Thursday, 15th May 2008
Appreciate
Some people tend to think that we’re not grateful for what we have until we lose it, be it a material object or possession or even someone as dear as your mother or sibling, and if you would have to ask a person “what is the greatest gift you can receive during your lifetime?”, they would probably answer by mentioning some material object, the latest technology maybe, or even go as far as wishing for love and world peace. Although these answers could be well useful in life, especially something like world peace, but if one had to ask the same question to a person who has just been diagnosed with severe lung cancer, the only answer you would get is “TIME”.
Life is probably the most precious thing one has, no matter how rich or famous he/she is. When people start thinking about the fact of life or lack thereof when they lose someone dear to them, they realize how lucky they are just to be alive. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said “WHY?!?, Why did this happen to me?” We all have these moments. The only thing that we fail to realize is that during moments of crisis and difficulty, we blame God for everything, but when faced with a wonderful life-giving situation, something as simple as waking up everyday and being able to walk, the majority of us don’t even say “Thank you”.
If one had to go visit the University grounds at the moment, one would find nothing but a library full of students studying and stressing out about forthcoming examinations. Looking at it from a “student-who-loves-life” point of view, I sometimes think to myself….why all this stress just to attempt at passing a couple of exams? Some students here would totally disagree with this thought, because for them University and high grades and their future career is of top priority (and who blames them?), but it’s true when you think about it at the end of the day, life can come to an end at any time the Lord chooses to take it away from us – so why not live life to the full every single moment you have the chance to.
Don’t get me wrong, student life is the best time of my life – I’ve not had the chance to experience a full-time job life, but everyone who has, says; “Kemm nixtieq ghadni l-universita`” (How I wish I was still a University student). Everything has its ups and downs, but make the most of it whilst you’re at it.
We complain too much not being aware of how lucky we are and how thankful we need to be for going home at night and having a bed to sleep in, of getting a costly heating bill at the end of the month because we were lucky enough to have heating appliances in the cold winter months, of having a huge pile of clothes to wash and iron because that means that we have clothes to wear, and my all time favourite, of complaining and cursing at the alarm clock in the early hours of the morning, because that means that we are alive to face another glorious day.
Two years ago I had the misfortune of losing a cousin who was only 2 months old. He didn’t get any chance to experience life and what it had to offer him, and then I hear mature adults say they wish they were never born.
Life is a gift which can be taken from us at any time. We need to learn how to appreciate everything in life and learn how not to take the people we love for granted and be thankful for everything that happens, be it good or bad, because as the French say; C’est la vie.
Ursula Farrugia is a 2nd Year Law Student and a member of InSite, the student media organization www.insite.org.mt .
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