Rev Fr G L Khing
NEISSR, Chümoukedima
The starting point of everything as an individual and community is life. Life is good, yet so complex. The mystery of life is made known only to those who live beyond their mere imagination. Students must grasp the mystery of life through books, interactions and experiences. Creative imagination can enhance your thinking. Mere imagination can drown your life.
Today, most students are trapped in the world of mere imagination. They find their life to be so fascinating. They live in a fancy world.Numerous imaginations without any basis of reality capture their life in an instant. They imagine themselves as big without any foundation. The future becomes bleak due to biased imaginations. This is injurious to students. A good imagination is healthy. It broadens your attitude. Mere imagination makes you unhealthy. It makes you unstable and fragile.
Why living beyond mere imagination is important?
The beautiful clouds along the streams and rivers do not last the whole day. They disappear with the heat of the Sun. Likewise; mere imagination is good only to disappear at meeting the reality of life. As students, you must learn to live beyond the cloud. Life is more than stagnant wasteful imagination. Do not let fanciful imagination take away your reality. As primary students, you imagine yourselves as big and strong because inwardly you need more security and protection. As high school students, you try to imitate celebrities to be fitted into the group. Peer pressure influences your way of life. Fashion and externalism become important for you. At the graduate and master's level, your imaginations give way to a creative and enduring decision for life. At this stage, you leave behind all levels of unstable imagination to achieve a concrete and comprehensive realization of your goal. All fanciful imaginations fade away. Reason and reflection find their home in you. You grow towards maturity in life.
Do not try to stabilize your life after sunset. In other words, do not try to push everything to the future. Your future begins at every sunrise. Learn to walk in the light. The wise men make hay while the sun shines. The rays of the sun come through different persons, events and experiences. Darkness and storms appear from time to time to make you stronger. Beware! Do not let the darkness consume your life. Many students are defeated by the vices of darkness. They have intellectual calibre but lost themselves in the wild woods of unsynchronized imaginations. They tried to live big even before the clock struck. They failed to pursue their studies and fell victim to different abuses. They lost their life before beginning to live a stable life.
As students, you have many more years to live. Let your life be of service to the human race. Contribute towards the welfare of the larger society with your good and trustworthy life. Render your service as per your capability without any grudge. Never remain idle in the cloud of imagination. Engage yourselves productively according to times and seasons. It will make you stronger to face the winter of life. Always build your inner strength to defend yourself from evil ones. Be on your guard! Evil has numerous forms. The inner strength is your quality of life. It comes from upright living. You must be resilient so that no external forces put you down. A student’s life is a profession of learning. Both are equally important. The combination of both elements is a way to erase all false imaginations and hallucinations of life. You cannot travel in the air of mere imagination to reach your goal. Be realistic in your daily approach.
Lifestyle is changing faster than ever. Hold on to your traditional and cultural values. They will guide you to brighter prospects. What is humanly possible is also spiritually possible. Humanity and spirituality should be the guiding force of your life. They subdue all false imaginations and evil desires. Let respect for elders flow from your learning. Allow your steps to be guided by moral values. Reality-based learning must build its mansion in you. You will never regret being a real man/woman. What lasts till the end is reality, not mere whimsical imagination.
No human being has fully discovered himself/herself in a short span of life. We are all trying to move from mere imagination to the creative imagination of reality. The ability to face the challenges of life may appear rough and tough, but we can win life with determination and perseverance. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has rightly said, “If you want to shine like a Sun, first burn like a Sun.” Always remember that life is more than fanciful imagination. Start living your real self today and achieve something worthwhile before you turn old and grey.
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