After a long time I re-read Leo Tolstoy’s short story — How Much Land Does a Man Need? I was touched when I read it as a young girl, I still found it relevant. It is a very simple story about a greedy Russian peasant called Pakhom who wishes to amass land. He receives a very tempting offer from the landowners, the Bashkirs. For 1000 rubles, Pakhom could walk around as large an area as was possible, starting at daybreak. The deal was that if he reaches the starting point by sunset the entire land covered by him would be his. Pakhom overdid it. By the evening Pakhom realised that he has come very far and frantically ran as fast as he could to get back to his starting point in time. When he got there he was so exhausted that he dropped dead. The Bashkirs buried him in a 6ft x 3ft plot — an ironic answer to the title question.
I don’t know if I would even bother about answering questions like- what are we here for, does life really signify anything and is there any purpose to our existence? I don’t know if anyone knows the answer. Philosophers and thinkers have described ‘life’ in different ways, some call it a journey, some call it a mystery, for some life is totally meaningless. For me life is a gift and we should live it fully and enjoy the journey.
from Vishesh :)
from Reema :)
15 Comments
October 22, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Yes, I agree life is a gift and we should live it fully and enjoy the journey.
And I say:
Life is a pre-written story And we The actors no matter we like our act/script or not we have to continue our part till it ends.
October 23, 2009 at 12:05 am
For me life is a gift and we should live it fully and enjoy the journey.
Absolutely Prerna, if we always kept this and the story, in mind we’d lead better, happier lives
October 23, 2009 at 12:33 am
This reminded me of Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
October 23, 2009 at 12:57 am
Thanks Hobo and IHM.
Reema, thanks for sharing this beautiful poem.
October 23, 2009 at 1:14 am
Prerna, you took me back to my childhood – My dad is an English Literature professor and I remember when i was younger and growing up, my dad used to read many stories to me to teach us about life and how to live a simple and happy life. This is one story which was read to me often…and it has stayed fresh in my mind always.
I feel life is as simple as we want it to be and as complex and difficult as we make it. Its a joy to be alive and we should enjoy and relish every moment.
October 23, 2009 at 3:02 am
‘For me life is a gift and we should live it fully and enjoy the journey.’ – You have summed it up so well. Life is certainly a gift!
October 23, 2009 at 7:23 am
Welcome and thanks @Maria.
Thanks Smitha.
October 23, 2009 at 8:48 am
I too remember reading the story and the deep impact that it made on me. If I remember correctly, the Devil was also there in the story, guiding that man to greed and death. That is something we often forget…
October 23, 2009 at 3:03 pm
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October 23, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Nice story, Prerna! Life is a celebration of existence. I try never to forget that.
October 27, 2009 at 10:36 am
yes life is a gift..and we should make it worthwhile
October 27, 2009 at 10:56 am
Tolstoy manages to teach us lesson with every story he writes. He is one of my favourite authors. As this story illustrates, greed is the downfall of man.
October 28, 2009 at 7:33 am
Thanks and welcome again Rambodoc.
Thanks Anirudha.
You are right Nita, Tolstoy teaches us a something or the other with all his stories. I love Tolstoy too.
October 30, 2009 at 12:28 am
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November 2, 2009 at 4:30 am
Concur with your last line “For me life is a gift and we should live it fully and enjoy the journey.”
Reminded me of a quote from ‘Eat Pray Love’.
You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.