Song of your life

How many of you ever felt that your efforts are not yielding bounties and going futile? Have you ever decided to give up? Have you ever felt that you should stop here? Have you ever felt that – this is the end? And what brought you back? – a friend, family, your own parents, an inspirational song, movie? Counseling? For some may be alcohol? But what is the most important factor that brought you fact? Whenever you were in such melancholy – there is an inner voice, call it your alter, subconscious, or soul, or heart – it voices out and brings you back- that’s the song of everyone’s life. Dear Toastmasters and Guests – how many of you have song of your own life? When a woman in a certain African tribe knows she is pregnant, she dwells into the wilderness with a few friends and together they pray and meditate until they hear the song of the child. They recognize that every soul has its own vibration that expresses its unique flavor and purpose. When the women attune to the song, they sing it out loud. Then they return to the tribe and teach it to everyone else. When the child is born, the community gathers and sings the child's song to him or her. Later, when the child enters education, the village gathers and chants the child's song. When the child passes through the initiation to adulthood, the people again come together and sing. At the time of marriage, the person hears his or her song. Finally, when the soul is about to pass from this world, the family and friends gather at the person's bed, just as they did at their birth, and they sing the person to the next life. If at any time during his or her life, the person commits a crime or aberrant social act, the individual is called to the center of the village and the people in the community form a circle around them. Then they sing their song to them. The tribe recognizes that the correction for antisocial behavior is not punishment; it is love and the remembrance of identity. When you recognize your own song, you have no desire or need to do anything that would hurt another. How many of you have song of your own life? Long back, when a child around 3 years old, like most of the Indian parents even that child’s family approached an astrologer to check child’s future prospects. And three astrologers said that child is going to be eternally illiterate and a billionaire. Now, we would have accepted that offer- right. But those parents were petrified and family members were appalled. All they did was teaching that child a song of life. And that child followed its own heart and whenever the cloud of pain and sadness loomed, the tears came till the eyelashes and it’s lonely heart got scared – child sang its song that had only 5 words – never never never give up. The child grew up and completed PUC with gold medal and a rank, graduation with gold medal and a rank and another graduation with gold medal and rank. Did that child become billionaire? The answer of that is hidden in the future. Well, that child is none other than the person who is standing in front of you. Well, by now I understand that – may be by learning how to read and write and becoming literate might have been a factor of hindrance on the way of someone becoming a billionaire, it might have waived off. But, nevertheless an eternal hope and confidence has been inscribed into her mind. It was a recent trek we were climbing one of the magnificent mountain in the green lush Kerala. Beauty at its best. Scenic splendor of tranquil land embellished with green- unwinding miles of fine golden sands with the boundless blue of the Arabian Sea. A land, that is mesmerizing with beautiful landscape, fascinating customs, high-intensity cultural life, placid lakes, green shades of palm trees, and an educated public so often dressed in white has highlighted its name on the circuit of many tourists in various parts of the world. And we were venturing out a forbidden trek. So, the forest rules said only till the lake one can trek not beyond that. However, two years before I trekked to the peak. So, we had to escape the eyes of guards there and venture out from the other side that was steep, strenuous and tough. And we were halfway through, one of our trek mate says – you know because of the naxal attacks they have stopped this. And I looked at myself, was wearing a red t-shirt; read jacket and red bag. I was very sure, if anyone saw us, then they would no ways let us go free. And finally we noticed the guards following us. But the issue was – you know how efficient, strong, fit our guards are. For our speed they couldn’t reach us and they in between somewhere settled down waiting for us to get down. While getting down it started pouring and the visibility went very low- I couldn’t see the person standing ten feet away from me. Blowing wind, thunder and breeze, and heavy droplets of rain, I was the last one to walk down. Suddenly somewhere in between while helping a friend I got stuck they moved ahead. They didn’t notice I was stuck and in that heavy rain- my scream was forest cry. I leg was stuck in between two rocks and I didn’t know how to get down. And I was all drenched and I remembered that guy in 127 hours. For half hour I was stuck and my friends moved forward. It was getting darker and finally I decided to tell myself – never never never give up. And pushed myself down with the strongest force I have had and I rolled down to almost life 20 ft down…..luckily my red jacket saved me of the bruises. And I am here today with you all. At times, you cannot wait someone else to sing that song for you, but you have to sign your own life song to encourage your own inner voice. You are the one who knows your song and the one who can sing it for yourself, whenever you forget it . There may not be anyone, you might be a solitary repeat in the field of your own life, and so, you have to remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused. You may not have grown up in an African tribe that sings your song to you at crucial life transitions, but life is always reminding you when you are in tune with yourself and when you are not. When you feel good, what you are doing matches your song, and when you feel awful, it doesn't. In the end, we shall all recognize our song and sing it well. You may feel a little warble at the moment, but so have all the great singers. Just keep singing and you'll find your way home. Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. So are you going to sing the song of your life?