For OW and others who might need it...

A few days ago, actor Owen Wilson tried to commit suicide by slashing his wrists. When I read the news, I was taken aback, and curious at the same time. What lies beneath what meets the eye is, at times best left to anyone's imagination. Surely, the effervescent and jovial 38 year old, who played the role of a freeloading houseguest in "Wedding Crashers", that of laidback and a charming outlaw in "Shaghai Noon" (with Jackie Chan), has seen better days... (or has he?)

I first saw him in the film "Behind Enemy Lines" (as Lt. Burnett); the story of two pilots who crash in enemy territory after being targeted by two surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) which was fired by nervous Serbian war criminals who feared that the fighter had detected activity in the demilitarized zone. The rest of the movie revolves around how he outwits them and manages to get rescued. Behind Enemy Lines is a story of survival. About how a determined Lt. Burnett braved bullets, tanks, masked gunmen with little mercy, even an open graveyard full of bodies to survive.

And here I was, reading, that the man who played Burnett, had given up on life.. had given up on himself.

The reason, is being attributed to his ex-girlfriend's(Kate Hudson) pictures alongwith one(never heard of) Dax Shephard. It would appear that Mr Wilson's split with Kate hadn't quite sunk in. The are, of course, other accounts of there being a drug overdose.

When Kate heard the news, she wanted to meet Owen, but was not allowed by family members of his who said that she wasn't "good" for him.

Having left enough frist for the gossip mills, I want to address a broader issue that I strongly feel about...

The sanctity of life.

Every day spent on this wonderful planet is indeed a blessing. The vast open blue skies with white clouds.. the lush green earth.. the wild rains with the cool wind breeze that everyone of us has, at some point of time experienced.. the chilly winters, the breathtaking night sky, the snow-clad mountains, the sandy beaches... why would anyone not want to savour these beautiful treasures forever?

In today's highly competitive world, almost everyone has problems . Almost everyone is fighting a battle - a battle for a better job, a battle for better grades, a battle for that corner office and the exec parking lot, a battle to win someone's heart, a battle to compete and defeat someone... And lost somewhere in this fictitious battle, I feel we have forgotten how to live...

Life is about looking ahead..not backwards. Life is about living each day to its fullest. Life is about unleashing your potential and living your desires. Life is about satisfying the inner self. Life is potential...life is hope.

At times, it does feel that life and its ways are unfair; that people are unreasonable, wicked and twisted... but what has to be realised is that one has to rise above all of this and deal with things at a deeper level. Rise above people, and you will find life. "Finding one's purpose" in life, I believe, is nothing but finding that innate desire that fires you up to achieve them. Everyone has such desires. It could be being the best lawyer in town, or being the best in class, in Owen's case, it could be a burning desire to get an Oscar for the Best Actor. These innate desires will almost unfailingly bring happiness and joy when they are accomplished. And after fulfilling a desire, there will always be another desire that will replace the earlier.

Life is about fulfilling these desires.. or finding the inner self... not about ending it by slashing wrists over some lover who never could see the goodness in the other.. or about not being able to live up to someone's expectations...

It is important to rise above people... to rise above issues.. and to realize yourself, realize your potential. The world is waiting for you to work on it! The world needs you! So go ahead! Unleash yourself!..

As for Owen.. you have a long way to go pal... dont let "incidents" throw you off rails... and wish you a speedy recovery!