Beginning and End

Beginning and End 
 the eternal law of creation — whatever has a beginning must have an end. Be it a human being, nature, animals, trees, or any living entity — everything that is born must one day perish. Everyone knows that their time here is limited. Yet, we spend our entire lives chasing material comforts and luxuries — often going to any lengths to achieve them, even if it means compromising our morals. Even with the awareness that death is inevitable, people live as if they will stay forever. Each one of us wishes to live life to the fullest. In doing so, we often forget that this body is mortal, and ask ourselves: For whom am I really doing all this? Everyone hungers for fame. Just as every night is followed by day, and every day by night — life too has its ups and downs. After every rise, there may be a fall, and if one continues to work sincerely, a new rise follows. This reminds me of a real-life incident.

 A long time ago, There lived a man who started a small business with honesty, hard work, and discipline. His integrity, humility, and commitment to quality made his name widely respected. He shared his profits equally with his employees, which made them feel like the business was their own. He believed in simple living and high thinking, and his needs were minimal. Life and business — both were going smoothly. His son, however, had different thoughts. He was troubled by the fact that his father worked so hard and yet lived a very modest life. He couldn’t understand why his father gave away so much of the profit to the workers and kept just enough to run the house. Slowly, anger and resentment grew within him. He thought, “The day this business is mine, I’ll run it my way!” With this thought, he focused on his studies and performed well academically. One day, when his father fell slightly ill, the son said, “Let me join the business now.” The father, trusting his son and his values, welcomed him into the business. But destiny had something else in store. Within a few days, the son began showing his true colors. He started breaking the very rules his father had lived by. Complaints began pouring in from staff, and the father — shocked and heartbroken — suffered a stroke. He lost his ability to speak and was partially paralyzed. Now the son had full control over the business. He took huge loans, installed automated machines, and fired the old loyal staff, replacing them with flatterers and yes-men. But the new model didn’t work. Business started failing. The old staff — loyal yet now unemployed — were left helpless. The father, speechless and devastated, could only watch. Eventually, the business collapsed entirely. It was then that the son realized his grave mistake. He came back to his father and former employees, asking for forgiveness — full of regret. This is the cycle of rise and fall, the inevitable beginning and end. Just as storms, floods, earthquakes, or pandemics like COVID bring destruction in their initial phase — they too pass, and peace returns. This is the eternal law of nature — what begins, must end. So as long as we live, let us: Do good deeds, live peacefully, and let others live too. > “Do your duty without attachment to results, O human — this is the essence of the Gita.”