Journal Entry: The Sands of Fate

"It is the quiet hours of the evening where we begin to contemplate our finite existence in this world. It is the reason so many fear the silence of the night, when the world falls to hushed breaths, and silent figures watch us from the shadows. The grains of sand in the hourglass of our lives are finite like our physical bodies. The decisions we make etch the story of our journey, and are, too, limited. Nothing scares a man more than the knowledge that we have wasted our lives in the pursuit of nothing, or worse, something we cannot have.
Each grain of the hourglass is precious in our existence, and yet so many slip silently through our fingers, unbeknownst to us. Each grain is lost in the illusion of the sifting pile of sand like each decision is lost in the multitude we make throughout our decades on this plane. With each and every choice, and every step taken, the descent continues on our fleeting voyage through time.
Something that scares the particularly philosophical souls that are terrified in the silence of the night, is the knowledge that we possess a finite number of these grains, the exact number of which remains forever a mystery to us, hidden from our probing eyes. Some grains fall quickly through our grasp, like the rushing currents of a river. Others linger and die on the surface, awaiting their turn to flow, somehow defying time's gravity.
In the prime of our youth we believe that we possess an endless bounty of grains in the hourglass of our lives. We can always wait, always do this or that some other time. Yet with each year that passes, the truth of our mortality becomes clearer and more evident, as we look in the mirror and see the years of our youth slough away. We are made more aware of our final descent towards the last grain which marks our journey's end.
I sit here reflecting, as I always do in this journal. And today, my mind wanders to this idea of time, and fear. Some fear the dwindling grains of life. However, I see that in the scarcity is value. For it is the finiteness of precious moments and decisions that imparts meaning on our lives. The awareness compels us to embrace the beauty of action; to savor the sweetness of existence fully; and to leave behind a legacy woven from the choices we have made. As the grains continue their inexorable fall, many fall to despair and fear. I simply see it as a reminder to live with intention; to act with purpose. Ours is the task to leave behind a story that will outlast the last grains on the beaches of eternity. Our actions, though limited, are a gift. This gift is that our choices define the legacy of our days. And that gives me both hope and resolve, not to waste a grain."

-- Brother Karim Rafi'que
Council Member, Brotherhood of Seven
Journal Entry, 23rd Greentide, 1723