Do You Have A Negative View of Life?

I have mentioned on my previous post that life will never go easy on anyone. True as it is I can still say life's beautiful. Why? Let me tell you a story that me and my father created as we we're talking one day about life, way back my teen age years, he probably would have a different version of it now if he's to tell the story but allow me to tell you mine. Here is how the story goes:




The Fall

Once, there stood a magnificent and mighty tree in a midst of a thick forest. So vibrant and lush that whoever sees it, adores it. Even the kings and the nobles admire it's grandness. It's resident leaves however, appear to be dominated by another feeling, a feeling that consumed them daily, the fear of "the fall". "We are clinging to the mightiest tree ever there is in the entire forest" says one leaf, "let's live our lives selfishly and indulge every moment of it, worrying on nothing but ourselves." As a result, it was a chaotic world.

While they were consoling themselves with such words, Unknown to everyone, the tree budded a new leaf. Unobserved, the new leaf was a picture of innocence. Unsophisticated and unworldly, he was a picture of naiveté. At the heart of a crowded tree a new life was born that day.

Few days had passed the young leaf became conscious of his surroundings. One early morning he was awaken by a disturbing sound, a sound of a worm munching another leaf just beneath him, it was a horrible scene. "I had one of those things on me one time". says a voice beside him. The new leaf glanced and saw a malformed leaf, so horrifying that he can't bare to watch. "thank goodness a bird came and swallowed it." the deformed leaf continues, "keep an eye on those things, they're beasts, they'll show you no mercy." then the deformed leaf said nothing more. While he was left startled by the scenes he had witnessed, the young leaf noticed just slightly above him, a leaf with a different color, pale and brownish. A leaf drained out of his youth. Then without warning a deafening CRACK filled the air, down came the brownish leaf never to be seen again, detached from the mighty tree to a place no one knows. The young leaf turned to the deformed leaf and asked, "what happened to that leaf?" "That is the final destiny of everyone here, we call it "the fall" everyone here is afraid of the fall." answered the deformed leaf. Shocked and speechless the young leaf didn't know what hit him, he was baffled.

For days the young leaf spoke to no one. then finally, he said, "from now on I will mind no one and care for no one. Life is unfair and has no beauty, bad things would happen anyway no matter what. I will live my life selfishly and indulge every moment of it, worrying on nothing but myself." and that's what he did from that day on.

Years passed til one particular day he noticed his color. "no, not me!" he said, and he remembered "the fall" and was stricken with great terror. Day after day right before his eyes, his color was fading and he was filled with fear. Day after day he was filled with anxiety until eventually he heard it again, CRACK! the dreaded day happened, "the fall." Down came the once young leaf.

Slowly the wind took him further and further, gradually he is beginning to see the entire tree, where he once was. Beautiful and splendid the tree stood with it's glory. "WOW" was the only word he could utter. A delayed admiration underlying a regretful ending. "Why didn't I enjoy my time being a part of that tree? Why was I engrossed with fear of the fall? Why was I so absorbed with worries that choked the very life in me," said the leaf.

...end of story

It's undeniable, yes, that life is full of negative things; but how you handle it makes the difference.

I had a melancholic childhood myself and experienced a lot of unpleasant things, however, if given a chance to relive my life, i would still choose to be born the way I was because those negative experiences led me to look at things rather differently; to better sympathize with people in pain and compels me to help others rather than withdraw. For in the process of walking an extra mile, i am finding healing for myself.

Life introduced me to my wife and my son - they're the best thing that ever happened to me and somehow they outweigh those previous bad experiences. I thank God for them everyday.