“Timely Wisdom” – as the word suggests, denotes the Correct Application of the Right Knowledge at the Right Time… But can we say that our Life Decisions are “SPOT ON” – Read to know why it is Blessed to be Gifted the Art of “Timely Wisdom”
We all know that “TIME” is Precious and so is “Wisdom” but rarely does one get to have them in Sync during their LIFETIME – Most often, we find that TIME and WISDOM never coexist and that is the precise reason “Regrets” find entry into our System and all our DREAMS come shattering down 😦
Hospitals are a witness to many Regrets – Bronnie Ware, a nurse in Australia has spent more than a decade counselling dying people and it occurred to her one day to make note of the conversations she had with “Dying People” – After 12 years, she concluded that the most common regret of all was people have on their Death Bed is
“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life TRUE to MYSELF, not the life others expected of me.”
Ever wondered why this is REGRET experienced by many – Why are so many dying people embarrassed of the life they lived – Why is Gratitude not on their lips as they approach “DEATH” ?
I personally believe that when we lack clarity of what we are seeking in LIFE, we tend to make vague choices and though these may seem PERFECT in the Moment – as time passes by – these very PERFECT CHOICES turn out to be IMPERFECT DECISIONS that were taken without contemplation…Indeed “Timely Wisdom” was missing from our Life then 😦
Before I can get deeper into the Concept of “Timely Wisdom”, let’s first read this STORY that can make it easy for us to grasp the Awareness of the DAY.
The story involves dealings between a King and a Woodcutter. It was a “Beautiful Day” and the King decided to go hunting. As he was busy hunting and enjoying himself, the king spotted a deer and went chasing behind it.
The excitement of the deer led him deep into the forest. The deer managed to escape into the wilderness, leaving the king lost and confused – In his pursuit, the king didn’t realize that his team of servants and minsters had been far left behind. It was DARK & CREEPY – with not a soul to be found, the king felt remote – The chase had tired him and the King was also very thirsty by now – The enjoyable evening was now taking the form of a nightmare.
However, the king continued his search to find water to quench his thirst. In a far away direction, he could hear the chopping of trees and he followed the “VOICE” – Upon reaching the SPOT, he saw a “Woodcutter” busy in his work… He requested the woodcutter for water as that was his “Need of the Hour”. The Woodcutter didn’t recognize the Visitor to be the King – He just took him to be a passer-by and served him water. The king was satisfied and wanted to pay him for his generosity.
How to reward the woodcutter bothered the King – He wanted to give the Woodcutter a gift that was the “Need of the Woodcutter” and hence, before leaving, the King asked the Woodcutter “What you do for Living?”
The Woodcutter answered “I cut trees from forest, turn it into charcoal and sell in nearby town…This is my source of income – To CHOP TREES for COAL“
The king wanted to give the woodcutter something that would be useful and since the woodcutter was well versed in Wood, the King decided to gift him a Patch of land filled with Trees.
The Woodcutter was happy and bought his family to stay with him in the land gifted by the King – He made himself a small hut and started to cut the trees and go about his Daily Routine. TREES to COAL was the ACT of Life for this Woodcutter…Life went on smoothly. Days were happy and Nights were pleasant – Family Responsibilities were being fulfilled 🙂
All seemed PERFECT and then one day, while cutting the logs, the Woodcutter realized that he was OLD and that his stamina to cut trees was decreasing. He thought to himself that it was TIME to REST and ENJOY the last days of his LIFE. “It is TIME to Retire, he said to himself and smiled 🙂
We all know that old Age brings with itself Aches and Pains for that is the nature of “Old Age”…the woodcutter was no different. The woodcutter wasn’t actually complaining, he was thankful and now wanted to plan for his future so that he could retire from his everyday jobs. The woodcutter’s eyes then scanned the forest – Only a small patch with trees remained in his forest. He was thankful for the GIFT from the king and decided to leave the rest of trees as areas of shade and rest for himself.
He then took the decision to sell the Iron component of his axe and source some money for the days left ~ With these thoughts, he approached a Lumber Yard.
However, something unusual happened when he approached the dealer of the Lumber Yard…The dealer had no interest in the Iron part of the axe and asked if he would sell the Wood that was attached to it – The woodcutter said that IRON was heavy and that Wood carried no value – Hearing this the dealer said that the Iron is no doubt HEAVY but the wood attached to your axe is certainly LIGHT and yet Precious – This Piece of Wood is no Ordinary Wood but “Sandalwood” – It is the most Precious Wood available in the World.
Hearing this, the Woodcutter dropped the axe and cried out loud at his IGNORANCE.
The dealer was perplexed and wondered what was the matter – It was a sheer coincidence, in that very moment, the King was making his way to meet the Woodcutter to enquire about his whereabouts. Seeing him cry, he asked him the reason for his state of despair…
The wood cutter replied to the King ~ “You were generous in giving me the Sandalwood Forest, but I in my ignorance have cut almost 3/4 of the Sandalwood Forest Trees and made charcoal from them – I sold in the nearby town and with the extra money I earned, I was able to buy some things for my family…Only now did I come to know that Value of the Gift that you Bestowed upon me…I have wasted your precious gift for having no idea of the valuable resources I had with me by burning away Precious Sandalwood logs into Coals”
The King smiled at the innocence of the Woodcutter and consoled him by saying “Do not REGRET on yourself, as the whole world is ignorant and we all make errors. The king also politely explained him the worth of Sandalwood and advised him to make use of remaining 1/4 of Sandalwood Forest as it is. The woodcutter followed the King’s advice and soon became a Rich Merchant.
PAUSE to CONNECT
- King was Happy with the Woodcutter, He gifted him a “Sandalwood Garden”
- God is Happy with us – HE gifts us a “Human Life”
- The Trees in the Garden were LIMITED
- Our Time in this World is Limited.
The woodcutter was well versed in his skill of “Cutting Trees” but his knowledge of Trees was limited, this led him to the mismanagement of his Precious Gift… The sandalwood trees were being burnt and reduced to charcoal by the woodcutter because he did not know the VALUE of the GIFT he had received…If only the woodcutter had the WISDOM when the TIME was RIGHT – What a Blissful Legacy he would have gifted his Future Generations 🙂
The Story has a deeper meaning for us – It is about “Using our Resources effectively” in the RIGHT WAYS…Misuse only denotes our Foolishness of Turning Sandalwood to Charcoal.
We too are Ignorant Souls like the Woodcutter for using our LIMITED TIME in the nonsensical matter of Life – Our Lack of Wisdom is going to cost us heavily – Just like the Woodcutter was converting the precious sandalwood into coal, we all are wasting our limited days chasing the mundane pleasures of Life – The fire of enmity, hatred, anger, greed, jealousy, estrangement, tension is BURNING away our Precious DAYS 😦
Let us make the most of our Human Life while it lasts or else we too will be among the many who are LIVING with REGRETS in their OLD AGE…Let us wake up the REALITY of LIFE 🙂
Let us hold onto the REALITY that Human Life is Precious and must never be spent on the trivial matters of LIFE. When we PAUSE & REFLECT, We will realize that our ignorance keeps us away from the True Richness of Life and also prevents us from enjoying the Benefits of “Timely Wisdom” and then we allow regret to take roots in our LIFE…It is for us to make efforts to LIVE a Regret Free Life, by making plans for a “Happy Pilgrimage” towards God.
To Reflect on our choices and to walk ahead with Confidence must be our attitude in LIFE ❤
Baba Nanak has gifted us a Wisdom which when ANCHORED can prevent the Weeds of Despair from taking hold in the Garden of our Soul…Let us Pause and Pray asking God to Guide us towards the True Purpose of our Human Life !
This verse from the SGGS can be read on Ang 156-16 of SGGS
ga-orhee bairaagan mehlaa 1.
Gauree Bairaagan, First Mehl:
rain gavaa-ee so-ay kai divas gavaa-i-aa khaa-ay.
The nights are wasted sleeping, and the days are wasted eating.
heeray jaisaa janam hai ka-udee badlay jaa-ay. ||1||
Human life is such a precious jewel, but it is being lost in exchange for a mere shell. ||1||
naam na jaani-aa raam kaa.
You do not know the Name of the Lord.
moorhay fir paachhai pachhutaahi ray. ||1|| rahaa-o.
You fool – you shall regret and repent in the end! ||1||Pause||
Take Away Message !
Man in his ignorance makes wrong choices and invites regrets into his LIFE – But also true it even if the entire life is wasted in IGNORANCE – should a person realize the value and True Purpose of LIFE at the end, he is considered WISE because WISDOM has the Power to set him on the RIGHT TRAILS in an instant … Isn’t that Truly Awesome !
Journeys & Reflections 