12/8/2005

Some Thoughts On Life…

Two weeks ago, my father was on a holiday cruise in the Mediterranean when he suffered a coronary, i.e. a heart attack. The ship happened to be docked at Tripoli, Libya, and he was rushed to the main hospital there.

The doctors there declared that he would have to remain there for several days, and so the ship set sail without him. And there he was - a 73 year old man, stranded in Libya with a serious heart condition.

Now, having a heart attack anywhere is not a pleasant thing. But being stranded in a country like Libya only compounded the problems many times over.

The story has a fairly happy ending though. Thanks to the extremely high quality of medical attention he received at the hospital, and through the the tireless efforts of the tour company representatives, he was flown back to the UK a week and a half after the incident under the medical escort of a UK doctor who had flown out to get him. Now he is recuperating in his brother’s house and is apparently doing very well.

Anyway, the reason I mention this story is just to point out a couple of matters to ponder…

The first is that, in life, things happen. And they may not always be things that we like or want. It doesn’t matter who you are, you will face challenges. There is no escaping it. The more I view life, the more I tend to side with the Buddhist view; namely, that the unenlightened life IS suffering. All is in a change and a flux, and though we might like to keep some things just the way they are - our health, for example - we cannot.

Sad things are going to happen to us, and sad things are going to happen to our relatives and friends. Don’t let this catch you by surprise, or wonder “Why me?”. It happens to us all. If you have no problems or challenges in your life, then chances are that you’re already dead. If you REALLY have no problems in your life right now… then just wait awhile. They’ll show up soon enough. That’s for sure.

A philosophical approach to this stark reality really helps. Maintaining the truth in your mind that the essence of life IS Change, and that Suffering IS a constant (and not merely an unwanted intrusion from the outside) may make such experiences easier to deal with when they do take place.

Another aspect of this story is its unlikely nature. Low probability events DO occur, occur quite frequently, and have changed lives and even history itself on many occasions.

My father’s first attack took place by the Pyramids in Egypt. Not realizing that it was a heart attack, he did nothing about it that day. The ship set sail and arrived in Libya. Next morning, he was taken ashore when the second incident occurred. The ship then sailed on.

Now, if the matter had been attended to in Egypt, or else the second incident had occurred after the ship had left Tripoli, he would not have been left stranded in such an unlikely and difficult place.

However, circumstances conspired to create this extremely unlikely and difficult turn of events. I am reminded of how the entire Aztec empire collapsed because they were expecting the return of their departed blue-eyed fair-skinned God, Quetzalcoatl, in the year 1519. That same year, a comet appeared in the sky.

And in that same year, the Spanish Conquistadors arrived.

Extremely unlikely things DO happen, and happen often. So, you would do well to factor this into your thinking, at least to some extent. When traveling abroad, it ALWAYS makes sense to take travel insurance. My father did, and it made all the difference in what might otherwise have been a total nightmare for us, i.e. ten times worse than the one that actually occurred. In our own lives, we should plan for the unlikely but possible.

This is not a mandate for jumping at the rustling of leaves in the wind. All I am saying is that it does make sense to be aware of what is within the realms of possibility in your life. Wherever possible, you should prepare for it.

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Comments on Some Thoughts On Life… »

12/9/2005

susan @ 11:49 am

glad your father’s ok, i prayed for him as you asked. ALSO LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE BRILLIANT ARTICLES YOU SEND OUT.

Claudia @ 12:26 pm

Hi Asoka:
I am happy your father is getting well..

In that painful experience, there is an additional teaching: No matter how “unlikely and difficult” a country is….you would always find kind and professional human beings.

I enjoy your messages… Thanks and have a lovely week. -Claudia

Angie @ 5:16 pm

Thank You for passing on your thoughts.Yes it is true what you say.I lost my father suddenly 3years ago because of his heart condition.He was only 59 years old when he died,even though you know we all leave this earth plane when it is our time you don’t expect it to happen so soon.I felt guilty for not having the chance to say goodbye for sometime after his death but i feel ok about it now.I am enjoying your ezine. Thank you.Blessings. Angie

12/10/2005

site admin @ 2:31 am

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback, and I’m glad that this was of help.

I also agree that good and compassionate people are present in every country. To clarify, my intention was not to display Libya in a negative light. In fact, my father was extremely impressed with the quality of treatment that he received at the hospital, as well as with the Libyan people he met. In addition, the company representative there, one Mr. Hussain, was extremely attentive and has become a friend of my father’s as a result. The latter has promised him a place to stay when he next comes to the UK in a few months time.

So, all things work together for good in the end.

Asoka

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