The Light House

In the middle of the vast ocean, a lone sailor was trying with all his might to keep his boat afloat. Nature was in all its fury. Thunderstorms showed no signs of relenting. The gigantic waves were threatening to toss away the boat and the sailor was gradually losing his strength….
… Suddenly, in the distance, he saw a light. It seemed to be very far away. It looked like a light-house! Slowly, his hopes that were sinking began to revive. But even before he could steer his boat towards the light, something else caught his attention. His expression turned from surprise to astonishment to delight and to ecstasy. The sight in front of him was absolutely breath-taking. It was…….an island!!
But it was not the island that had caught his attention, it were those shining yellow rocks scattered all over the island…. IT WAS GOLD!! And lots and lots of them too!!
The sailor used all his strength to steer the boat towards the island. He struggled very hard. Though this island was quite close by, he had to fight against the force of nature to reach there. The thunderstorms and the gigantic waves proved to be hurdles, but blinded by the glitter of gold, he fought his way towards it. And after a lot of struggle, he finally managed to get close enough to the island. He then jumped into the water and swam with all his remaining strength towards the island. Finally, his feet touched land. Although, physically he was thoroughly exhausted, his eyes revealed ecstasy – almost to the extent of MADNESS. Yes, his eyes revealed a madness – the lust for Gold.
He jumped, screamed and danced with joy, holding the ‘stones’ close to his heart, blissfully unaware of the fact that in the meantime, the waves had tossed his boat, shattering it against the rocks. And all that remained of the boat, were a few splinters of wood. The sailor, however, was in his own world, delighted and ecstatic, not realizing that he would never get to enjoy the ‘treasure’ that he had found.
The sailor was looking with admiration at the shining piece of stone in his hand. Suddenly, he remembered his boat. He rushed towards the edge of the island, only to find that his boat had been completely destroyed. He was shocked and began to panic. He did not know whether to laugh or to cry. He then began laughing hysterically, his laughter gradually turning to weeping and then back to laughing again – like a MADMAN. He was losing it…
Just as he was about to completely ‘go over the edge’, he gained control of himself and tried to calm himself down. Gradually, the reality began to sink in. He looked at the ‘stone’ that he was holding. It was losing its luster. He looked around him. All the ‘stones’ were losing their luster. Gradually, he began to realize that they were all nothing but ordinary stones – worthless!! The realization dawned on him, that he had committed a grave mistake. His eyes were filled with tears – of repentance. But it was too late now…
He was tired, he was sick, and just as he was sinking into a deep slumber, he sincerely wished that he got one more chance…

In the middle of the vast ocean, a lone sailor was trying with all his might to keep his boat afloat. Nature was in all its fury. Thunderstorms showed no signs of relenting. The gigantic waves were threatening to toss away the boat and the sailor was gradually losing his strength….
Suddenly, in the distance, he saw a light. It seemed to be very far away. It looked like a light-house! The light had a strange sort of calmness and peace about it – a stark contrast to the challenge that lay before him now. But even before he could steer his boat towards the light, something else caught his attention. The sight in front of him was absolutely breath-taking….it was an Island!! But it was not the island that had caught his attention, it were those shining yellow rocks scattered all over the island…. IT WAS GOLD!! And lots and lots of them too!!
The island seemed near and relatively easier to reach. However, just as he prepared to steer his boat towards the island, he glanced at that light in the distance. He felt a strange sort of peace as he gazed at the light. The light seemed to beckon him. He was in complete dilemma now, having very little time to decide. A huge wave was menacingly heading towards his boat. He was staring at Death….
Just as the huge wave was about to crash on his boat, he gathered up courage. He had made up his mind. He began to row towards the ‘light’.
No sooner had he made up his mind to row towards the light, the huge wave disappeared, thunderstorms ceased, the sea calmed down and the boat glided smoothly towards the light on its own. The sailor was watching all this miracle with astounded eyes. The boat sped towards the light and in a few moments, the boat had crossed to the other end of the ocean. Just as he set foot on the land, the boat disappeared; and as he saw with amazement, the entire ocean disappeared right in front of his eyes. It was as if the ocean never existed!! As if it were all an illusion that was being lifted and the reality establishing itself in front of him. He turned and started looking for the light-house – the source of light that had guided him to the safe shore. But the light-house was nowhere to be seen. However, the sailor was feeling extremely peaceful – and a strange sort of joy – a sort of joy that was incomparable to any other joy – a sort of joy that was infinite. He realized then that his entire self had began to glow, it was shining with brilliance – the same light that seemed to be coming from the ‘light-house’. Gradually, the realization dawned on him that it was indeed he, who was that light-house, shining with brilliance, showing the way for other fellow sailors in distress. The heavens opened up and it began showering flowers all around him.
In the meanwhile, at a distance, another lone sailor in the middle of the vast ocean was trying his might to keep his vessel afloat…