Why we all should become extraordinary anonymous

I am sure that all of us have done some good. Not measured, not publicized, not told but have reached out, helped someone, forgiven, held tightly when they needed a shoulder, comforted and walked the distance to ease the pain. But we all have got busy to even not remember the good we have done as the struggle to become somebody, recognized, respected, and looked upon have become a preoccupation and we constantly reflect not on our souls but on the growth we had that can be measured, patting our own back and stroking our ego to claim our place in the society.

The only two days that matter to anyone are 1) the day you were born and 2) the day you realize why. But to get to that place, we do the dance, getting tired, resting and waiting for the day to dawn to repeat the dance. No matter how hard it is, we are uncomfortable to deviate from the path of what is known to bring success and glory as we shut down our inner self, our conscience, the soul and outwardly we hold on to the belief that happiness comes in what we see and hold and chase.

We all have the need to make a difference in our society but our selfishness blinds the very want and exposes us to maya, an illusion, a mirage. It takes us years and decades to come back to what we really know either by the teachings or self realization and in the twilight years when our family has thinned, children in search of greener pasture, wife or husband honoring one with the widowed status, friends number reduced due to death or retirement, relatives lost due to our own neglect, health failing- robbing away our dreams that were put on hold, we are forced to face the only choice left - to start life where we left before we got consumed by our greed, wealth, power, position and pushed back to reflect on the one thing- the purpose of our life.

The likes of Gandhi and Martin Luther King are hard to foresee. Bill Gates and Clinton's foundations have their founders able to see their contribution to our world and derive the satisfaction. Andrew Carnegie made his contribution. Buffet joined hands with Gates. There are any number of Philanthropists who have made a difference before their death or after their mortal remains that have been consigned. But the truth of the matter is there are so many unknowns who shared in their cause for them to succeed. They have been guided, pushed, driven by their sincere belief that their contribution mattered, however small.

I have taken up causes from my young age, that I believed in, however small they are or appear to the outside world and I am not saying it with pride but with the greatest humility, that I have been making a difference in people’s lives, right from my adolescent years till now and still am deficit in the things I could achieve. That I found to be my calling and I have held on to the belief that whoever I have become, or whatever I have done to my status, I had clung to that belief so hard and fast -it has become my mantra.

I want the younger generation to take up a cause they believe in, and however hard it may appear to achieve, even when the decks are stacked against them, not to give up hope and push head on, for the cause is worth a lot more than the success that will come not at one’s expectations but it will come for it is pure and simple and the tide will change if we have the patience. Even when the curtain is drawn or the lights are put out, when no camera is focusing on them, it will leave a lasting impression and a satisfaction that is hard to comprehend by others but you will know. It is your effort, your dream, your choice and unparalleled in your quest, that what others might think of you is negligible for you have lived the purpose of your life. And you have become the extraordinary anonymous to make this world more livable.