Most people experience the existential crisis somewhere around mid-life. I on the other hand experienced it very early. I was barely out of university and there it was staring right at me. Try as I might I am unable to look away from that stare.
Now, in my mid-fifties, I am still grappling with the very same existential crisis. Again, try with all my might I am unable to find my purpose or my passion.
Conditioning in our early years has a tremendous impact on defining who we are. Some part of us is innate and a large part is defined by our experiences. As a young boy I wanted to try every possible thing I could. Athletics, debates, guitar, trekking, badminton, cards…. This list is probably endless. And somehow I was good at almost everything I tried my hand at. But I excelled in none. And my mother repeatedly told me that “I was the jack of all, and master of none.”. That somehow I feel has rung true.
I somehow never managed to find the one thing that I excelled at, the one thing I truly felt passionate about. As a result I now encourage the youth to make a genuine effort to tune into their passion. As I know that will give them a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Something that I am still searching for.
Being passionate is a very strong emotion. And, those that can experience that emotion are the lucky ones. They are able to really focus on what they love doing and then life is a happy and fulfilling journey. Although I struggle to find my purpose, there is one thing that I do feel strongly about – making the world a better place for all its residents. Not just the human ones but all the living beings that inhabit this planet. Hence the motivation that keeps us going with this magazine and we continue to put out are thoughts month after month. Hoping, truly hoping, that we can inspire as many as we can.
Towards making the world a better place, we started working on a food forest with a view to improve soil health. As improved soil health means a reduction in carbon in the atmosphere, as healthy soil is the world’s largest carbon repository. And, that has a direct impact on the climate crisis that is continuously growing. The amazing thing is that impending disaster is right there in front of us and yet most of the world is focused on wealth creation. Strangely the instinct of self-preservation is simply not kicking in. We are happy to be oblivious to the oncoming problem and are continuing to stick to our path, even though very soon the path itself might be wiped out.
Just the other day I read a detailed message from a dear friend who had lost six very close relatives within just one month. All to Covid. And she was struggling as she got no closure with any of them. And she was living the confusion of death and birth and birthdays. Her grandson turned one and there was a baby shower for the second one, who is due to be born soon. Brought tears to my eyes. When you see life from this perspective the existential crisis again comes to the fore. But more and more I feel that we need to look away from that and just focus on living a good life. This is where our passion can really help us stay on the path.
This month we have several new guest writers and thoughts and perspectives from some of our earlier guest writers. We have Janice Ferro who has been passionately working for the Save Mollem campaign in Goa and talks about how that work affected her during these tough times. And Joanne Albuquerque expressing her passion for cooking. Something that I see a lot when my wife is cooking. She is so focused when she is in the kitchen that none of us dare disturb her. But the food we get to eat reflects her joy and passion. And that is truly energising and nurturing.
Dhruv Ilwadhi shares a poignant yet heart-warming short story. Niharika Pradaush, an artist showcasing her passionate art works in the form of a photo story. Monika Vijh motivating us to fuel our passion. And of course our panel writer Jessica giving various perspectives on a life filled with passion.
We at Roadfolk are extremely passionate about all aspects of sustainability. In this pursuit, we have collaborated with Public Relation Professionals of India (PRPOI) as their media partner for this month. Their theme this month is – Sustainability. PRPOI focuses on upskilling talent in the PR and Communications fraternity. They have already curated close to 42 video sessions through their Facebook and Youtube pages. These were live sessions with interesting speakers talking about pertinent topics for the industry. PRPOI has been founded by three very enthusiastic and energetic young professionals – Tarunjeet, Sonali and Pooja. And we are equally excited to be working with them this month on pushing the very necessary conversations around sustainability.
Photo Courtesy Mohit GuptaHere I am signing off and wishing all our readers a very happy and passionate month ahead. Rather a very very passionate life ahead. As we tune into and live our passion we can be truly happy. And happy people surely make a better world.
Much love, light and healing to all our readers.
Mohit Gupta
4th June 2021
