This young star has come of age
Actress Sheridan Smith’s decision to pull out of a performance in Funny Girl The Musical due to her father’s illness is music to ears of those believing in paying back to their parents, especially when they actually need you.
Smith’s father Colin is suffering from cancer and as a result, she dropped out of the production, much to the chagrin of the producers.
Smith is only 34 and conventionally it is no age to chuck one’s career. But the star doesn’t seem to have an iota of regret. Maybe she has learned to re-evaluate her priorities and find out what’s important in life.
It takes lot of guts, conviction and maturity to take such a decision. Whether she provides the best possible care to her dad or nurses him back to health or for that matter spends quality time with him at the twilight of his life – the whole idea is not to regret for the way you live your life. Make sure you do everything you want to do, and that’s not just scaling the ladder of materialistic success.
I remember a quote from Mark Twain which aptly sums up the whole idea.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Age no bar for good health
It always pays to have good health. Recently I read a news item wherein it was mentioned that one Florence Calendar had become the oldest patient to undergo the knee replacement surgery successfully at the age of 100.
The pensioner from Stockton-on-Tees was operated at the University Hospital of North Tees.
She believes that her active work life helped to keep her in good shape to endure the operation. She learned to be agile at her mother’s knee. She worked on the farm most of her life as her mother was a farmer’s daughter. This active life kept her busy and in shape, and today her good health has stood her in good stead as she went under the knife for her knee replacement at the ripe age of 100. She credits her robust health to farm life. But for her good health, she didn’t have to beg on bended knee for help at this age of her life.
Mahatma Gandhi used to say, “It is health which is real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver.”
The point to drive home is health is the greatest wealth. It’s the highest blessing. It is the source of all happiness. Money can’t buy happiness. Happiness is invaluable and not dependent upon the wealth of an individual. Even with limited income, a person with sound health can lead a happy and satisfactory life.
Two wrongs don’t make a right
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s heart is in the right place when it comes to reforms and economic growth. But he alone cannot run the show. In a democracy Parliament reigns supreme. His party (BJP) had a landslide in 2014 General Elections and as a result has a clear majority in the Lower House of the Parliament. But they lack majority in the Upper House. And this has been coming in the way of Modi’s new India plans. Major reform bills like labour and GST (Goods and Service Tax) are stuck in the Upper House, not because they are not well-intended but because of Congress’ ‘tit for tat’ politics. The opposition (Congress-led UPA), which continues to control the legislature’s upper chamber, deliberately stifles the bills because they were victims of similar logjam when UPA was in power. It is claimed that BJP had done the same thing when the UPA was in power. The UPA is now paying BJP back in the same coin. But this kind of politics does not augur well for India. The opposition parties are not realising that this Parliament logjam is costing India dearly and India’s taxpayers are the biggest casualty in this stalemate. I strongly believe that every parliamentary democracy should have a strong opposition to keep a check on the ruling party, but opposing something just for the sake of opposing is not mature politics. Two wrongs don’t make a right. A statesman-like conduct from Indian parliamentarians, especially from the opposition, is the need of the hour to take the country forward.
Also, the media too should show some restraint while criticising Modi whose intentions are genuine. At present, his hands are tied because of lack of majority in Rajya Sabha. Media often believe that they are the custodians of values or standards which they know little about. They should now rather come down heavily on the opposition in India who are in the majority in the Upper House and are impeding the progress of India.
