A city like Mumbai is famous for its heavy traffic and resultant traffic jams. Though I live in Navi Mumbai, a relatively better planned suburb of Mumbai, with wider roads and lesser congestions, yet the traffic at peak hours is always more and the wait at the traffic signals during these peak hours becomes painfully long. Yesterday, while returning from the office as usual, it was peak traffic time and my office vehicle came to a grinding halt at the traffic intersection at Taloja. It is one of those crowded intersections where traffic moves at a snail’s pace, seemingly indifferent to the urgency of those waiting. The national highway ahead is perpetually busy, filled with autos, buses, enormous trailers and heavy trucks. It takes a long time for the traffic to clear before one can cross the road. Over time, I have learnt to accept these delays. There is little point fretting over something beyond one’s control. No amount of impatience will make the traffic move faster. So, like many evenings before, I settled into my seat and looked out of the window at the scene around me.
The road was teeming with life. Children sat behind their parents on motorcycles, perhaps tired after a long day and eager to get home. A passenger bus moved slowly through the crowd, carrying dozens of people, each on the way to somewhere. The drivers of the heavy trucks sat high in their cabins, waiting for their turn to move forward. Everyone was going somewhere…..
As I watched them, I began to wonder about their lives. Who were they? Where were they coming from? Where were they headed? Perhaps someone was returning to a warm meal and a cheerful family. Someone else might have been going home to loneliness. One person could have been carrying the happiness of a promotion, while another might have been silently struggling with disappointment.
Every face had a story to tell. Every person carried memories, responsibilities, worries, hopes and dreams. Some might be facing unexpected turns, difficult days, delays and disappointments. The road ahead may not seem clear and they may not know what awaited them. Yet, they were all moving ahead with their lives no matter what. For a brief moment, all our lives had converged at that intersection. We had different destinations and different journeys, yet we were waiting together for the same red light to turn green.
Then, almost imperceptibly, the signal changed.
Red turned to green.
The vehicles began to move. The autos and motor cycles darted ahead, the trucks rumbled forward, the bus resumed its journey, and my office vehicle too moved forward on its duty to drop the staff at their destined stops.
My reverie came to an end, but the lesson stayed with me….
Life, too, has its red lights, isn’t it? At times, our life comes to a standstill, and we feel frustrated or helpless. But every pause need not be a setback.
Our Life and its Red Lights, which force us to a halt in our fast moving bustling life, are those quintessential pauses that teach us to be positive and not lose our composure. We need to understand that when we are faced with these red lights, it is time to remain patient, reflect and have trust that the road ahead will open once again. Just as the traffic signal eventually turns green, difficult days also tend to pass, and life begins to move again….