...No Time To Stand and Stare

"Leisure," by W.H. Davies.

What is this life, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hid their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stop and stare.

Such a lovely poem with loads of wisdom! What is life meant for? And what we are making our life to be? Are we aware what we are caring so much for?

Day after day life is becoming fast paced. We are slowly becoming cogs in the wheel of so called development and prosperity. And we are becoming emotion blind as well as emotion deaf. All our waking hours are spend thinking about one cause of worry or the other. Typical life in metros or mini-metros is more like work, travel, and a little time with family (if you reach home early).

But what about waking up every morning to see the first rays of Sun, or to gaze at sky in night and admire the moon and twinkling stars? Either these little pleasures of life have became luxury today or perhaps we are too occupied with drudgery of life to even think of them. How long it had been since the last time you stopped near a flower plant to admire the beauty of the flower or to admire a butterfly romancing the flowers? You see kids frolicking in the mud and you smile but just the other moment you are reminded by your mind about meetings, deadline, shedules, etc. and you rush to your next destination. Why so much rush? Why this urban madness? Why cannot we admire life in its totality and experience the rich and varied beauty that is all around us?

Isn’t it time that we just empty our minds for sometime and let the beauty of little pleasures of life fill it? I think life would be much more worthwhile and fulfilling then.

It’s also a time to ask this question: Do we want to be an automaton made of nuts & bolts or a human-being made of feelings and emotions? Ponder over it.