Elixir of Life

Let us begin with the fable of a king who frantically wanted to take a sip of “Elixir of Life (Aab-e-Hayat)” so that he could live forever. A saint took the king to the well from where such a drink was available. Upon reaching the area the King was horrified to see nearly-dead but alive the elderly people crawling on the ground.

I cannot withstand this chilling sight. Why is like that? King asked the saint.
Well, they have had Aab-e-Hayat to live forever, the saint replied. Now, he continued, they will have to live the life of this world regardless of getting older and being unable to move.
That means I’ll also end up crawling like them if I took the sip of this drink, the king asked with a shadow of fright on his face.
Absolutely; the Saint replied smilingly.

Without going further into the king’s story, a question comes into the mind that why people right through the ages preferred long life! This question needs to be explored and understood through some logical explanations.

Human being is a creature whose aims and objectives remain flexible and ever-changing during his/her entire life according to the social environment encircling the individual. With the passage of time the cherished goals are realized but new ones crop up instantly. A kid dreams of possessing a truckload of chocolates and ice cream. School boy dreams of possessing expensive game console e.g. X-Box, branded sneakers, plentiful school holidays, etc. An undergraduate fantasizes of having sports bike, friends from opposite gender, pair of Levi’s jeans, expensive cell phone, etc.

Ask a near-graduate what he/she aspires in the forthcoming practical life and reply of almost all of them would be; a good job or higher studies, a car, a house/apartment and a matching spouse. Believe me no one would think beyond these basic wishes. Just how long it takes to fulfill these desires in one’s life? Not many years; would be a unanimous response. If it is so, then where does one get lost? Actually one goes astray in the labyrinth of multiple longings that grow side by side never letting a person to realize that the cherished basic desires have long been achieved and new & strong ones have replaced them. A good job has been secured but promotions, incentives, higher salary etc., keep the one restless perpetually. The individual maintains a small secondhand car but longs for a better one; a luxurious sleek sedan. He has managed to buy a two-bed apartment but seeks to move into a house. And then incessant wants and requirements of family; simply, there is no stopping to the wish list.

The foregoing scenario depicted the life of a middle class man but what about the “Forbes” class; the powerful politicians, the authoritarian generals, the successful business tycoons, the IT magnates, and media moguls! All these elites play magic and make their wealth increase exponentially. Even lavish expenses do no harm to their accumulations which keep on growing.

These relentless unfulfilled dreams generate a desire within a person to live on and on and on. All will agree that even Aab-e-Hayat would prove insufficient in quenching the thirst of wants and desires.

Can a man stop yearning for it?