Life’s
Transit Lounge: Lessons from an Abandoned Mansion
There
is a deserted, two-story bungalow just 30 meters diagonally across from where I
stay. It once belonged to a senior police officer. After he passed away many
years ago, his widowed wife lived there for a time, but now the bungalow sits
in silence, abandoned and forgotten. Weeds have overtaken the gardens, the
once-white walls are darkened with moulds, and the compound has become
derelict—a solemn reminder of the transient nature of life.
This sight often leads me to reflect on our human tendency to accumulate wealth and possessions far beyond our needs. How often do we pause to ask ourselves: what do we truly need? In truth, the essentials for a fulfilling life are simple—food and water to sustain us, a bathroom to bathe and stay clean, a set of fresh clothes, a table and chair to work or write, a phone for communication, and a corner of a house with a pillow and a sheet for restful sleep. Yet, instead of living simply, we burden ourselves with material excess, acquiring possessions that neither add a single extra beat to our hearts nor accompany us to the grave.
The
Heavy Burden of Materialism:
Someone recently expressed a similar thought in a WhatsApp message:
“When we are alive, we gather a lot of unnecessary things that do not support a single heartbeat or an extra breath of life. Instead, we acquire, carry, and maintain heavy material burdens until we can no longer bear them as age advances. Yet we cling to 99.99% of these things, only to leave them behind when we enter that ‘deep dark hole’ of the grave. What purpose in life is that?”
This
message echoes a deep truth: as our days silently slip by with each sunrise and
sunset, many of us spend our lives accumulating wealth—owning multiple houses
we cannot live in and cars we cannot drive all at once. We mistake material
success for achievement, only to find ourselves leaving it all behind when the
inevitable comes. What remains of our earthly “empires” when the calendar of
life runs out? Vanity, and nothing more.
Perspective
Through the Lens of Time:
To
grasp the brevity of human life, consider this: if the 20-billion-year age of
the universe were compressed into a single 24-hour day, the maximum human
lifespan of 120 years would amount to a mere 0.0005184 seconds. Such a fleeting
existence, yet we expend so much energy on possessions that have no bearing on
our eternal journey.
The
Bible captures this wisdom in timeless verses:
“The
days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength
they be fourscore years, yet is their
strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).
“What
is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time, and then
vanishes away” (James 4:14).
“Do
not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and
where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Even
William Shakespeare, in As You Like It, poignantly reminds us:
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances."
These
reflections urge us to shift our focus from transient earthly wealth to
treasures of eternal value.
Life
as a Transit Lounge:
Life
is, in many ways, like a transit lounge. Imagine yourself at an airport,
traveling between countries. You wouldn’t carry your heavy luggage into the
waiting lounge. Instead, you leave it behind to be transferred to your
destination. Yet, in the “transit lounge” of this world, many of us cling to
our burdensome material possessions as though they can follow us to the next
world. When our plane finally departs, we leave everything behind—none of it
accompanies us.
A
Call to Simplicity:
The
abandoned mansion across the street, once a symbol of wealth and status, now
stands as a testament to the futility of materialism. Its empty halls and
crumbling walls whisper lessons to those willing to listen: life is fleeting,
and the burdens we carry weigh us down far more than they enrich us.
I have a very beautiful and touching video a friend sent to me that I like to share with all how a loving father transferred his two daughters' unnecessary loads like us into his basket here:
https://t.co/jv7OGLlehP" /
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Let us
ask ourselves: what truly matters? Each day is like a leaf torn from the
calendar of life, a reminder that our time here is finite. Instead of hoarding,
let us strive to live simply and wisely. Invest not in possessions but in
relationships, experiences, and acts of kindness.
As Jesus also taught:
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his
soul?” (Mark 8:36).
And as
we contemplate the abandoned mansion, let us reflect: when our time comes to
board the final plane, what luggage will we leave behind? And what treasures
will we have stored in the eternal vaults of heaven?
The
truths of life’s fleeting nature, the abandoned mansion across the street
stands as a haunting testament to the futility of materialism. Its
once-pristine white walls are now darkened and mouldy, the gardens overgrown
with weeds, and the entire compound looks dilapidated and derelict. What was
once a symbol of success and wealth is now a forgotten relic, overtaken by time
and neglect.
This
poignant image reminds us that no matter how grand our earthly achievements may
seem, they are ultimately subject to decay and abandonment. It serves as a
powerful metaphor: all that we tirelessly build, maintain, and cling to in this
world will one day be left behind. The abandoned bungalow is not just a
house—it is a mirror reflecting the impermanence of all material pursuits.
Let us,
then, strive to live lives that focus on simplicity, compassion, and values
that transcend the temporal. For in the end, what truly matters is not the
legacy of possessions we leave behind, but the enduring impact of the kindness,
love, and wisdom we share with others.
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