bureaucrats, politicians, senior bankers, to name the few categories) and who are either out of power, or are presently cooling their heels behind bars, and one can-not comprehend how could have this happened to such people. And, we do not know whose turn it could be next to touch that tragic 'zero'. The world keeps evolving.
The question now is, "How to stay away from such 'zero', and how to guard against such 'zero' contracting your life?"
The life is too complicated and no one can ever predict, even remotely, how to insulate yourself from contracting such 'zero', but one may consider age old wisdom passed through our scriptures..........
"Be compassionate always, Be thankful always. Be grateful for abundance in your life. Don’t harm anyone. Don’t think of harming anyone. Stay away from wrong doings, as if you are under God's surveillance 24/7. Don't be revengeful. Accept all that you have, and your accomplishments as HIS grace, and give lavishly, as far as possible."
The tragedy of life is that , it doesn't spare even good people. For the righteous, to get trapped in the web of zero, is unexplainable, and we do not know why such sacred souls also have to undergo tragic times. It is said that when the life’s storms rock your boat, and future looks bleak and insecure, and 'zero' zeroing on to your life, you need to pull up your life jacket of Faith and Trust in HIS designs. With perseverance, either let bad times pass through or fight it out, if feasible, and keep yourself afloat as if there is still a significant role destiny has in store for you. As long as you are there, with or without a handicap, your world can be reconstructed with divine grace.
The human body, it is said, has a mechanism of self-healing. And so is this world too. It has survived nature's calamity over the centuries. It has survived World war I, World war II and COVID times too.
With wings of TRUST and FAITH , HUMAN BEINGS are equipped to salvage all that is lost. Resurgence of life post-COVID times is the latest example of resilience of human beings, and divine grace in resetting some kind of semblance in the world.
Stay in the game, Stay positive. Keep doing whatever best can be done in any given circumstances, and let Divine chart out our tomorrows.