Transforming Suffering into Determination
In April 2021, my whole family tested positive for COVID-19. We rushed my mother to a hospital when her oxygen saturation started to fluctuate. Soon my father also showed low oxygen saturation and needed immediate hospitalization. Their condition quickly turned from bad to worse, but my fellow BSG members constantly supported me through this difficult phase.
I was devastated when on 18th April, the doctor treating my father informed us my father’s heart failed and he was no more, I couldn’t believe it. I was shattered that I would never see him again! More sorrow was in store as just 8 days later my mother also passed away battling till her last breath.
Inconsolable, I broke into tears. Various thoughts ran through my mind. But then I recalled my mother’s happy face and the memory melted away my despair. BSG had helped me develop the spirit of never being defeated, and this made me resolve to continue to move forward no matter what happens.
President Ikeda says, “Life is indeed impermanent — but simply being aware of its impermanence is no solution. Despairing over this reality also serves no purpose. The question is how we can create eternal value in this fleeting existence.”
I finally made peace with the demise of my mother and father, and I resolved to repay my debt of gratitude to them throughout my life by continuing to work for the happiness of humanity in the field of computer engineering. I truly feel my parents’ presence in my life, every day, every moment, and am determined to fulfil all their hopes and dreams and their implicit belief in me.