Gently down the Stream.
Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily,
Life is but a Dream!”
Most beautiful things in life are simple. And this nursery rhyme is no exception. As children, how many thousand times would we have sung this rhyme in a loud chorus in class? As we grew up, it faded from our memory. Little did we realise then that these four lines contain the essence of good, intelligent living. Too many young people spend far too much time worrying about life and their future. To be responsible and plan for a sound future is a worthy pursuit. But to be anxious and worry about life is futile. This rhyme is simple, easy to understand and its wisdom is so profound.
“Row, Row, Row your Boat,” Clearly in a choice-less lifetime, where we could not choose how, to whom, when and where we were born and where we cannot choose when we will depart, the only choice we have is to live a good life. And to live means to do our duty, selflessly. Therefore, we must keep rowing, on and on, implores this rhyme. Rowing here, to be sure, points to performing our duty in various roles in life as a child, parent, employee, citizen, human being__diligently and without compromise.
“Gently down the Stream.” Mark the word ‘gently’. Clearly, the message and advice is to not flap your oars with anxiety or to jump around__else the boat will capsize. But to move gently. The implication is to treat this life as ‘a gift’__after all, you didn’t ask to be born, did you? You were gift
ed this life. So, treat it with dignity. Even at times, when the going is tough, and you imagine you are actually rowing upstream, the rhyme encourages us to realise that it is actually a ‘smooth, naturally inclined, downward’ journey. Which also means that all of us are given situations that we are capable of handling. So, accept the task of navigating through the tough times, and do it with calm and poise, reminds the rhyme.
“Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily,” This means that since you don’t have a choice about rowing your boat, you might as well do it happily, joyfully. This encourages you to savour every moment of the journey. Many a time, we rush through our lives, rarely pausing to drink in its beauty. A child’s smile, the love in someone’s eyes, someone helping the blind cross a road, a bird chirping, a rainbow….every sight, every event is exquisitely crafted for our personal learning and enjoyment. But we are so consumed with ourselves that we miss them. It is like going to the cinema and being engrossed in text-messaging someone, missing important parts of the movie. What then would be our recall of the movie experience? This line, therefore, stresses on the importance of staying in the now and enjoying every moment of life’s journey.
“Life is but a Dream!” That is what it is. What we call a lifetime, is but a nano-second in cosmic parlance. And, even as the debates rage on the subject, there really is no sure way of your remembering what happened here after you are gone from this planet. It is like waking up from your sleep and being unable to remember what you had dreamt about. Would you worry about such a dream for too long in the day or would you just carry on with you work and commitments? The rhyme, in reminding us that life is but a dream, encourages us to leave the past behind and move on. I learnt this all important life lesson from good friends and authors, Matt Weinstein and Ritch Davidson, (‘Managing to have Fun’ and ‘Work like your Dog’), several years ago. And I have shared my interpretation of the rhyme here with you, so that you can soak in its essence and use it to guide you through the calm and__at times__choppy waters of life!
Happy Rowing!
Learnings:
1. Life's a journey!
2. Do your duty. And don't be either anxious or avaricious for the outcome.
3. Don't Worry! Be Happy!!
“Row, Row, Row your Boat,” Clearly in a choice-less lifetime, where we could not choose how, to whom, when and where we were born and where we cannot choose when we will depart, the only choice we have is to live a good life. And to live means to do our duty, selflessly. Therefore, we must keep rowing, on and on, implores this rhyme. Rowing here, to be sure, points to performing our duty in various roles in life as a child, parent, employee, citizen, human being__diligently and without compromise.
“Gently down the Stream.” Mark the word ‘gently’. Clearly, the message and advice is to not flap your oars with anxiety or to jump around__else the boat will capsize. But to move gently. The implication is to treat this life as ‘a gift’__after all, you didn’t ask to be born, did you? You were gift
ed this life. So, treat it with dignity. Even at times, when the going is tough, and you imagine you are actually rowing upstream, the rhyme encourages us to realise that it is actually a ‘smooth, naturally inclined, downward’ journey. Which also means that all of us are given situations that we are capable of handling. So, accept the task of navigating through the tough times, and do it with calm and poise, reminds the rhyme.“Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily,” This means that since you don’t have a choice about rowing your boat, you might as well do it happily, joyfully. This encourages you to savour every moment of the journey. Many a time, we rush through our lives, rarely pausing to drink in its beauty. A child’s smile, the love in someone’s eyes, someone helping the blind cross a road, a bird chirping, a rainbow….every sight, every event is exquisitely crafted for our personal learning and enjoyment. But we are so consumed with ourselves that we miss them. It is like going to the cinema and being engrossed in text-messaging someone, missing important parts of the movie. What then would be our recall of the movie experience? This line, therefore, stresses on the importance of staying in the now and enjoying every moment of life’s journey.
“Life is but a Dream!” That is what it is. What we call a lifetime, is but a nano-second in cosmic parlance. And, even as the debates rage on the subject, there really is no sure way of your remembering what happened here after you are gone from this planet. It is like waking up from your sleep and being unable to remember what you had dreamt about. Would you worry about such a dream for too long in the day or would you just carry on with you work and commitments? The rhyme, in reminding us that life is but a dream, encourages us to leave the past behind and move on. I learnt this all important life lesson from good friends and authors, Matt Weinstein and Ritch Davidson, (‘Managing to have Fun’ and ‘Work like your Dog’), several years ago. And I have shared my interpretation of the rhyme here with you, so that you can soak in its essence and use it to guide you through the calm and__at times__choppy waters of life!
Happy Rowing!
Learnings:
1. Life's a journey!
2. Do your duty. And don't be either anxious or avaricious for the outcome.
3. Don't Worry! Be Happy!!
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