Why am I Alive?

Sitting alone, I saw a woman suffering in pain because of her disease. I sat by her bedside for days at length, holding her hand & praying to God to bless her with good health again.

Then one day, she passed away.

I am aware that death is the most inevitable aspect of our lives. But if ultimately it is death that I have to brace, then why live at all. What’s the point? One fine day, it will all be over. No people around me, no food clothing shelter problems, no finances to manage, no health problems to address, no relationships to manage, no need of taking care, no coxing, no pampering of people who make it a point to do the exact opposite of what I want.

In a way, I would say ‘WOW!!! WHAT FREEDOM!!!’.  Suddenly death sounds like a much better idea than being alive. In that case why the hell am I still alive and kicking?

I gave this a thought & these are Top 5 reasons that come to my mind about Why I am alive:

1.     Simply because I am not dead yet!!

Well, it’s a fact, till I don’t ‘kick the bucket’, till I am not officially declared ‘dead’ by my doctors, lets face it ‘I am alive’ and there is hardly any choice about it.

2.     Lets cut out this discussion that my ‘family needs me’. They can manage very well on their own.

BUT!! Wait… what about all my enemies & people who don’t like me: they most certainly need me: If I did not exist in this world, who would motivate my competitors & opponents to put in extra effort & do a little more than what they would do in my absence.

3.     My Government, all businessmen, all shop keepers, all farmers, all schoolteachers, doctors, engineers etc etc. 'My Society': THEY ALL Need me: 

Without ‘more people’ whom would the government rule? Whom will shopkeepers sell their groceries to? Whose kids will schoolteachers teach? Whom will doctors treat? This world would become such a boring place if no one had any work to do. So,..

4.     God needs me. Yes, you heard it right. God most certainly needs me to be alive. After all: I am a very warm blooded, kind-hearted human. If God decided today that he wants to bless a poor person with food: HE obviously cannot go to a cow or sparrow or fish & ask any one of them to give food to a poor beggar. HE has to come to ME. ALL HIS acts of kindness would be impossible if I was not alive today.

5.    Lastly, I can brush aside all the above by saying that ‘BUT, there are millions & billions others who can fulfill the above needs, WHY ME. Why am "I" alive’. 

     The answer is very simple: I am Alive simply because I CHOOSE to be!!

It is one thing to be breathing & say 'Oh, I am alive'. But there are so many who simply exist (all body functions operating perfectly), but are they truly living? Do they feel alive, do they remember that they are alive? 

On the other hand, I have also seen people, where the body is ridden with fatal diseases, doctors claim the person will not live for more than 2 weeks & the person not only lives longer, but through the power of his own will manages to accomplish tasks that were thought to be impossible for someone so sick. 

When I see people whose lives are driven by the power of their will, I tell myself 'THIS person chooses to be alive".

Think about it:

This human form is such a precious gift. Without this Human form, how would I feel the warmth & love of a Hug, how would I see & admire Natures beauty, how would I listen to music? How would I splash water, get wet & shiver in cold or burn in heat! 

Its another story that, after coming to this planet, I got stuck in the run of the mill everyday attachments & anger, got stuck looking for food, relationships & shelter & forgot to make the most of every single joy & pain that comes with being alive. 

Was it not for these exact experiences that I came to this planet in the first place!!

The moment the thought comes in "but I have seen enough, I have experienced enough"; Ask yourself again 'Are you SURE you have had enough?' Its never enough. The choices are limitless about what we can do with ourselves. 

The most worthwhile questions of all would be: 'What am I doing in this world? What is the purpose of my existence on this planet?

A good hint for the above questions would be in the form of what Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, "Sense of security comes from being useful for others. Greater your usefulness, greater the sense of security". 

• If I feel demotivated about life or about being alive it is probably because I have not asked myself today 'What makes me happy? What 'new adventure' do I want to do today'. I mean, come on, without this human form, I will not be able to make anyone smile nor will I be able steal a loved ones sweater & tease him. 

• While fulfilling all my wishes to live for myself, I would also like to live for the less privileged ones around me. Lets ask ourselves today: "How can I be more useful for people around me?"

This week:

      Ask yourself  ‘Why am I Alive?’  Find your own answer, the rest will fall in place on it own!!