Experience It While You Still Can

For there to be birth, there must be death and destruction.  That is a basic tenet of Hinduism and explains the fact that everything can’t exist forever.  This holds true for man-made objects as well as things in nature.  I have been fortunate to have visited quite a few amazing places but there are many more to be seen.  We all have a bucket list and I urge all of you to see and experience what's on your list as soon as you can, before the items are gone.  In 2001, the beautiful towering Buddhas of Bamiyan statues in Afghanistan were dreadfully destroyed by the Taliban.  Nobody can see them now and nobody in 2000 expected them to be gone forever a year later.  I visited the World Trade Center when it was still standing and I’ve been to the Taj Mahal and Niagara Falls.  Who knows what could happen tomorrow?  The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Honshu, Japan is proof of the instantantaneous destructive power that nature possesses.  But man often destroys nature.

Oil spills ruin coastal areas.  Plants and animals go extinct, sometimes due to invasive species introduced by humans.  Global warming is causing the glaciers to retreat and melt away.  The ice caps are shrinking.  There is so much to see and do that it almost seems like a race against the clock.  But usually when people have time, they don’t have the money and when they have money, they don’t have the time.  Another thing to remember as to why we should go and see things NOW :-) is that we all get older.  We may not be able to scale a mountain in 10 years due to a sports injury to a knee.  Delaying travel with a loved one may lead to that loved one passing away before there is a chance to experience a place together.

We always think we have time to see things later and I especially notice this about attractions that are local.  I have yet to see the Cleveland Orchestra perform in the beautifully renovated Severance Hall.  In addition to having grown up there, I lived in that area for over a year recently.  The mindset is often, “why see it now if I can see it easily later?”  I’m just as guilty as the next person.  It’s easy to forget that people move and formerly local attractions become much more difficult to visit.

“Bucket lists” are great, but perhaps they should include deadlines.

+ Atul

Comments

[Meenal]

You're absolutely right Atul. So sad about the Buddhas getting destroyed by the Taliban. Next time you're in Cleveland for an extended period of time, let's check out a famous landmark here.