The news of the Air India plane crash flickered across screens. For many, another tragic headline. For me, sitting frozen, it was a seismic shift, a raw confrontation with life’s terrifying fragility and breathtaking unpredictability. Four lives lost whispered four profound lessons, etching themselves onto my soul and reshaping how I view every ticking second:
1. The Family Bound for “Someday”: They’d dreamt of the UK for years. Life, with its relentless demands, delays, and decisions, kept pushing their dream into the future. Finally, they boarded. Their dream took flight… only to crash miles short of its destination. My Lesson: “Someday” is a mirage. We hoard dreams, deferring them for a perfect alignment that may never come. Stop waiting. Start doing. That trip, that conversation, that leap of faith? Don’t let “someday” become “never.” Act Now.
2. The Woman Saved by “No”: She arrived late. Frantic pleas at the check-in counter were met with a firm refusal. Anger, frustration, defeat washed over her as she watched her plane depart. Hours later, amidst the wreckage news, despair turned to stunned gratitude. That “no” wasn’t rejection; it was unseen armour. My Lesson: We rage against closed doors and denied requests. But sometimes, the universe, God, fate, whatever you believe in sees the cliff we cannot. That “no” you resent? It might be the hand pulling you back from the edge. Trust the Detour.
3. The Man Whose Time Wasn’t Up: Amidst the unimaginable carnage, a section of the fuselage remained intact. One man, dazed but alive, walked away from what seemed unsurvivable. Not luck. Purpose. It echoed Ecclesiastes: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”My Lesson: His survival wasn’t random. It was a stark reminder: our time here has a rhythm, an appointed beginning and end we cannot fathom. We are here until we are not. This instills both humility and urgency. Live Your Season.
4. The Unfinished Stories: The others. The ones who kissed loved ones goodbye that ordinary morning, unaware it was the final embrace. People brimming with dreams, plans, laughter, arguments left unresolved, love unspoken. My Lesson: Time is a loan, not a guarantee. We bank on “later,” on “when things settle,” on “old age.” But “later” is a phantom. “Now” is the only currency we truly possess. Don’t Wait.
The Whisper from the Wreckage:
That crash wasn’t just metal falling from the sky; it was a message. A reminder shouted in the silence of lost lives:
Procrastination is a thief. Stealing dreams, moments, connections. Seize your “somedays” today.
“No” can be grace. Trust that the bigger picture holds protections you can’t see.
Your presence is purposeful. Live fully in your appointed season.
“Later” is a gamble. This breath, this heartbeat; this is your guaranteed moment.
So, while you still draw breath…
Love Now. Tell them. Show them. Don’t assume they know.
Apologize Now. Mend the bridge. Don’t let pride fossilize regret.
Forgive Now. Unshackle your heart from bitterness. It weighs you down.
Dream Now. Take one tangible step towards it, however small.
Speak Now. Share your truth, your appreciation, your story.
Life rarely signals its endings. The plane doesn’t announce its final descent. The morning kiss doesn’t come with a warning label. Don’t wait for the perfect alignment of stars. Don’t bank on a “next time” that may never materialize.
The runway of “now” is open. Don’t delay your most important journey.
