FUTURE PLANNING

Everyone has valuable experiences that he can share with others—we must discover these experiences and then record them for posterity, so that they may be an inspiration to others. While recommending Sandberg’s book, Malala Yousafzai said: “None of us can escape sadness, loss, or life’s disappointments, so the best option is to find our Option B.” In a nutshell, in the case of a lifechanging event, we must not cling to the pursuit of Option A. We must instead pursue Option B and share our experiences and lessons with the world. In relating her experiences, Sandberg has set an example of this principle. She has given a living gift to the next generation which shall continue for eternity. Her gift is that we must not pursue Option A (when it is not available), as that will always make us sad. We must instead choose Option B, so that we may be enabled to learn from experiences and move on. Death does not mark the end of life. In the physical sense, it means an end but not in the ideological sense. Everyone has valuable experiences that he can share with others— we must discover these experiences and then record them for posterity, so that they may be an inspiration to others. Such a concept of life ensures that the journey of life is not one of frustration, but rather one of eternal hope. There is an English proverb, ‘The end justifies the means’. Perhaps, there is another more relevant principle which may be expressed thus: ‘The end justifies the beginning.’ It is the end result that proves whether the beginning was right or wrong. Many people begin their lives with great enthusiasm. But the latter period of their life proves that their beginning was not the right one. Their case was a case of miscalculation, rather than one of right calculation. For example, Greek emperor Alexander the Great was a very ambitious person. His goal was to conquer the world. But, his human limitations overcame him and he died at the age of 32 in Babylon, about 3,000 km away from his homeland. The same is true of Adolf Hitler who, likewise an ambitious man, rose to the position of Chancellor of Germany. Then he decided to rule the whole of Europe, for which he initiated a war which escalated into the Second World War. Yet, Hitler could not fulfil his dream, and committed suicide at the age of 56 in a bunker. There are thousands of such examples. Many individuals start out in life with high hopes, but fail to achieve their goal, and then die in a