Morning With Golf

An Incomplete Birdie

A passion, an obsession, a romance, a nice acquaintanceship with trees, sand and water”

Bob Ryan

Some thoughts in our minds come from far beyond our horizons and some grow inside our minds. Our deeds sometimes reap feelings of pride and at others, shame. We sow some seeds of good and sometimes we nourish evil. The contributions we make in this world sometimes satisfy us and other times haunt us. Tears sometimes represent joy and at other times, gloom. Sometimes an orchestra goes unheard and sometimes our silence stirs a song.

The best path to happiness is gratitude and in sadness, the best road to take is patience.

Sometimes peace comes through prayer and at others it follows the sobs. We learn all this on the path of life and on the fairways and greens too.

Golf is a game that teaches us to keep our balance both in good and bad times. Sometimes we get on the green in regulation. We expect to make a birdie or par. Instead we end up with an annoying bogie. Sometimes we reach the green in bad shape and one long putt surprises us with a par. The greatest thing I enjoy about golf is the ever present element of surprise. I love golf for the way it provides the opportunity to make a comeback after every bad move.

The way it teaches us to forget the shank and think about the next shot. In golf, the most important shot is the next shot, not the previous.

Today while I was playing a round of golf at New York countryside, the 7th hole was a par 3 on this slope 125, par 70 course, 169 from white tees. The flag stood in the middle. A huge bunker covers the entire front of the green with sand. A sharp wind blowing from the opposite direction and a bit of cloudy weather added to the conditions. I pulled my rescue 4 and hit straight to the flag. A great trajectory landing in the middle of the green, assisted by a spin stopped at a yard’s length. That seemed rather close from the tee. I started walking off the tee among great applause from my fellow flight members. I could smell an upcoming birdie as I was getting into my golf cart. I waited for a couple of friends to make their bunker shots. Mine was the last turn because I was closer to the pin.

One of them made a phenomenal putt from a distance, claiming a par. I read the green in detail from all sides of the pin. Finally I had a plan ready to make a putt. I practiced twice. Gluing my eyes to the ball, I eventually took the short without an iota of doubt. My line was perfect. Speed was accurate. I could hear the building roar of my colleagues. I was standing there full of pride, anticipating a great birdie. The ball began to roll and stopped at the lip of the hole. I missed it by just another turn, by one more flip, by the lack of one more ounce of being.

Thus the surprises of golf and the astonishment of wider life are no different. We achieve and lose so many targets in life, just by moments or inches. It doesn’t matter what we get or not. What matters is trying. Only those who try may succeed.

It’s not the destination that matters, it’s the journey. Sobs and smiles together make a life. It Is full of variety and taste.

“The core of the seen and unseen universe smiles, but remember smiles come best from those who weep.”

Rumi

Ahsan Jamil

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Naked Roots

“Whoever has seen a river doesn’t resent giving water to the thirsty.”

Rumi

A cool breeze dancing through the tall trees tries to win over the peeping sunlight in this dense forest. The River under these trees runs determined and confident. The strong rocks and pebbles are irrelevant to the flow of the water. They rather add to the ambiance of the River. A crowd of naked roots of the trees on both banks of the River tell the story of eroded soil. I can hear the hymns of separation that these roots are singing in honor of the departed clay. The fresh leaves however clap in gratitude of being born again. Sporadically I can see small fish floating in the stagnant part of the River. A bunch of birds are out on prey. Some fly away with their beaks full. Others are desperately trying. Fish won’t give up its claim on these temporary ponds. I can see a turtle neck appearing and disappearing in the rocks on the bank of the River. It also has valid authority over these territories.

A couple of sparrows are also flapping their wings after diving in the shallow side of the River. They are fully absorbed in their romantic bathing. Alone I sit on a stone bench on the bank, trying to read a book through my phone. I am trying my best to belong to the atmosphere and sit there as one of them. Yet I am unable to read my book rather the book of nature invites me to read this place.

The nature around this bench blossoms in full bloom. Living and the matter together sing a song of harmony. The flora and fauna, carbon and clay all live in peace here. Only I want things to change. I want the grass mowed, stone bench to sit, the hanging branches trimmed, clothes to cover myself, etc. Everything else, being as it is made, praise each other yet I appreciate this place in another way. I want to use it. While all other things cherish each other. I want my own environment when other things like it the way it is.

I know how to tame or eat the fauna, how to exploit or burn the flora, how to manipulate or use the carbon and how to handle or cultivate the soil. I have power to administer the River. I am human. I am the master of it all and my Master created all of it for me.

It may be so but do I owe my master for all these blessings. Yes I am under obligation to protect and preserve it. If not for its sake for the survival of my own offsprings. For the betterment of my next generations. Exploit but responsibly. Manipulative but reasonably. Use it respectably. Enjoy it, don’t destroy it.

“It moves at its own measured pace, for it has no reason to hurry. Tomorrow will come in its own good time.”

Sidney Sheldon

Ahsan Jamil

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

The Masters

“The very center of your heart is where life begins. The most beautiful place on the earth.”

Rumi

While New York is known for Manhattan and its skyscrapers, the state has much more to offer than that. Most of us usually don’t get a chance to see the rest of the state. Golfers, however, tend to go deep into the countryside, where they are able to experience a different aspect of New York. Today TeeOff booked me at a golf course called the Blue Hill Golf Course at Pearl River, New York. Pearl River is located beyond the Hudson River near Interstate 87. Leading from New York to Canada, I-87 is a beautiful, scenic road that takes you away from the heights of the concrete jungle to the heights of real hills. The Blue Hill is one of them.

The championship golf course, featuring 27 holes, overlooks the Tappan Lake in Pearl River, which is the largest hamlet in Orangetown, New York.

Blue sky, shining sun, lush green surroundings, reflective water hazards, smiling bunkers, glossy greens, and mischievous fairways make it worth the ride. On the other hand, ascending and descending hills and recurring dogleg fairways add more to the challenge. I was paired with two New Yorkers. They knew the course like the palm of their hand. They pointed out the proper landing spots for me on some difficult fairways. Although it’s not easy to land a golf ball at the intended spots, I still came fairly close. One of those shots hit the tree branches and fell at a compromised location. I was disappointed when I reached the ball: there was no shot there. As I bowed to pick my ball up, I saw a gap at the bottom tree line. There were 70 yards, a bunch of trees, and two bunkers between the green and me. Desperately, but confidently, I pulled a 7 iron out of my bag. I played a stinger, a punch shot. My ball, flying low, crossed the rough and the bunkers and gently rolled on the edge of the green. I knew that one shot was a display of my skill and planning. I still am enjoying that one strike. My flight mates cheered my strike, and I felt good.

Golf would not keep you happy for long in a round. The honor and hilarious times are very short-lived in the game of golf. So why is golf so addictive? The element of surprise remains active in the game until the last putt.

“Golf can best be defined as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle.”

Unknown

The Blue Hill Golf Course kept me engaged with its amazing scenery. The eighth tee box at the woodlands course surprised me with a grand view of Tappan Lake.

It’s a par three. The tee is on the top of the hill, and the green is at bottom, almost at the edge of the lake. Only a small country road separates them. It’s a beautiful scene and a difficult shot.

The ninth hole goes along the lake until it turns a bit to the right. I didn’t have time to continue for the 18th. Still, it was a good run. I can’t wait to return there.

Ahsan Jamil

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Drives in Daytona

“Some human beings are safe havens. Be companions with them.”

Rumi

Although I don’t know the language of the birds yet, there is no better place than the LPGA International golf course to learn it. An orchestra of chirping followed by the hammering of woodpeckers entwines my heart and soul then and there. Waves of enlightening melody and currents of soothing rhythm invite my intellect to create lyrics for the environment. All of a sudden, my flight mate in this round points out a couple of red-winged blackbirds. The amazing color scheme at their shoulders reminds me of the epaulettes of the pilots. The captains flew away as I was taking their pics. I can guess they didn’t like the liberty I took to capture their happy moments.

Golf doesn’t like diverted attention and the next shank tried to remind me that I was there for the game and not for the concert of the wing flappers.

As I was getting fully involved in the game again, my other flight mate, knowing my deep interest in nature, showed me a couple of red cardinals. Wow, Florida’s residents are so colorful! As my eyes were trailing the flight of a red cardinal over the lake, I couldn’t move them any further. I could feel a current of horror running through my spine when I saw two big eyes gradually but mysteriously floating toward me in the neighboring swamp. My legs were frozen for a few seconds and I wasn’t interested in the tee box anymore. The presence of an alligator so close to me challenged my love for nature within seconds. On the other hand, Floridians paid no heed to the swamp monster. Many things grow with us as we are brought up in a society. This brief encounter with the alligators of Daytona Beach golf course stayed with me throughout my second round on Hills Course as well. Our own fears live and die with us throughout our life spans.

The famous golf course adds something to my game as well. Although I am playing with rental clubs, I am amazed by my own game.

I am used to playing with different clubs on different courses in different weather among different cultures. This morning, the whole course was working together to make me play better. The curvilinear coordinates of the fairways, Washingtonia robustas (Mexican fan palms, vascular plants like ferns), saw palmettos, the snake-shaped wooden bridges, not to mention the encouraging attitude of my flight mates all improved my game. We all made birdies one after another. Of course the short par three also helped. The company was even greater than all things put together.

How can I ever forget my arrival at Daytona Beach, Florida? A cherished childhood friend came to collect me from the airport. Nature appreciates in its own way when two sincere people meet, therefore it arranged a cool breeze and a mesmerising rainbow to accompany us as we cruised through the newly built expressway. How else can a city welcome you better?

“Many people will walk in and out of your life but only true friends will leave footprints on your heart.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

A walk on Daytona Beach Shores, the boardwalk, the crowd at the pier, breakfast at Hard Rock Cafe, lunch at Aunt Catfish’s On The River, supper at Crabby’s Oceanside, cruising by the Daytona 500 arena on Daytona International Speedway Boulevard, a drive on the beach in a convertible BMW-8, in the company of a very dear childhood friend, jamming on Bon Jovi & Laura Brannigan – it was a party. On top of that, I was under the care of my son during the whole trip. The old man had it all.

Ahsan Jamil

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Chasing the Wind

A roaring wind blows through the tall trees. I stand on tee “one” waiting for the freeway to be free for my upcoming shot. One of the golfers ahead is still in my range, probably searching for his stray ball among the trees on the right. I wonder why on most golf courses in the world wind blows rightward? It’s not easy to play golf in the wind but a lighter one makes it fun.

Wind sometimes blows to make our hair dance and sometimes it shakes our feet. At times it flaps a flag and at others it rustles the leaves. Not all winds blow physically: some blow inside our minds. And those are the winds that shake us the most; winds of thought not only uproot us, they turn others turtle as well.

Ahmad Faraz, a great Urdu poet, complains about the pressure of air,

“اگرچہ زور ہواؤں نے ڈال رکھا ہے

مگر چراغ نے لو کو سنبھال رکھا ہے”

Although wind blows very hard,

The lamp is trying to keep the flame secure.

Not all lamps survive the wind, nor are all flames doused by the gust. Another wind is blowing around us today and it is the wind of change. We learn of new scientific inventions routinely. We are witnessing solar power replacing traditional sources like gasoline at godspeed. We are watching advances in space travel, and much more.

Every aspect of human life is being reformed yet the most dangerous and hazardous of the elements remain untouched.

Hatred, jealousy, and greed are a few factors that bring humanity to the verge of annihilation again and again. We have seen apartheid, genocides, battles, and wars engineered by these human emotions in service of the ego. Do we need to control and contain our hatred, jealousy, and greed? Did someone ever try to learn how to curb these feelings?

As we are so sensitive to the improvement of human bodies, don’t we need to restructure our thought process? Our school systems, and training courses require a considerable part of our life span. We make excellent doctors, teachers, engineers, artists, and poets. Our intellectual training is remarkable. On the other hand, our society pays so little attention to building character. We just brush it aside, saying it’s human nature. Nature can not be changed. It may be so but I am sure our modern society can come up with something.

I wish a wind would blow that would change our minds, our way of thinking, and spread laughter and love. It may blow away hatred and jealousy from our lives, with the winds of peace and equal rights spreading throughout the globe. A wind of gratitude and harmony among our neighborhoods and streets. Sometimes we just dream and become wishful. Someday these dreams may come true.

“When someone criticizes or disagrees with you, a small ant of hatred and antagonism is born in your heart. If you do not squash that ant at once, it might grow into a snake, or even a dragon.”

Rumi

Ahsan Jamil

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

Cry of a Current

“Success is in the journey, but reward is the view from the top.”

Larry Stevens

In the wide world of a wild ocean a cunning current cherishes the openness of it all. A burning star in the bright sky invites the water of the current to evaporate and join a wider world up there. Melodious air runs in between and offers the vapor a ride on its wings. Intoxicated by the heat, fumes of water join the wind and blow away to the skies. Sky, who is the writer of destiny, parks that gasified drop of water among millions of others like it, called clouds. Clouds then travel to destinations unknown. Only the wind knows the way. Somewhere thirsty earth longs for the substance of those clouds and air blows to facilitate it. Yet the vapor thinks it was on its way to the skies. Temperature up there is lower than the ocean. Cold vapor is unable to cross over and it returns to become a drop again, this time a raindrop.

“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”

Rumi

The raindrops fall back to the earth. Some reunite with sea water. Others land somewhere on the thirsty soil. Those who fall on sea rejoice and rejuvenate through their reunions. Others who fall on the land meet different fates. It’s not an easy journey ahead for them. Everything they touch desperately needs them for their own survival. These drops are a lifeline for so many. A drop of water is so valuable on the land that it is amazed by its vital role. Its significance multiplies and the value of its existence soars.

A drop of water is a seed of life on land.

The soil sings for the arrival of clouds and seeds in the grounds worship for the rains. All flora and fauna celebrate rains and so do the skies. Rain may be a flute of the angels and the rainbow proves that heaven exists. Flower or thorn, rain knows no discrimination, it falls on all. Not all drops enjoy becoming a current of an ocean again. Some become creeks and others run as rivers. A few float in tubs and some current in creeks. Some begin to stink in gutters and some sit in marshes. Many irrigate crops and some nourish aquatic plants.

Not all who come to earth lead the same life. On this planet every one meets their own fate. And what is fate but one’s placement here on the globe. They call it existence, I call it destiny. They call it life, I call it time. I wonder what existence on earth is other than the state of mind. Drop or leaf, breeze or ray of sun, breath of life or fragrance of a flower, everything on this planet is just a brief journey. Lucky are those who find a peaceful path. And what is peace again? A state of mind. A dewdrop sitting on a rose petal wonders, what did I do to deserve such a great existence? And cries a current in gratitude to be back in the ocean once again.

“And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?”

Rumi

Ahsan Jamil

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

The River

It was a sunny day. A warm breeze was trying to announce the arrival of summer. I was lying in a hammock among tall pines on the bank of a melodious river. Sidney Sheldon’s Windmills of the Gods was open on my phone. where it read,

“Just remember, when someone has an accent, it means that he knows one more language than you do.”

Of course there are many accents and dialects across the globe, but plants, too, have their own language and expressions. Tall pine trees around the hammock form their own fraternity and they smile and sing to each other. One tells the other that “nature has so much in store that water in the river keeps running, sun keeps shining, nights keep returning and we are standing here for so long.” The other tree answers, “Yes, you are right. But the dwellers of these homes change sporadically. Their stay with us is temporary yet they disturb our peace so much. They cut and trim our colleagues, mow the grass, kill many of us to fulfill their own needs. They bring stinking charcoal to make roads. They paint their homes with dangerous chemicals. Constantly their vehicles emit killer gases. Their air conditioners emit hydrofluorocarbons, which are very harmful to the environment.”

“Yes,” replies the tree again, “you are right.”

“On the other hand they grow beautiful flowers, plant cute shrubs, they nourish them, the smell of their food is so great, they also provide us clean ground. They blow off fallen leaves, save us from diseases. Their contribution is rewarding as well.”

In the meantime the river begins to add more music to their duet. What a mesmerizing sound the running water makes in the great company of pebbles. It has its own accent—and so too do the stones. I can hear birds singing to the tunes of them all. Squirrels came to dance and a couple of turkeys are hitting their beaks hard against the ground as if adding a percussive sting. I simply stick to the rhythm of my breathing, realizing that a human sound—no matter how melodious it might be—can scare them. At this stage I must remain an audience. And focus on trying to hear what they say. What message are they attempting to relay?

I don’t want to comprehend their lyrics, nor do I want to translate anything into my language. I simply want to become one of them: to be a humble part of their choir. The running water, shining sun, cool breeze, tall trees, singing birds, dancing squirrels, knocking turkeys, grazing deers, and a peaceful human will make this planet much prettier than before. We can be there like they all are there. And that may be the ultimate song of harmony the earth longs for.

“Like a shadow I am and I am not.”

Rumi

Ahsan Jamil

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

The Fall

“When the world pushes you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to pray.”

Rumi

The rising stars, soaring birds, mountain climbers and growing trees, golfers seldom look downward. Their rise is what matters to them. The fact is! What goes up comes down. Most of world history is just a book of the rise and fall of races, religions, empires and historical figures. Kingdom formed and lost. In most stories of success and defeat, principally, reasons and causes are always the same, merely the names or dates change. What never changes is the mistakes that all successful people make. Fall is inevitable when the successful stop listening to advice. At a stage the successful begin to believe to be the wisest. As a result of lack of consultancy, they don’t place the right people for the right job. Pick and choose, liking and disliking. Personal whims & unnecessary delays become routine. The flattery that causes superiority complex, high headedness that leads to ignorance and heroism that provides fire for arrogance. Such are roots that feed the Banyan of downfall. Centuries and millennials change but the ingredients of rise and fall remain the same.

Success also has its own rules. Identifying a goal. Determination to achieve it. Patience to train. Will to practice. Sincerity to sweat. Sacrificing for the purpose and willingness to make repeated attempts birth success.

In the battles of achievements mostly the greedy lose and the industrious wins. Greed leads to blind ambition and faith breeds determination. Mighty is often defeated by the zealots. Reason questions but belief makes it viable.

Sincerity is a certainly great asset but skill is a requirement. Where a flower represents reproduction the thorn means protection. Of course flattery is soothing yet criticism is eye opener. The successful must know the difference between a foot licking cat and a yelling friend. Power, fame and success are deafening but stumbling brings reality back. Nothing lasts forever yet the laws of nature do.

While sitting on the throne of success one should remember that there was someone else sitting there before the one. And many others are constantly trying hard to get there.

There’s been a continuous contest for power, fame and wealth and it will remain so. Success basically is the product of struggle; it definitely becomes stagnant specially in the absence of hard work.

Success is a path that is prone to mistakes. Those who admit a mistake, learn from it and refrain from repeating it tend to last longer. Longer or shorter

all those who rise will fall. Some fall gracefully and some fall in violence.

There are many reasons for battles. Yet the most important of them for all is the one for equality among humans & beyond. And that’s the most difficult one. In a fight for social justice, losing is no issue, because fighting for it matters the most.

“The only real struggle in the history of the world…is between the vested interest and social justice.”

Arnold Joseph Toynbee

Ahsan Jamil

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

The Leap Forward

Near the historic vicinity of Garhi Shahu, Lahore, there stands a tall communication tower loaded with satellites linked to various companies. Close by, a glorious minaret of Shalimar Garden burns in anger. It objects to the presence of the ugly communication tower. The communication tower has no architectural value. Rather, it tries to undermine the articulation of the garden.

Although the distance between the aforementioned minaret of Shalimar Gardens and the communication tower is less than a mile, it took humans five centuries to cover these yards. That garden tower was created to keep Lahoriattes at bay—away from the emperor’s activities. On the other hand, communication towers make it possible for humans to talk to each other telephonically. It evaporates the distances between them that sometimes stretch across continents. Societies run on such communication. And towers play a vital role, too.

At the second green of the Royal Palm Golf & Country Club, there is a spot from where we can see the present amalgamating the past. The horizons of different eras meet here. Lahore has seen so much over the millennia. Lahore had been a regional political, cultural, business capital of Punjab. The city has witnessed the Harappan civilization controlling the rivers and their deltas. Mughals played a kinetic role in shaping Lahore as their launch pad. On the other hand, the Ranjeet Singh dynasty gave it a taste of indigenous rule. The British finally brought Lahore into the modern world. In the age of riverboats, Lahore served as a great trading port on the banks of the River Ravi. When Sher Shah Suri identified the grand dirt routes between Delhi and Kabul, Lahore again became the heart of that journey. The British railroads did the same. Lahore has been the Bilistring trade center and major marketplace in the land of five rivers. It is surrounded by the most fertile delta, which is known as the food basket of the world. Centuries meet here and it is a melting pot of cultures. A round of golf at the Royal Palm is a walk through history. On the east of the golf course floats an irrigation canal taking water from dams to the agricultural farms. Beyond that canal sits the cantonment and other modern housing societies. To the west, a railroad runs across the country. Behind that revolves the city and then the walled city.

Lahore continued to grow and remained relevant because of its immense capacity to learn. Its adjustability and acceptance of newer trends and technologies is truly remarkable. Lahore has enormous eppitite to embrace change. The RPGCC itself has seen multiple transformations. From the railway officers’ club of the British Raj to the present day, it has seen numerous administrations and a host of changes. Once, its water hazards served as water reservoirs serving the railways workshops. Today they stand as fish ponds within the club. They are deep and extensive. The course grew from a small three-hole practice course to the present eighteen-hole tournament course.

A radicle emerges from a germinating seed to fetch water to shoot to the plumule, which gradually develops into leaves and stems, and then a trunk and branches. These are all changes the seeds must go through, but first it has to shed its testa. In order to embrace change, we too need to emerge from our testas.

Anyhow, change is a strange phenomenon; it repents progress. They say nothing stays the same, yet Led Zeppelin sings, “Song remains the same.”

“Try not to resist changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?”

Rumi

Credits

Royal Palm GCC

Google

YouTube

Ahsan Jamil

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf

I know

“I am not a body with a soul, I am a soul that has a visible part called body.”

Juvairiya Adam

We are living in an era of information and communication. We know too much. They all carry encyclopedias in their palms and libraries in their pockets. You name it, they know it. Their high-tech life, infotech upbringing and extraterrestrial plans are a means to creating a host of innovations & endless creations. They produce Hard Rock and Abstract art. They fly remote control helicopters on Mars and their spaceships float across the cosmos. They use cordless widgets and solar energy. They drive fuel-free electric vehicles and take virtual tours. They attend online classes and work from home. They regularly play video games together without ever knowing each other physically. Organ transplant and stem cell procedures are a common phenomenon. In-vitro fertilizations and clonings are all within their grasp. Guys look like ladies and girls act like men. Gender transition and abortion are readily accepted. Marijuana is legal and hijab is illegal. Technically we have become a multiplanetary species. Human beings have strayed so far from those early caves.

What did they lose on the way? The biggest outward erosion is of the environment, and the strongest inward loss is the ever-increasing lack of empathy. I must have an iPhone 13! Others may sleep on the streets at the corner of my skyscraper. Others’ hunger matters less than a date at Nusr-Et Steakhouse. Our empathy is constantly diminishing as we increasingly live online. The world on screen looks cleaner and much more colorful than it does in real life. Our isolation is insulating us against the realities of our surroundings. Our increasing self-reliance and use of machinery keep us aloof from the rest of society and we are learning to be selfish and to prefer living alone, thus promoting the culture of ‘Who cares.’ The loss is all ours.

“When we practice loving, kindness and compassion we are the first ones to profit.”

Rumi

I personally think we should lead a fruitful life like a tree. The tree gives a lot to its surroundings. The tree inhales carbon from the air and releases oxygen for the living. It provides home to birds, squirrels, insects, reptiles and so many others. It gives shade in scorching weather. It provides wood for fire in icy conditions. Its fallen leaves fertilize the soil it stands on. They say trees are ornaments of planet earth. I say they are its makeup.

When wind flutes through a tree and swings its branches, it mesmerizes the atmosphere. When sunrays peek through the narrow gaps in its foliage, it swirls the heart of the environment. When raindrops fall on its crown, it rings bells of joy in the garden of life. Trees are friendly in all seasons—warm and cold.

The autumn trees remind me of the emptiness of today’s lifestyle. On the barren path of commercialization, we walk naked without emotions and empathy. We have no time to hear our neighbor’s sobs. We no longer care what’s happening to our poor relatives. We are so busy in offices, at gyms, on the internet, at sports, that we have to be prompted by a TV commercial before we donate to charity. Our careers take precedence over our dreams. Our domestic life has also become ever more fragile. More marriages break than last. We value reason over emotions. Emotion promotes love and reason curbs it. Love breeds compassion and prudence questions passion. Yet our entire scientific progress is based on reason. No doubt reason saves us from superstitions, but it should never stop us from dreaming. After all, it is the leap of faith that propels an explorer to embark on a voyage.

We should spare some time to get to know ourselves. We should explore our souls. A balance between reason and emotion can make life wonderful. A flute is merely a piece of wood till an artist’s lips touch it.

“Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.”

Albert Schweitzer

Credits

Google

YouTube

Ahsan Jamil

Golfer, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Author, Poet, Wanderer, photographer, Rebel.

Email: Golfaij@gmail.com

Website: Golfaij.com

YouTube: Morning with Golf