Many of us would have watched the incredibly wonderful movie ‘The Bucket List’ starring Morgan Freemen and Jack Nicholson. The lyrics of the song It is better to say too much / Than never to say what you need to say again remain fresh in our minds. I’m sure at least half of us who watched the movie would have felt compelled at some point of time to prepare a Bucket List ourselves. For the uninitiated, the Bucket List derives its name from the phrase ‘to kick the bucket’ or to die. So, a Bucket List is essentially the list of things that one would like to do before kicking the bucket. When I tried to draw up my own Bucket List, I was not really surprised that I wanted to set right a lot of wrongs committed, advertently or inadvertently. Some wrongs could be set right, however late in life, whereas we can only make amends for certain others. Does the true realization of Death make us better human beings? It would appear so from my limited experience. I have personally come across instances of people stricken by major illnesses, or faced with a major tragedy or near-death experiences, learning to appreciate their lives and those of others around them better. They learn to ignore the miseries of life and prefer to savor the small joys in their everyday life. They have learnt to live in the present and celebrate life by accepting it as it comes. What a lifetime of religion has not taught them is achieved by the extreme pain and suffering endured for a short time.
Death is inevitable; so wisdom suggests that we live our lives to the fullest today. There is profound truth in the lines ‘I came not of my pleasure, I go not at my leisure’
‘One can deny the existence of God but
one cannot deny the existence of Death;
Life is that which must go and
Death is that which must come’
It is true these words are known to us all, but we never stop for a moment to try to decipher the profound meaning of the words. Thanks to a wonderful friend, who has personally been through such a life-changing experience and come out through it shining bright and strong-YOU HAVE MADE ME REALIZE THE TRUE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE WORDS. My prayers are always with you.
