When our children were small (5 & 3) it was easy to tell them a fairy tale that kept their imagination running, and they loved the climax because it always ended with “and they lived happily ever after” . As all children they loved fairy tales, but very soon they grew older and understood that fairy tales are only tales and are far from reality. Actually it did not dawn on my mind that my own children have grown up till one day they told me that the program I wanted them to watch on TV was for infants and kids who still believe in fairy tales. Huh, so I asked them don’t you believe in fairy tales anymore? And they both gave me a weird look and said “Dad you’re crazy” (I always wondered if I was crazy, this was just a confirmation).
That was an “AH-HA” moment in my life. They grew up to understand that life is not all rosy and it does not always end pleasantly. However, as I look into my own life and the lives of several others, I often am tempted to think may be somewhere deep down in our hearts we still crave and wish that our life was a Disney life, a life full of fun, friends, and happy things to do & enjoy. In the words of Jean – Paul Sartre “People want to believe that life is either impossible or easy but not that a good life is both difficult and possible”. The reality is that life is difficult (not designed to be easy) yet possible.
“People want to believe that life is either impossible or easy but not that a good life is both difficult and possible”- Jean – Paul Sartre
For most part of my life I thought I was a realist, who is neither carried away by the dreams of optimism nor is depressed with the fate of pessimism. But in the recent times I realized may be I was not as real as I should be, maybe I was blinded to the realities of life by the many successes I had or the happiness I enjoyed during the last few years. I believe God has an amazing way of bringing us closer to the reality of life. Sometimes unconsciously we fall into this trap where we expect one happy event to follow with another happier event/experience.
Did you ever see a silver lining without dark clouds in the sky?
We raise our bar of expectations and feel that we actually deserve much more than what we are getting. And to add to this the media and the world outside keeps bombarding us with false messages of a happy life. Let’s face it: life is difficult. This is one of the important lessons I have learnt in life or maybe I am still learning in life. I would really love to believe that life is all sunshine, rosy and happy, but I am constantly surrounded by evidences and realities that remind me otherwise.
While there are some who live their life looking for the silver lining all the time, there are others who are gloomed by the reality of the dark clouds. By the way a quick question, did you ever see a silver lining without dark clouds in the sky? That’s just nature’s way of telling us that we cannot separate them. I think that is why if a person pretends to be always happy and jolly people wonder if he is real.
“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time journey…delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas, and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.” says Gordon B. Hinckley. So let’s leave the fairy tales for the kids and get real. Recognize that life is difficult, but thank God “it is not impossible”.
“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed.” – Gordon B. Hinckley.
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
