MODERN man is a walking paradox. He goes to great lengths in trying to preserve himself but, in doing so, undermines his own humanity.
He accumulates, gathering all that he can in a day, a week, months, years and in a lifetime. He forgets that there will be a time for separation.
A parting from his wealth, his titles, his friends and family, and even from his own corporeal body. What folly it is to continue accumulating without taking heed of the grave?
No, we do not intend to be morbid, nor are we fearmongers. We are here to remind each other of the things that matter; of the human bond and spirit, and of the value of deeds in this life and beyond.
We are not able to bring our possessions six feet under. Whether we are agreeable to it or otherwise, we will have to leave all that we have gathered behind us.
God forbid that our family members fight over what we have accumulated throughout our lifetime. We would do well to remember that this world is a stage and we are merely players.
The director is He who has assigned us the role of vicegerent here on Earth. As much as we think we are free, we are very much governed by the laws of physics, by a natural order that we seem to take for granted.
Modern man has forsaken his responsibility towards the environment, and sees flora and fauna as opportunity for profit and to further continue his insatiable need for accumulation.
Shakespeare knew and tried to prompt us, reminding us that the flame of the candle is brief. This life becomes a tremendous burden when overzealous ambition takes hold of us, blinding us from ourselves!
As we have seen it in Macbeth, all the passion that we may feel for anything, including a strong compulsion to occupy the throne, is just a lot of meaningless noise.
We cannot blame ourselves too much for we have been taught to gain, and to collect, and to keep. In itself, the love of this world is not something to be frowned upon.
However, when it starts to take hold of us, and consumes us to our very core, that is when we ought to step back.
Now, this stepping back requires effort, and needs to be done with the help of those around us who have seen things for what they are.
Since this existence takes place in time and space, we are finite creatures and are bounded by the laws of nature, the dictates of physics and everything in between.
We need to be wayfarers, passing by every terrain with the knowledge that this abode is temporary. It is a guesthouse in the long journey towards realising the self.
We are very much a reflection of each other, and it takes tremendous courage to admit our weaknesses, our flaws and the many limitations that we have.
It is, however, a true sign of strength when we do not complain about life's vicissitudes, but embrace it as part of the human experience. We cannot say that resilience is lacking in the world today.
There are many who continue this beautiful struggle without so much as a sigh. They carry on and trudge along with a smile on their faces.
They are the ones who usually realise the emptiness that comes with accumulation and are the biggest of givers even though they themselves do not have much.
These are the people that we need to learn from, and they are around us if we are ready to see with our heart, and not just with our faulty eyes.
If we were told of the exact date of our death, would we be ready? If we knew that perhaps tomorrow is the last day that we have, would we have time to be angry, and have hatred in our hearts?
Or would we be compelled to ask for forgiveness and to forgive those who might have erred us?
The form of accumulation that we tend to forget is one that relates to our emotions. We might be familiar with the term "baggage", and it can no doubt be heavy on our minds and hearts.
We need to learn to let go, and to come to terms with whatever has happened to us, is happening to us, and will happen to us. Such stoicism might seem a bit much, but it will bring us serenity.
To be at peace with the chance, coincidence and chaos that many seem to abhor. There is no chance, there is no coincidence and there is only order to this very existence.
We need to look deeper within ourselves and love each other without any expectations.
The writer is a former research assistant for the Political Futures Experts Group at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
