Editorial - Our duty is to enrich the lives of others

26 February 2013 08:14 pm

There is a beautiful but thought provoking moral lesson in sacred scripture. “A man had a tree planted in his garden, and he came looking for fruit, but found none”. He said to the gardener, “for three years I have been looking for fruit on this tree and found none:  Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?”. “Sir”, the man replied, “leave it one more year, and give me time to dig around and manure it: It may bear fruit next year; if not then you can cut it down”.

A tree would derive its self-worth when it’s able to give its fruit. The fruit symbolises the joy and the enrichment of life it gives to others. A tree that fails to give joy and the enrichment of life to others, fails to bear that much sought after fruit. It thereby is open to allowing destiny to terminate its existence.

Likewise, each one of us is called to enrich the life of others. In the family, we could see if we are having an effect on the rest. One or more of its members could be instrumental in bringing on laughter and happiness. Or, so barren and bereft that one lives for oneself alone. Probably stuck to the idiot box or glued to the papers when others around seek your attention. Such could be living on the borrowed time. A family that cares to radiate the joy of living to each other would be a family one would want to go to after a hard day’s work. But where the joy of life is not present, members could go seeking forbidden fruits in the sinful world we live in, or seek it in the forbidden pastures of the internet. Being comfortable and savouring the delight of the other’s presence brings on communication and interaction and its absence only loneliness and rejection.

Our leaders and the fraternity of, sadly not those boasting of parliamentary democracy, but parliamentary hypocrisy too need to take note. Do such desire to bring joy and the enrichment of life to others less fortunate, or do they live for themselves? Remember it’s not too late, though the axe is laid at thy roots.

The good news of the moral lesson is that time is given to everyone who is not fulfilling his or her purpose for life. This is to enrich and create an impact to build a beautiful and loving society, neighbourhood and nation. Remember it’s everyone’s calling. All we need to do is realise we have failed to live up to the great ideals expected of us. May we awaken to the eulogy that here was one so productive he caused human lives to change.