bhaskar saikia

Most people die brand-new. Yes, the majority of mankind never try to reach for the distant stars or cross the high seas. What’s sad is that they don’t even attempt to experience new things—paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and the presumptive belief that they will fail.

But failure isn’t bad. In fact, failure has never been bad. We learn from our mistakes. What’s bad is repeating the same mistake over and over again. But what’s worse? Not failing at all!

Erich von Däniken wrote in his book, The Eye of the Sphinx: “Some people live so cautiously that they die practically brand new; others use their brain exclusively for reading, never for thinking.”

Thinking is another aspect of life we often outsource to so-called experts, gurus, and leaders. They shape opinions, and we either support or oppose them. But how many of us actually spend time thinking for ourselves? Where is the time to think? Life has become an automated cycle, and humans are on the brink of becoming robots themselves.

Nowadays, a ‘normal’ life means going to school to get a degree, finding a job to earn a living, getting married, raising a family, and in between, being suspicious and envious of the neighbors. Whatever little free time remains is mostly spent scrolling through social media.

The world is beautiful, yet it seems to be growing more pathetic each year, despite our so-called progress. As John Steinbeck once said: “I wonder why progress looks so much like destruction.”

We build grand cities, but at the cost of destroying wetlands and rainwater catchment areas. Is this real progress? Commerce is just a polished word used to mask the plundering we do in the name of development. We have even made commerce synonymous with progress. But is it really progress? Or just a march toward destruction?

So, how do we avoid being mute spectators to this so-called progress? How do we ensure we don’t die ‘brand-new’?

It takes three things:

1. Think for yourself. Don’t just accept or oppose something because others have strong opinions. Your thoughts should be your own.
2. Question more. Asking questions isn’t enough—ask the right ones and seek the right answers.
3. Dare to live beyond the average. Chase what you want, not what others expect from you. If that means diving into the unknown, risking failure, betrayals, and heartbreaks—so be it. You only get one shot at life. #YOLO! Make it count!

Failure is good. It prepares you for life. More often than not, success teaches us little. But failure? Failure never fails to teach lessons. That doesn’t mean success is meaningless. We risk failure for the sake of success. Success is the peak, but no one reaches the top without stumbling along the way.

Choose your peak. Take risks. And don’t just die ‘brand-new’!