I
was listening to Leo Ku’s 2006 hit song recently, “To Have Loved Too Late”, and
was still struck with the same emotions I felt the first time I heard the song,
despite having listened to the same song hundreds of times.
One
of the saddest and most painful of all human emotions is remorse.
I
believe that I would much prefer to never realize I have done anything wrong
and forever live in a state of denial, rather than to realize and regret.
Because
remorse is something you will have to live with for the absolute rest of your
life, no matter how many more years that will be.
The
killer is: You will never forget, and you will never have another chance to
make things right ever again.
It
will gnaw at the very core of your soul, and will haunt you every single day
for the rest of your existence.
The
truth is: I am dead afraid of feeling remorseful.
I am
afraid that one day, my parents will be leaving me permanently, and I will
never get to hear their wise counsel and words of love and encouragement
anymore.
I
have the same fear that the girl I love will leave me one day because she felt
that I have not loved her enough.
The
fear that I will never again hear their laughter at my feeble attempts at lame
jokes; never again to feel their ecstasy at my successes; to never again see
their smiles.
Isn’t
it time to act now?
Whatever
it is we want to do or say, there is no better time to do it than right now.
Despite
our wanting to believe in our own immortality, the truth is harsh: You only
live once, and you only get one shot at making it a good one.
Hence,
isn’t it prudent to live life to the fullest, for all it’s worth?
Isn’t
it immensely stupid to waste the little time we have here on Earth on trivial
and ultimately inconsequential things like quarreling, anger, fighting, and
envy?
What
is the use of winning the whole world, but end up losing your own soul?
What
is the use of earning all those money, if your aging parents are no longer
around to see and share your success?
Is
it really so important to win every argument, especially with the ones you
love?
The
plain and simple truth is: You may win an argument, but you may well have lost
a little bit of their love in the process as well. You scratch and fight and
yell and say hurtful things, and you feel victorious when the other person has
nothing else to say, but the reality is that you have by your own hands stabbed
a knife deep into the relationship.
And
deep wounds never truly heal.
In
the end, you have to demand an honest answer from yourself: What is more
important?
Does
it really hurt your pride so much to lose an argument for the sake of the
relationship? Is your pride worth more than the love and happiness you share
with them?
Is
venting your anger more important than the peace and harmony within the family?
Is
career and money more important than being with your parents and your loved
ones?
Are
you prepared to live with remorse?
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