Playing Our Roles..

The lush green grassy fields, in glitering wetness of recent rains exuded freshness and beauty. The wet earthy fragrance permeating in the air brought a whiff of health to the breath. Neat rows of fresh crops showed up for the sweaty toil of the farmers. The glistening wetness all around was a feast to the eyes as the train passed by.
The shine of the pristine untouched beauty of the greyish outline of the mountains, at once wild and inviting, lent an air of mystery and magnificence that captivated me. I felt good about life.
Yet a feeling of unfathomable empitiness and smallness engulfed me. What am I and what was my life in the context of such wonderful creations around me, so majestic, so compelling, forceful, vivid- each fitting into a self-sustaining system, each potent to carry forward the unparalleled, wonderful beauty for millions of years to come?
I was a child lost in a fair, flooded by the buzzing, purposeful life around me, and over-whelmed by the magic of creation. Everything seems to have a role, justification for existence.
What then is my role? Carrying forward the progeny? Amassing wealth? Enjoying material comforts? To what end?
In the context of the Universe that is infinite in space and time, encompassing varied species of creation and systems, ours is a non-existent existence. What are our achievements within the limitations of our talents and capabilities, it is still a drop in the mighty ocean.
Yet doesn’t each drop contribute? Each of us must have a purpose and must fit into the larger sphere of life around. Everyone is like a cog in the giant wheel of the Universe, making the system work. And it is important that it is important that it fits, is well-oiled, smooth and efficient.
So it is imperative that each of us must offer our best contributions, however insignificant and immaterial it may seem, to make the quality of life around us better.
After watching episodes of air crash investigations, one can realize that major disasters occurred not due to major failures, but due to faults in small screws or nuts or negligence in taking care of small details.
If each of us can realize our own importance, though we may be small screws and perceive our place in the fuller picture, we can fathom how our best efforts can make a difference. And the pleasure is always in contributing.
Lord Krishna in the Bhagwad Gita stressed on performing our karma. This is nothing but perceiving what our’s in the given context is. Arjun was a son, a student and a mentee for elders like Drithrashtra, Drona and Bhishma on the opposition side. But Krishna pointed out to him that he was a warrior first and foremost, once he was in the battlefield. At that time his role was to fight as a brave warrior.
An anecdote narrated in a seminar comes to my mind. Three teachers were asked what they did in their jobs. The first responded, “I teach history”. The second said, “I teach children how to learn from history, lessons for the future”. The other said, “I mould the future of students”.
This speaks volumes about the roles we perceive for ourselves. If we see what we do, not merely as a job but as roles; keeping in view the larger picture, there would be a greater sense of fulfillment and we would be definetly able to comprehend a purpose and meaning for our lives. Perceiving our roles in the larger perspective helps us to love our work and see it not just as a job for monetary gains, but as contribution to a greater cause. It brings out the best in us and we begin to think of creative ideas and solutions in the performance of our work. It then becomes a mission and passion in our lives. There lies the true joy of life.