¹³ And now these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love.“:Unquote.

Now let me ask you a simple question -“Can you imagine leading a life that is devoid of Hope, Faith, Trust and Love? Do you honestly imagine that you could live fruitfully without these virtues to enhance the quality of your life?” The answer, my dear friends, is that you cannot do so. Allow me to explain why not.

You might imagine that these virtues are really not of paramount importance in the larger scheme of  Life…..well,  I’m sorry to state that you couldn’t be more wrong in your judgement. I am forced to suppose that you do NOT consider these precious and invaluable virtues as being some of the Most Precious Gifts that God, in His Infinite Wisdom, has bestowed on humanity.  

There are a lot of people who imagine that MALICIOUS, WISHFUL THINKING is very much part and parcel of Hope – this kind of ‘misaligned’  and disjointed thinking is so preposterously ridiculous and idiotic that it is truly laughable. Let me show you how such offensive activity is totally pointless. Allow me to explain to you why you should NOT indulge in idle, spiteful and vindictive thoughts because that is NOT – and NEVER will be – the essence of Hope.

The origins of the English language proverb, ““If wishes were horses, beggars would ride” is traced from this kind of contrary line of thought, as expressed above.

I’ll put forth a totally hypothetical situation to adequately demonstrate this point. The very first example that springs instantly to my mind is the way a bored and disgruntled school student perceives his Math Teacher.The Math Teacher, as the sad reality would unfortunately have it, is essentially as ugly as toad – it seems to be highly likely that his wife ‘makes love’ to him whilst blindfolded, so that she is not forced to behold his ugly countenance whilst in the throes of  her ecstasy. Supposing that an important Math examination is looming in the near future – the student finds himself totally unprepared. His notorious, ‘back-bencher’ classmates might get the distinction of achieving “A-Grade Jumbo Eggs” (a ‘sum total’ of zero) in their annual report cards, marked prominently in red ink. As for the student himself, he feels that it is very likely indeed that he will bring home a shameful trophy of “Minus One” marks (if at all, it is possible to get one less mark than zero). Well, as you can well imagine,  desperation calls for desperate measures to counter the shameful, inevitable failure in the near future.

So, the school pupil will think in his mind &/or probably blurt out, callously, the following wishful thoughts: “The Math Teacher looks like a bandit and a frog – yet he imagines that he is as dashing, dapper and suave as the legendary Zorro. I would love to kick his a*** till ‘Kingdom Come’, so that he trips and goes flying, at full throttle, and falls, in a clumsy heap, face down, in the stinking garbage dumpster. I hope that the hideously, atrocious odours of the decomposing garbage stifle him, then and there. I wish that he dies, without further ado. What Glory…..and what a relief from unnecessary torture, it would be!”

Well, do I need to spell it out, for you, in so many words? Such an inconsequential train of thought is preposterously idiotic – you really need to stop being so silly and spiteful in your ideas, thoughts and speech. How does such behaviour help you, in any constructive way? You might imagine that it is an extremely cathartic purgative and that it tends to be a great stress-buster to you. Anyway – a hard boxer’s punch, on your part, against the unyielding wall or a relentless, frenzied banging of your head on that same wall could be just as effective, you know!

Now let me make the following points very clear -“If you are so silly as to actually follow these latter instructions, of mine, to the “T”; with impeccable accuracy and care, please DON’T come to this author begging for reams of tissue paper (to wipe your tears from the extreme pain of wounds and injury.) You are not to approach me with the sad intention of begging greedily for paracetamol tablets and other “what-nots” as anti-pain medication ( Do you guys think that I’m running a charitable pharmacy here? Keep your self-respect! Get lost – go take a walk! Useless people – all of you!!!)  In a case of dire emergency, if  you are unfortunate enough to be admitted to a local hospital with severe bruising and contusions, cracked knuckles and serious injury to your skull, needing  imminent surgery, kindly do NOT expect this author to foot your  extravagant hospital bills, in any circumstance whatsoever……I tend to be very, very miserly in such matters – let me tell  it to you straightaway!

 

Stop giggling, you silly lot  – this is a serious, inspirational blog, after all! Some people are really such idiots – so stupid, foolish and shameless – that’s what I say!

On a more serious note – as you have seen from the hypothetical example cited, by me, above, such warped and spiteful thoughts are just part of wishful, mindless, idle thinking and are not the essence of Hope at all. You ought NOT to misuse the essence of its “tried and tested” purity and goodness.

Such wicked thoughts are totally meaningless and point towards a propensity – on your part – for shirking your duties and responsibilities, as a mature adult. You would do very well to REFRAIN from such idle thinking. STOP IT NOW!!!

In fact – “GOOD THOUGHTS, GOOD WORDS AND GOOD DEEDS” (“Humata, Hukhata, Hurvashtha” –  teachings as advocated by our Prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster) and translated from the Zend Avesta – the Holy Book of the Parsi Zoroastrians – inscribed in the ancient Avestan language) ought to be your staunch slogan and evergreen motto throughout your Lives.

It is the same philosophy as that of the three wise monkeys who embody the proverbial principle of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.

I’m NOT saying that you should think, act and speak like a chaste, adolescent virgin – after all, we are fallible mortals – we make mistakes – each and every one of us. But you can at least start developing THE STRENGTH OF CHARACTER; THE INSIGHT; THE FAR-FARSIGHTEDNESS; THE DISCIPLINE; THE MOTIVATING ENERGY AND THE COURAGE AND CONVICTIONS OF THE RIGHTNESS YOUR BELIEFS to see THE ESSENCE OF  THE BASIC GOODNESS OF THESE IMMORTAL TEACHINGS through….AND see them through, in an EXEMPLARY fashion.

For those of you who don’t know this fact – your author and her entire family are all Parsi Zoroastrians.

YOU CAN AND WILL START CHANGING YOUR WAYS FOR THE BETTER – HERE AND NOW.  

I AM SHIVA – the DESTROYER – you WILL NOT make me repeat what I’ve just told you – I will not be happy to do so. YOU ARE WITNESSING WHAT CAN ONLY BE CALLED – “THE BEGINNING OF THE END” OF THE DARK AGE (THE ‘KALIYUGA’ – as per Hindu religious texts) that we are currently experiencing – I will make it very, very difficult for Satan to continue his rule of endless streams of blood, gore and evil, in this world – it’s my solemn promise to you all. You will help me do so.

The NEW ERA OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND BENEVOLENCE STARTS HERE AND NOW –  SHIVA say so and it SHALL be so. LET IT BE KNOWN – FAR AND WIDE- THIS AUTHOR IS READY TO STAND ALL ALONE – IF NEED BE – AMONG TENS OF TRILLIONS OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION, AS A LIVING TESTAMENT TO THE STRENGTH OF HER CHARACTER AND THE COURAGE OF HER CONVICTIONS.

PERHAPS SOME OF YOU THINK THAT I’M BLUFFING – THINK  AGAIN –  THINK CAREFULLY, this time around.  Read all my previous blogs – you’ll know soon enough that I’m not any ordinary charlatan who is out to dupe you. Such is the personality of your author – let it be known to the world!

Let’s go back to the song that starts this blog on a lilting and lively note.

“The Seekers” are an Australian quartet folk music-influenced pop music group which was originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were popular during the 1960s. The Seekers remain well-liked, all over the globe, to this day. They sing with clarity, articulation, great sensitivity and feeling – their lyrics are invariably meaningful and inspirational because the words of the songs are so true to our daily existence. Their music consists of ‘natural musical sounds’ formed from the use of acoustic instruments – there is no use of the synthesizer,  no electric organ/piano/Casio;  no electric and bass guitars nor any electric drums in their band. Their music falls in a category that is neither quite of the ‘folk’ variety, nor is it consistently of the ‘rock’ genre either – for whatever mix it might be, their soulful, sultry music is very pleasing indeed – very suitable for hearing, at a soft volume, at night, just before falling asleep. The group disbanded in 1968, though the band reformed periodically. As of 2004, the Seekers have sold over 50 million records worldwide.

Their song, “Morningtown Ride” is one of their Top 10 hits of the 1960s. It is a song that is meant for the festivities of Christmas – a well-loved festival that imbues, one and all in the world, with a feeling of  immense brotherhood, well-being and good-will. It is symbolic of the Evergreen Beauty of the positive qualities of Hope, Faith and Trust – virtues, all of them – no less! It speaks of a delightful train ride (‘rockin’, rollin’, ridin’) to Morningtown – a mythical, imaginary place – situated ‘many, many miles away’ – where there is ‘sunshine’ and ‘day’ most of the time. Even if rain does come down in Morningtown, the sunshine is always around the corner to brighten up the lives, with happiness, of all those around. The children/’the little travelers’ who are sleeping in the train are described as being ‘warm and snug’ ‘beneath their blankets.’

The fact of being snug and warm is what we most associate with the positive quality of Hope. It is truly the essence of comfort, purity and goodness. Hope is THE PROMISE OF A BETTER TOMORROW. It is the driving force that keeps the spirits of defeated, exploited, ill-treated, downtrodden people from flagging and descending into despair and sorrow. Hope motivates people to wake up each morning, feeling, “fresh,” energetic and to “keep going” despite tremendous odds – it’s what makes all the struggles of life worthwhile. It is an expression of Faith that states simply -“Yesterday, with all its mistakes, is past and gone; Today is the here and now – use it fruitfully; finally, when tomorrow dawns on the world, it is the dawn of a better day.” The fact that you know that you are bound to wake up each morning is symbolic of Hope itself. It is Hope that keeps you alive and forever ‘on the move’ – you ought to bless it everyday for the rest of your lives! It is a Veritable Blessing from God Himself.

Faith and Trust are almost synonymous – Faith is the complete trust or confidence that we have in someone or something. It is also the unstinting belief in God – the Ultimate Supreme Being. Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something.

For you to better understand the meaning behind the title of this blog – “the Train Whistle” symbolizes new hopes,  new beginnings and a fresh start in Life because a train ride is always considered to be delightful and fun-filled.  Each “morning” is symbolic of the driving force of Hope that keeps us going. The “Trail” consists of the many, many byways, pathways and lanes that form, “the Road of Life” beneath our feet.

Now let me tell you how the LIONESS and SHIVA were born in me – these are “my beasts” that were kept so well suppressed in my sub-conscious mind,  from childhood till now, that I had almost forgotten of their existence, at all. Surprising – yet true! As a child, I’ve always tended to be a loner. I was a very quiet, timid, submissive, soft-spoken child – one who managed to ‘merge very well with the background’ – if you understand what I mean. I don’t think that a lot of people took the time to really notice me. I don’t think that a lot of people have felt that I could be both intelligent and intellectual simultaneously – these qualities come from  the pleasures of reading, as a hobby and from being a keen “observer” all my life.

I was brought up, by my parents, with the ideology and the BELIEF IN THE BASIC GOODNESS OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS. When I have been very despondent and sad, it is my Ma who told me these words of infinite wisdom – “Sherna, there is some goodness in each & every human being; if you look hard enough, you’ll always find it.” That is the kind of  wonderful philosophy that has formed the essence of my breeding – this advice serves me very well, to this very day. You would do very well to imbibe its essence too.

If this author helps you to become a better person, please don’t thank her. You really ought to thank her wise parents for the legacy that they have left her.

The Lioness and Shiva were born in me when the basic selfishness, nastiness, cruelty and evil of people, in general, BROKE MY HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE; when they made me ALMOST LOSE  MY FAITH IN THE EXISTENCE OF ANY GOD; when people BELITTLED ME AND BETRAYED MY TRUST AND ROBBED ME OF MY SELF-RESPECT AND THE CONFIDENCE THAT I OUGHT TO HAVE HAD IN MY OWN ABILITIES. 

I HAVE BROUGHT SHIVA AND THE LIONESS TO FULL WAKEFULNESS & WATCHFULNESS NOW – THESE BEASTS HAVE EMERGED – SADLY – from my many DISAPPOINTMENTS AND DISILLUSIONMENT in Life – from people who felt that they had the distinction of being called a “friend” but who turned out to be sadly lacking in the acquisition of such an honor. TREASURE YOUR TRUE FRIENDS – THEY DO NOT COME EASILY, FREQUENTLY OR CHEAPLY.

I AM HERE TODAY TO RESTORE, ONCE AGAIN, THE BELIEF IN THE BASIC GOODNESS OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS – the world NEEDS to unite NOW in helping this author to change the world for the betterment of humanity.

Please help this author to restore her OWN faith and trust in the basic goodness and benevolence of mankind, as a whole – it is my very humble request to each and every one of you. I hope that you will take heed of my request.

In conclusion, Nelson Mandela was so right when he stated these wise words – “A vision without action is just a dream; an action without a vision just passes time; a vision with an action changes the world.” 

When you have reached your old age – the “Winter of your Life” – you’ll realize the truth of the following words – “And now these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love.” You’ll realize the worth of these words when you are old, wizened and worn out – it is true – but it would be much, much more noteworthy, on your part, if you were to realize their value TODAY – the HERE AND NOW.