Nothing is Guaranteed in Life

By Omar Bihmidine

Morocco World News

Sidi Ifni, Morocco, Nov 8, 2012

Most people are simply deluding themselves by believing that there is something called security or guaranteed safety in life which is provided as a blessing through one’s material possessions. Here, the properties that man can be endowed with can range from life to the least valuable object. Most of the time, we hear people congratulating one another on the guarantee they claim they are going to possess once they land a stable job, particularly with the government. Others believe that once they marry their ideal partner, they are going to guarantee a successful married life.

Many others hold that security is the most indispensable thing in one’s life, but they are not aware enough that the toppled Arab presidents who used to enjoy great security are now lacking it. More plainly, security or the guarantee of something deemed valuable does not exist in reality whatsoever. As the American Helen Keller once put it, life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security, for Keller, is merely a superstition.

In our societies, every time some of us procure a well-paid job or win a lottery, we often clap our hands and go on to congratulate the beneficiaries, saying, “Oh, a guaranteed future is now in your hands!” or “From now onwards, you will no longer fear poverty”, or “You can marry the most beautiful girl on earth now that you have everything ittakes to find one”. Hence, we are experiencing a delusion by unconsciously uttering all this, and we usually forget to bear in mind that all these blessings, albeit numerous, can evaporate into thin air overnight.

Countless in life are those who have just made an abundance of money out of their incessant efforts, but once they bought a new, expensive car, they crashed into a wall and end up living crippled. So, we are forced to stop here and ask, “Where has the guaranteed future that such people have long pined for gone?” It clearly appears that it was a mere superstition or an illusion entrenched in their minds, nothing more, particularly that we are living in an era of materialism.

Many are also those who think that they are rich and, therefore, in the full possession of security. Yet, they are unaware that they have come down with a chronic or deadly disease, such as cancer. It is only the minute they spend all their amassed fortune on treatment and they face poverty, that they face the reality of the nightmare they once thought they had permanently escaped from.

People who believe that security is an existing fact no longer manage to get the most beautiful girl they have dreamt of when they, for instance, learn that they are sexually rigid. A number of people have been reported to commit suicide for this same reason. So, why has their wealth not guaranteed them the most beautiful girl on earth or their much-cherished blessing, which is life?

Since our birth, our mothers have always been on the lookout for our security. As adults, our mothers continue to advise us to be careful with our lives. All this care is for the sake of our security and, therefore, our safety. But, is taking precautions against everyday risks enough to be safe? Absolutely not! Many people who have been careful with their lives and have feared death the most still encounter great problems, while many who are adventurous and risk-taking have enjoyed longevity.

Being careful for the sake of our safety is undoubtedly a must, but it has never been a viable condition to live life safely and soundly in the strict meaning of the word. At this point, security is just an illusion which we encounter on a daily basis and which we prescribe to our dearest friends and family members despite the fact that we have not the slightest control over it.

Who could have imagined that there would come a day when the Arab leaders, Libyan tyrant Gaddafi in particular, who used to enjoy absolute power, would lose all that overnight. Of course, none!; except God. When the security of the most powerful people on earth is not guaranteed, how can we expect it to be for the average people? The answer goes without saying.

The presidents who used to be guarded from all sides for their safety and longevity of their power have now proved less ‘secure’ than those ordinary people who never thought of securing their lives at some point. Isn’t this enough to prove that nothing is guaranteed in life? Certainly, we all know this fact. Who doesn’t? Yet, we usually fall prey to delusion and go on to seek security and strongly believe in its existence by taking the necessary precautions.

Mentioning security as something that is not guaranteed does not necessarily mean that other aspects of life are guaranteed. Safety and security, the most much-cherished things in life, serve just as examples to prove that nothing in life is worth feeling excessively proud of. In earnest, the bottom line is that so long as nothing is guaranteed, why don’t we take risks rather than avoid them and live life according to the way it goes rather than stay at home for fear of a storm or a heavy rainfall. You may feel like contemplating Helen Keller’s statement that goes: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.”

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