Only two things in life are certain...

Death and Taxes.

I just watched the movie Meet Joe Black on TV. I've seen it before, but by some weird coincidence I've only managed to catch it at or after the scene where "Joe" is introduced to the family. This time, though, I watched the movie from the beginning... and was quite amused by some subtle statements that I didn't quite get the significance of earlier.

For example, there is a scene where Joe tells Susan Parish, "Be sorry for nothing."

In general, good advice... but when Death tells you to be sorry for nothing, it takes on a whole new meaning. Which one of us can truly say, "I have done nothing in my life to be sorry for"? It takes a lot of wisdom gleaned from experience before one can claim to be sure that one is doing the right thing... and sometimes even that is not enough. Good intentions are seldom enough for you to be able to say later, "I have no regrets." Life is just too full of uncertainties.

After all, the only two things that are certain are Death and Taxes.

I have noticed that of late, I have been contradicting myself on my blog, with my mixed emotions, hopes and moods being transparent to all. I don't mind it. I meant to share those thoughts. Things have been tough, and I have only recently come to understand that there are no quick fixes in life. Everything takes time. And effort. But with those experiences come maturity, and stability. Wisdom, it appears, is forged like steel on hot coals.

Be sorry for nothing, he said. A worthy thing to aspire to. I will do my best, as always, to behave in such a way that at the end of the day I can say I have nothing to be sorry for. Who knows, one day I might achieve it.

Cheers,
Prashanth.