END OF A LIFE

Today was an unusual day. It saw the death of two middle-aged celebrities, a man and a woman. The man who died had become very famous at a very young age. His life had started out with great promises. People were in awe at the extent of his talent in music and dancing. However, some events in his life were not the result of right choices. As an outcome of those incorrect choices, his personal life slowly proceeded towards ruin. Most people never questioned his contribution towards his profession, over his entire life-span. But one has to be more than just a good performer to be revered as a human being. People saw a huge disconnect in how he conducted himself in his personal life and even more so in how he was treating his body. At the end of the day, people respect a person not only for his work but also for who he is.
For the first time in my life I thought of death in a different way. It almost seemed that death had finally undone his ruin. This could actually be a fresh new beginning for the energetic and talented soul, one that never dies. This life should be a lesson for everyone how not to squander what is given to you, to respect and realize its worth. By fretting and trying to change things that come to us, naturally, we only make things worse.
Why are we trying to make "God" out of ourselves? We can only be one with God but we cannot be God. Unless we forget ourselves and surrender we cannot unite with the all powerful. As long as we are trying hard to keep our identity separate, separate we are and so small. This is not to underestimate our we potential. However, keeping ourselves separate acts as an unsurmountable barrier to utilize that potential. Several questions come to mind. "Who ultimately harnesses our potential ? Who is the one that controls the life residing in our body?" It remains a mystery how death actually feels like. Is it peaceful or painful ? Is there a final relief when the soul is freed of the limitations of the body?
" Vayura neelam amritam thenam,
Basmantam shariram,
om kratosmara, kritamsmara
kratosmara, kritamsmara, om"
(When the body elements get back to the earth, air, water and ether,
the soul remembers what it should have done and what it did)