The Present

Scene 1:

The photograph above is a scene outside a temple in Kerala. What you see is a tree full of cradles on it and baby clothes around its waist…err trunk. No, the cradles are not grown on the tree. Devotees hang them on the tree and tie baby clothes to the trunk.

The deity of this temple is believed to have powers to give fertility to the infertile couples who pray to the deity. Once a child is born to a couple, the child is brought to the deity along with a miniature cradle and baby clothes. The cradle is hung to the tree and the clothes are tied to the trunk of the tree.

Looking at the number of cradles and clothes, many couples are certainly getting positive results to their prayers.

How does it happen? The science may not be able to provide an answer.

Scene 2:

A friend of mine excitedly called me to give me the good news. The couple was expecting a baby.

They were healthy, matching partners who cared for each other. Each one was successful in their professional life. They were unable to conceive for many long years after their marriage and in spite of several medical treatments. Medical science could not detect any problem with any of the partners. Yet, no medical treatment helped them. Doctors had given up.

Just back from Kerala tour with above photograph fresh in my mind, I asked him if by any chance he visited the Kerala temple. As expected, he had not even heard of it. He simply laughed at me as he did not believe in such miracle powers.

He said, after doctors gave up he (and his wife) too gave up the yearning for the child. They thought of adopting a child but then decided not to. Since there was nothing much to look forward in terms of saving money, they decided to enjoy life. They forgot the past, did not bother about the future and started enjoying the present to the fullest. They travelled across the world, started working for charities and participated in social activities while managing their careers.

And it happened! Just happened on a blissful holiday on an island in the blue ocean. The birds there whispered in their ears – a stork would be visiting them in a few months’ time.

The doctors confirmed the news. They were the same doctors who had given up their efforts earlier.

How did it happen? The science may not be able to provide an answer.

I see a commonality in both the scenarios. In both the cases, human efforts proved to be of no use in fulfilling the expectations. Couples gave up yearning for “that something” while doing “this something”. In the first case they left the results to the Almighty and in the second case to the nature, both entities equally unknown and unpredictable. And then they started enjoying the present without expecting anything in the future. The pressure of “getting expected outcomes” was off. Probably, their total living in present gave them the “present” they were waiting for all the years.

Is that the key to everything we do? Just live in present?

As it is said, past is history and future is yet to come. The ONLY reality is the present. Just live in the present!