COST

The cost of everything differs from place to place. Let me begin with "cost of living ". The best way I can describe this is by comparing the cost of living in India and Perth. To me, life in India was once expensive, but not anymore..when we first came to Perth, we would mentally calculate the cost of everything in Indian Rupees! I know it's funny , but my mum would even convert the cost of a carton of milk to Indian rupees!! Today, one AUD is 42 Indian Rupees! Wow! Isn't that great?? But, with a dollar here I can only buy a frozen coke. While in India , if I had 42 rupees, I could have eaten three good meals!! Five people can lead a contented life back in India with the money we earn here! And similarly, there are places like Zambia where the cost of living is even lower.

Cost is not all about money! It is sometimes more about the price you pay for a quantity including time and love.

I am not writing this article just because I had been asked to but because I have always found great pleasure in penning down my thoughts rather than saying them aloud! The time spent on anything that you are interested in doing is the cost that you pay for it. The more you pay, the more you get! I mean , the more the time spent on doing something , the more perfect you become in it! Similarly, the more time we spend with God, the happier and more contented we see our lives become. So watch how you invest your Time!!

Love , I believe is the one thing without which none of us would be able to live! Without love the world would have remained dark. Without God's love there is nothing created. But even He had to pay with His life. But love doesn't keep a record of cost. Often we are willing to give up anything for someone or something! Here is life's undeniable truth - " THE COST PAID LOVE IS THE HIGHEST".

ENVIRONMENTAL COST

GLOBAL WARMING, this is definitely not an unfamiliar term especially in the recent past. How did this begin? Where did it start? What is the price that is being paid? Did we ever care to think about this!!?? It all began because we are plain careless and unconcerned about our planet, our fellow human begins and every living thing around us. This is indeed selfish. What more will it take to have us realize the consequences of our actions or the indelible mark they leave on our future?

Talk about designer wear, Mink Coats and other 'look-at-me-I'm important' goods. I wonder if animal rights and law enforcement officers have been successful with reducing the desire to own exotic animal skin products. I am aware that in several communities, similar to what I have observed in India, festivities often involve rubber and plastic products being burnt in a bonfire releasing toxins and contaminating the air around. What are we celebrating? Ironically, people wonder why so many suffer from breathing/respiratory problems!!

I fear that we are leaving behind us a steady trace of toxins in spite of warnings that the earth is falling through our hands. The toxins of stubborn greed, the lack of responsibility and failing to see the significance of individual action are the ones I fear the most . We seem to have surfaced after the recession. What have we won or achieved?

What is left for us to enjoy?

The cost of our luxury is being paid by millions of innocent lives of animals, people and plants! If we continue living selfishly, we will soon be left with nothing authentic and healthy...there will only be a sea of harsh reminders of a beautiful world that could have been saved we would be left with a remnant generation, which tells of the groaning world that once brought inspiration to music and art. Can we afford the loss of this power? Isn't this cost a little too expensive?

Why let others decide your costs? Stand up and take charge.

If you have always passed the buck so far, take your chances now - make a change and do it for love.