Three months ago a relative lost her mother. It was a double blow—hardly three years ago she had bid the final adieu to her father. A loving and caring child, she had been interacting with the parents everyday till they passed away one after the other. Their departure has left a big void in her life. She continues to breakdown at the very mention of their names and dutifully posts their pictures on her social media accounts every other day. It matters little that both her parents were above eighty years in age, or that she has a bustling family of about thirty people, right from an eighty-plus mother-in-law to some five-year-old grand children.

Some of us are alarmed at this extended mourning. Grieving at the loss of a life is natural; allowing the sadness to overpower us is not. Corona has exposed us to an unpleasant fact—we all must face the reality of death. Most of us have already lost a dear friend, relative, or acquaintance to the epidemic. We don't know, who is the next in line.

If death means the end, don't we deal with it in a healthy manner throughout our professional lives? For example, don't we try and stick to all accepted deadlines? Whether it was the release of the next edition of the quarterly corporate magazine, broadcast of the national news bulletin, settlement of customer complaints, execution of orders, or the completion of projects—I was particular about always adhering to the deadlines. The same must be true with you. We all have little time to gloat over the success of the just completed task, and get absorbed in the next activity almost immediately. Should we not handle death also in a similar manner?

As mentioned in a previous article, I am neither a preacher nor wish to influence your religious views. However, it would be pertinent to quote Lord Krishna here (Gita Shloka 2.13):

देहिनोsस्मिन् यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा। तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति।।      

(As the soul attains childhood, youth, and old age in a particular body, it also acquires different bodies. Wise people don't get deluded by the journey of the soul from one body to another.)

The philosophy is also reflected in the epitaph of Acharya Rajneesh, which reads: "Never Born, Never Died. Only Visited this Planet Earth between Dec 11 1931 – Jan 19 1990."    

The best way to remember the departed was demonstrated by Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal in the memory of his wife; by Dashrath Manjhi, who carved a path in a hill and shortened the travelling distance from 55 km to 15 km after his wife died due to a fall in the mountain; or by the cricketer Imran Khan who founded the charitable Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre when his mother succumbed to the disease. The examples can be numerous, I have mentioned just the ones with which most of us are familiar. Passive mourning can continue endlessly, but what can be a better tribute than doing something useful for the society?

Passivity is a double-edged sword. It is a favourite weapon of those averse to taking risks. A very learned and shrewd prime minister of India used to remain silent at controversial junctures. This tactic became famous and popularised the phrase, "when in doubt, pout!" Another prime minister, the most educated India has had thus far, adopted passiveness to such a high degree in the latter half of his term that 'policy paralysis' became the catchphrase description for his style of governance. No wonder, his party was unceremoniously ousted in the next general elections. Once treated with great respect the world over, the leader stands nowhere near the position that he deserved once upon a time.

Inaction and silence can result in heavy loss of reputation and position—whether in politics, business, or in personal life. Concerned about the fear of Arjuna in taking up arms, Krishna said (Gita, Shloka 2.34):           

अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेsव्ययाम्। संभावितस्य चाकीर्तिर्मरणादतिरिच्यते।।

(If you shirk responsibility, everybody will talk bad about you, and your name will get blemished for ever. Dishonour is worse than death for the noble.)

But the point is, many a times the fear of failure is so real, the risks are so great, and defeat is so certain that remaining passive appears to be the only option. But, is it really so? Krishna provides guidance in the matter (Gita Shloka 2.37):  

हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि सवर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम्। तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः।।

(Arise, the son of Kunti! If you die, you will have heavenly comforts. If you win, you will enjoy everything the earth has to offer.)

Big words? No! Look at the defeat of the Indian women's hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics, 2020. The team failed to win any medal at the event, but its players were described as 'bravehearts,' 'courageous,' 'spirited,' etc., by the media. Why? Because they played valiantly and almost snatched the bronze medal, undeterred by the fact that the previous best performance of the team was 41 years ago in the 1980 Moscow Games, where they finished fourth among six teams.

The public is clear, our girls have tried. The same public, which doesn't mind dumping even the greatest heroes when they fail to act! Whether it is the public, the share holders, the boss, or even your own child, there is only one sure way of earning their respect—doing something positive regardless of the situation.