Source : Google photo
Synopsis : Most people in this world live a mundane life and die of their old age but only a lucky few die in their sleep with a smile on their face because they had lived a full life fulfilling all their duties and obligations. They are called the true independent souls. The blog explains how anyone can prepare himself for the day so that he can live his life on his own terms until the last moment.
There was a cruel and fanatical Moghul king who ruled India
in the 16th century. He was called Aurangzeb who had ascended the throne after
killing his elder brother who was the crown prince and put his father the
Emperor ShahJahan in prison in the Fort of Agra.
Aurangzeb ruled over the Hindus whom he considered the unbelievers
so he desecrated their places of worship and razed to the ground their holy
temples all over the country. He then forced the Hindus to convert to Islam
under the threat of execution so he is remembered as the most fanatic anti
Hindu ruler who made many enemies by fighting the Hindu kings and killing them.
This is how the Mughals expanded their territories.
In his old age, he became very thin and bent from his waist
down but he still insisted to be carried
in a palanquin to go to the battle field because his battles were never ending
until he died leaving behind the widows and children of his enemies.
As he neared his death when he was near 90 years in age, he
continued to knit skull caps that he sold to the faithful Moslems to earn a few
pennies that he saved for his funeral. He did not take a penny from his
treasury and wanted to die on his own terms so he ordered that he should be
buried by the road side in a village near Aurangabad in a shallow grave,
wrapped only in a white sheet of cotton cloth. He ordered that no monument
shall ever be built on his grave so that his remains will always be under the
sky.
Source : Google photo of Aurangzeb and his quotes
He regretted all the cruel and bad things he had done in his life and begged for the forgiveness of Allah and he died utterly alone and very lonely. All his wives and most of his off springs had died so there was no one to shed a tear on his death. We visited his grave near Aurangabad where his grave is still under the sky, just covered with a white sheet and a Tulsi plant.
Source : Google photo of the grave of Aurangzeb
Tulsi is a holy plant for the Hindus so why a Tulsi plant
was planted on his grave is still a mystery. Perhaps it was his way of making
atonement for all his crimes against the hapless Hindus during his reign as
king. The British later built a marble screen around his grave to protect it.
He was after all an Emperor of India. His empire started to weaken after his death
and at last fell apart after the British exiled the last Moghul king in 1857.
As a ruler, Aurangzeb in his old age prepared himself to be
buried as he wished and left the money to do so that he earned by knitting
skull caps.
He was an extreme example of how some people prepare
themselves for their burial and last rites. He did not want grandiose mausoleum
built using his treasury money so he was very different from his forefathers
who ordered massive mausoleums built for them like TajMahal, Humayun’s mausoleum
in Delhi and Akbar’s mausoleum in Sikandera near Agra.
Now I come to the present era of common people living under
stress, financial difficulties and tremendous cost of medical care that people
cannot afford so how do you expect them to prepare themselves for the end?
I have a good example here of a friend who lived in
retirement in his old age doing some gardening and doing numerous charity works
but he was very self-effacing and humble. I urged him to share the photos of
his lovely vegetable garden so he did after some hesitation and sent me some
beautiful post cards that he had designed. He was a graphic artist.
When he was told that he had a short time to live, he
started to give away most of his prized possessions to every one’s surprise. He
donated his extensive collection of cameras, lenses etc. to a nearby University
and donated many such valuables to others while keeping to himself his medical
issues. He paid to a funeral parlor for his cremation and asked them to spread
his ashes under his favorite tree.
He did not ask anyone’s help and died knowing that he had
lived his life on his own terms. Very people can do that because in their old
age they become dependent on others to take care of them. They fail to prepare
themselves for the day when they breathe their last.
In this country people leave behind huge hospital bills
that their relatives have to pay somehow because the hospital Shylocks will not
release the body unless they get fully paid. The longer it takes for the
relatives to pay, the bigger the bill becomes.
When the body is finally handed over to the relatives for
the last rites, the funeral parlor people show up to claim a lot of money for
the preparation and burial of the deceased so again the relatives are hit by
the large expense the second time driving them deeper into debt.
It is not unheard of that the close relatives have to sell
their house or land to pay the bills because no one has so much money to pay
for all the expenses. The insurance does not cover it all but only a small
fraction.
This topic is a serious topic because I want to discuss
here how anyone can prepare himself or herself for the day when the end comes
because it does as sure as sunrise.
Now I am not talking about the rich or the super-rich who
have all the means at their disposal to do whatever they wish. They do not have
to knit skull caps to earn a few pennies like Aurangzeb although he was the
Emperor of a huge country called India.
I am talking about the common people like you and me who
are born, live a simple life and one day leave this world without leaving
anything called their legacy. They are not great writers, scientists, engineers
or award winning artists, singers or actors. A short time after their demise,
no one really remembers them or feels their absence. Their photos and
memorabilia collect dust in the attic.
Yet these simple folks once were living beings who lived an
honest life, paid their taxes and helped those who needed their help. They were
religious so they donated whatever they could afford to their temples,
Gurudwaras or Churches. They brought up their children well and took good care
of their spouse. They may have had musical talents but were humble and never
showed their talent to anyone publicly.
I knew a great violinist who lived in our neighborhood
whose talent was not recognized by anyone so he played his violin alone in his
living room that the passerby’s could hear and wonder at the sweet melody. He
took to the bottle that ended his life one day because of frustration and
poverty.
The vast majority of people in the world fall into this
category of common people like the violinist I just mentioned although not
everyone takes to the bottle in frustration. Some become very religious and
live a simple life.
A friend of mine who was a brilliant and very intelligent
person had a very good job in an International Institute. He had a nice family and a small adorable
child so everything was perfect for him and his family until one day he decided
to quit his job and move to a Latin American country where there was a long
running war and where the narco mafia ruled.
He was captured by the rebels and held hostage for many
years until a huge ransom was paid for his release by his relatives. He moved to
a small town in the US and found that his wife and children had left him so he
was alone and sad. He too took to drinking heavily that eventually ended his
life but he did write to me before he went. So what was his legacy and how he
prepared for his end? I don’t know.
I greatly admire people who remain independent until their
last breath .I don’t mean people like Aurangzeb who was cruel and did many bad
things. I mean the common people like you and me who live a simple life, raise
good children and prepare themselves for all eventualities so that no one needs
to worry about them. Such people are born independent and remain independent
until their last breath. They leave behind no debt and leave enough money for
their spouse to live independently.
By their nature they are people without bad habits like
drinking, gambling, smoking or borrowing money they never pay back. They are
honest and live or try to live a clean life. They are also good savers.
So saving is the key word here. I believe that anyone who
has a job or a business can save a part of what they earn for the retirement
days. Some earn a small pension that may allow them to live a modest life. If
you try to save even a small part of what you earn, it can accumulate over a
long period of time to a surprising sum that comes in handy when you are old.
Another way is to downsize, sell your huge house and move
into a small apartment or cottage somewhere to reduce the cost of living. The
added revenue to your savings can help you live a simple but independent life
somewhere. You will not need your big car, big house and large flat screen TV
any more. A simple bicycle will do.
You will not need your expensive watch, fancy jewelries and
fancy clothes so sell them to monetize. Believe me when I say that no one cares
how you look, how you live your life and what you do. People are not interested
in you unless you are Barack Obama.
So it is up to you to take care of your life until the end
because no one is really responsible for you except you. But people will
respect your independence and say that you lived your life on your own term
without resorting to knitting skull caps to earn a few pennies.
Source : Google photo of an inspirational quote
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