Ask a person who is trapped inside a building that is on fire, a person whose boat in which he was travelling has capsized in the middle of a river, a person who was flying in a plane whose engine has developed a snag or a person who is suffering from terminal illness, what would they ever want? Just an iota of Hope means so much to them? In fact, all they ever need in life at that very moment is a small reassurance that they will be saved, a little ray of hope or belief that they will survive through desperate situations and come out victorious. God forbid if you ever find yourself in such a situation. In this very moment when people understand how near they are to their certain death, do they begin to realise the futility of their entire existence up till now. In this moment of truth, when one comes face to face with inevitable turn of events, does one begin to wonder how a momentary or a transient streak of ill luck can wipe away all the joys that one had so painstakingly cultivated throughout his or her entire life. Faced with the possibility of losing out the battle for life in that precarious situation, when one is swinging between life and death, there still seems to be a little flicker of hope lit up in some remote corner of their hearts, fervently believing and praying for some miracle to happen that would rescue them somehow. The entire previous life, spanning decades, begins to turn hazy before their very eyes in the backdrop of that one single moment in the present that seems to appear so crucial and dominant, assuming a life of its own. All the glory, fame, accomplishments suddenly mean so little and inadequate before the momentous turn of fate. All personal achievements get dwarfed and begin to melt and fade away in the moment as if they had no significance at all!

This little moment of uncertainty teaches us big lessons of life. Only now do people realise the importance of an effort, howsoever small, to save themselves from inevitable death. Until now, we never realised if it was important to make an effort at all, not in the least at saving or protecting our own lives. Life was always counted as a constant or a given quantity that could never stand imperilled. We leave for work in the morning and come home in the evening. We go shopping, playing, movie watching, sight-seeing, holidaying etc. Never once we think that we may not live another day. When ill luck strikes, everything begins to turn hazy and that’s when we remember God and launch themselves into praying incessantly till the end of time. Why not pray a little each day? Do we need a dire situation to occur in our lives for us to start praying? The prayers seem to reflect and call upon the entire power of the universe that might come to save the day for the souls bereft of hope. If you analyse deeply, what chances did the stranded people ever have at survival in dangerous situations? Frankly, none. For if they didn’t harbour that little hope in their hearts, bolstered by our deep belief in Almighty, probably they might have been dead long back and never seen a single new day. That little ray of hope helps people to hang on to the lifeline and make a comeback, stronger than ever. This little ray of hope is akin to a small foot-hole on an obstacle or a log of wood in a river that we hold on to in times of distress and with full strength. A ray of hope is so powerful that might revive a hopeless situation and rescue us. It might turn mountains and work up miracles to put an end to the dire situation they found themselves in. With each passing moment, they pray frantically and fervently to God to save them as if some divine intervention could be invoked. Eventually, help arrives and some are saved while others perish.

[ Also Read: Praying gives us strength and hope ]

Only when the situation is one of life and death, do we get so many important lessons of life. Our whole viewpoint towards life as well as the way we perceive and conduct ourselves undergoes a sea change. We might suddenly become more sensitive to the pain of others to which we were insensitive for most part of our lives. If you choose to observe around you, you will find so much pain, misery, suffering and sorrow that our fellow brethren go through every day, be it maltreatment at the hands of wealthy few, persecution of marginalised people, gender crimes perpetrated by brutes, scourges of disease and disability etc. Why can’t we be sensitive towards them from the start without the necessity to experience pain ourselves? It is a harsh reality that only after we go through the life-threatening situations ourselves does our heart change. Soon afterwards we find ourselves learning to become more compassionate towards others. What immediately comes to my mind are a few film personalities in the recent past that were diagnosed with life threatening cancers and were flown to the best hospitals around the world for treatment. What is noteworthy is the fact that even while they are undergoing regular treatment, they remained in touch with their fans and followers on social media who, as they claim, are a source of immense strength to them. Some have even narrated and chronicled their own life account about their struggles with the medical condition and acknowledged their fan’s good wishes being behind their prompt recovery. Only afterwards do these film personalities launch themselves into doing some kind of social work at helping others in need.

As against common belief, one need not be rich to indulge in social work or donate. You do not need to have too much to donate You could donate a paltry sum which could be useful to some if not all.  Alternatively, you could join a charitable society as a volunteer and do all the good work you always wanted to. In spite of being not so rich you can still make a big difference in someone’s life. All you have to do is share a smile and say a few uplifting and motivating words to people around you. May be, you do not realise the power of this cursory trivial gesture, but believe me, this is the most powerful and selfless act that each one of us can do without a fuss. Saying thank you often to others can, in turn, lift your own morale too. It has been proven by enough credible research that this indeed is true. It helps lessen your own problems and develop a positive attitude towards others as well as life in general. So, while we praise or greet others, we spread smiles and in turn we ourselves feel the energy beginning to flow inside us too. I choose to call it the reverse law. Is it all that difficult? Do you find it worthwhile as well as easy to spread goodness in other’s life?