“Life is about using the whole box of crayons”
– This quote defines how to live the most precious possession of any living
being1, i.e., life. In a
box of crayons, you will find both, your favorite color(s) and also color(s)
which you dislike. But to convert a drawing into a picture-perfect painting,
you need to strike a balance in the choice of colors to be used for the
painting. In doing so, you might definitely end up with using any color which
you dislike. The same way, life is all about striking a balance; Where to
strike the balance is purely dependent on your intuition. Let us now examine a
true incident happened in our very own nation to introduce the topic.
A cut from the past:
In India, during
the period of late 1970s, when Janata party came to power defeating the Indian
National Congress in the general elections, there was an interesting tale
involving the then Minister of External Affairs, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
When he had entered his chamber to take charge of his office, he observed that
a portrait of an eminent personality was missing on the walls of the room (he
used to visit the same chamber earlier). He immediately ordered his secretary
to reinstate the portrait of that eminent personality. That eminent personality
was the first Prime Minister of Independent India, Chacha2
Jawaharlal Nehru (belonging to Congress). Vajpayee had every reason not
to restore the portrait of Nehru, for he was his political rival and her
daughter Ms. Indira Gandhi’s Govt. had imprisoned Vajpayee. Yet Vajpayee was
keen on reinstating the removed portrait of Jawaharlal Nehru, only for two
reasons – One, he had a great respect to Nehru as a person which was evident in
his speech in Parliament after Nehru’s death and two, he probably would have
wanted the portrait to inspire him for striking a balance in his official work and
life like that of Nehru, who was known for striking a great balance between his
official work and personal life. This one incident from the recent past brings
us to the topic of dealing with the term ‘balance’ between work and life.
Why balance is needed between your work and your personal life?
The
‘work’ relates to your career aspirations while the ‘personal life’ relates to
your daily-go lifestyle. There is an adage, “Life is indeed beautiful. It’s times when we sink into our hectic and
stressful lifestyles that we are blinded and fail to see what we have”.
Maintaining balance in one’s life leads to, as preached in Buddhism, following
the path of ‘Ashtangika marga’ in
removing the quotient of ‘grief’ in one’s life - in simple words, ‘be balanced,
and be joyful’.
How to?
There are
innumerous ways to achieve this balance. Usually, books preach several
desiccated methods. But the most ‘practical’ way is to take a cue of the past
or do whatever you like to be at peace, as the noted American author Steve
Berry once said, “Follow your heart”.
Mythologies prove
that the kings used to unwind themselves from the ruling anxieties by
participating in various cultural events of the period. This tradition has been
carried from generations to the present day – we witness various cultural
events all over the nation in the form of musical concerts, plays, theatre,
art, etc… - this becomes one of the channels for providing entertainment to the
audience and in doing so, providing the much-need quotient of ‘relief’ in one’s
life in the modern world of LPG (Liberalisation,
Privatisation and Globalisation).
As family is the
primary institution of a society, devoting time to one’s family is equally
crucial as much (preferably, more) as that of the time one spares on one’s
career. The ways can be many (dinners, adventures, outings, holidaying, etc…),
but the onus lies on taking the time out from your work to your family. And not
to forget that, all in this world are not privileged enough to have a family of
their own. For those, the mantra to achieve balance is simple – indulge in an
activity that keeps you at peace, here, the onus lies on identifying that
activity.
Conclusion:
“Apnee
haalat ka bee ehsaas nahi hai mujhko, meine auron se suna hai ki pareshaan hoon
mein...” – meaning which, you do not know your state and it is only after
listening from others that you are in a worried state, you came to know you are
worried. An individual’s focus in leading a happy life should lie not to
be in such state and avoid becoming a victim of the dire situations. The crux
of the story boils down to identifying the methods to strike a balance in one’s
life, which is imperative to lead a happy life and make one’s life beautiful3.
P.S.:
1. This write-up discusses only on the life of ‘human beings’.
2.‘Chacha’ should not be read as a ‘title’ to
Jawaharlal Nehru because he is referred to as ‘Chacha’ by the children
of the nation only out of affection. [Article 18 of Indian Constitution abolishes
conferring titles on any citizen of India].
3. Do not look on the other side of ‘beautiful’ because exceptions
always exist.
