Essays

Alexander Pope had very rightly said, "Hope springs eternal in human midst, Man never is but always to be blest." Yes, there is nothing but truth in the statement. It is this hope that continuously dwells up in a person's heart and makes him exclaim that if winter comes, can spring be far behind? Rather it is the coming of winter that makes the arrival of spring more surer than ever. It is the night that ensures that there will be another day. The sinking sun promises before it melts into the golden sea that it will come back tomorrow with a beautiful dawn and a better, sunnier day. It is the clouds that fur sometime hide the sun but that does not mean the sun is not there. It has been there all the time, only we could not see it.

What if the earth seems to be barren and fruitless under the cover of whiteness, what if the trees seem dead standing stark naked ripped of their last of the leaves and the wind sounds hollow and scary. A few days more and the earth will spring forth with life, teeming with flowers and birds, bees humming and the breezes singing- It is this dead winter that promises the lively spring.

The American recluse poetess, Emily Dickinson, wrote -

"Hope is the thing with feathers —

  That perches in the soul -

  And sings a tune without the words -

  And never stops at all - "

She continues to relate her own experience in life about "Hope" and concludes ~

"I've heard it in the Chilliest land -

  And on the strangest sea -

  Yet, never, in extremity,

  It asked a crumb - of Me."

Yes, hope is the only thing in life that never expects anything in return but has since ages pushed and surged forward even through difficult times and trying moments. It is this hope and this optimism for a future spring that has been the lifeline of millions of men all over the world.

Even when misfortune and adversity strikes to break the determination of men, hope flies in like a reliable anchor, like a trustworthy friend to hold on to and survive the thick clouds of darkness, gloom, despair. Nature too has sprinkled its message of hope and courage. With thorns we have roses, with night - day, with autumn there is spring, after rain there is a rainbow, in every dark cloud there exists a silver lining, if there is winter snow, there is the summer sun to melt it. Thus, one should never lose hope or sink in the low depths of despair because one should understand that this is the cycle of life and without life's high and low, life would lose its essential charm,and substance.

It is the characteristic of a weak will and a short-sighted person to lose heart in the face of obstacles and hardships' But a man of faith, courage and confidence pursues his goal with unflinching determination, persistent patience, rock-like strength and steady perseverance. One has to remain firm with indomitable will and determination in the face of rough times and then only can one sail through life with one's head held high.

Life does not mean joy and happiness only. Trials and troubles will be its part and parcel. High tide will be followed by a low one and it is the rule of life that what goes up, will have to come down someday. Therefore, one should not reach the lowest ebb of his life if hardship knocks at the door and the winds blow adversely One has to keep pressing against the storm, only then one can reach the spring of his dreams, the Paradise of his hopes and the land of one's own achievements. One will have to survive the winter, live through the night and beat the storm in order to emerge out as a winner in the end.