Life: A Rollercoaster Ride

Written by Aditi Jayakumar
Leadership Open Elective taught by Jibrael Jos
Nov 2018 at Christ University

As Robert Frost once said, “two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I..I took the one less travelled by and that has made all the difference”, the essence of life is very well captured within these lines and the uncertainty of it is well defined. At each stage in Life, we gain different perspectives about the same things as well as continuously learn and gain more information which forms one’s personality and outlook towards life. Experiences for each individual is different and even though our personalities separate us, we’re all connected and are similar because at the end of the day, we’re all just flesh and bone. On having had a conversation with my Father, Mr. Jayakumar, his outlook on Life seems to be constant as it was five years ago, when he first spoke to me about how I must take life on as an ocean of challenges as I was just graduating from school. His advice to me still reverberates in my ears as if it happened yesterday. On having struck a conversation about the same on his birthday this March, he spoke to me about how much of a rollercoaster ride it has been for him. For the first time, my father treated me as an adult and had a mature conversation about what he felt life was about and what it revolved around. At 59, he still believes in the idea of experiencing what comes his way, and experiencing it to the fullest. This man has always prioritised his field of work and the dedication he has for it cannot go unnoticed. He’s always made sure that I knew the importance of time and how to manage it well enough to get through everything that is needed in the set order of priority. He’s made sure that living by ethics and being respectful to each and every being you come across are the central factors of Life that an individual should live by and has done so by proving it to his family and being a role model to his kids. He talks about life as an experience and lives by the belief of it being a gift and therefore, the right to take someone’s life or your own isn’t a choice. 

When asked about the philosophies he follows, he laughed and said, “Isn’t life a philosophy in itself?” and went on to explain how each experience that an individual faces teaches them things; bad and good. It moulds one into a new person with a new outlook about things and whether to take it in a positive or negative light is completely dependent on the person. He further explained how he’s shunned the existence of his being when his work didn’t go well and the reasons behind why it affected him the way it did. He narrated a story about the time when he hit the lowest point in life, when it all seemed utopian and was a blur and nothing made sense. He’d decided to end it all but chose not to because of the people around and his obliged responsibility to them. On introspection, he understood the underlying reason as to why he felt that way. The answer was his passion for work. Passion is a very peculiar thing, he said. “Sometimes, being too passionate about something can lead you to involving yourself too much with it and if it does not turn out the way you imagined it to, it hurts. And it hurts so bad that you feel confused and lost, like a lost soul at sea with no motive but to figure out and find that one beam of light that will guide you home, back into your comfort zone.” 

That’s the thing about life, it is very uncertain yet enjoyable. Enjoyable only if you surround yourself with the right people who’d make living worthwhile and if you do, never let go because the adrenaline rush will never stop if you let things run their due course. I’d like to conclude this essay by mentioning how much this man inspires me to do better and be a better person everyday and more importantly, reminds me to live and not just merely exist.