Life and its offerings for us

Life is a rare journey with opportunity- to learn, to grow, to be healed, to love to shine. Life itself is a golden opportunity to live a meaningful life and support others to do so. However it is most often taken for granted.
There are several gifts we are blessed with in this journey; one such is the gift of friendship. The relationship we have with our family and loved ones are invaluable. Life is indeed a priceless gift offered to us with the hope that we shall do our best to make it meaningful.

Life deserves to be savoured and cherished. The smallest victory needs to be celebrated while the lows are meant to test our strength. They throw challenges at us that require us to get out of our comfort zone. These need to be dealt with courage, determination and calmness. For instance, when we faced the COVID 19 pandemic, the only force that pushed us to strive amidst the gloom was our zeal to ensure continuity of life. Thus though life may not always be filled with positive gifts, the power of human connections, the ability to experience joy and growth, make life truly a precious gift.

The global scenario

Reports published by UNESCO depict that 244 million children and youth are out of school, 149 million children under 5 years have stunted growth owing to lack of food, and another 45 million are wasted, or grossly under nourished. Almost 45 percent of children below the age of 5 years die due to undernutrition. Such a gross devaluation of life is extremely painful to accept when we have no dearth of funds for arms and ammunition, but not for nutritional programmes, schooling and healthcare. Further, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List includes 134,425 species, of which 37,480 are threatened with extinction which accounts for 27 percent. . We devalue anything which does not have a price, be it fellow humans or elephants and ants. The Millennium Assessment Report of 2005 correctly identifies our dependence on the ecosystem for survival. Human beings can continue to live only when they acknowledge that all other species have equal rights.

 

Our responsibility towards life

The gift of life comes with profound responsibility. We have a duty to take care of ourselves and relationships, ensuring our physical and mental health. Additionally, we have a responsibility to care for the world around us, protect the environment and ensure that future generations inherit a planet capable of supporting life. The preciousness of life also extends to the relationships we have. The bonds we form and the love we share with this community is an integral part of the gift of life. Here it is essential to realize that we are part of a larger human community, sharing this precious gift with billions of others. Empathy, compassion and kindness are the bonds that bind us together, making our shared experience of life richer and more meaningful, embracing each occasion with immense gratitude.

 

About the authors

The article has been contributed by the following students from St. Joseph’s High School, Matigara Darjeeling: Mimamsa Sarangi, Pranjal Sriwastwa, Ishani Choudhury, Hitakshi Oza and Khushi Agarwal.