Book Review By Harsimran Kaur

Rating: 4/5

Life has this amusing way of shedding the old-winkled and debilitating leaves for the new ones to emerge. The dishevelled leaves have a story to tell; their incessant rumbling by the tumultuous winds, the forced plucking by the capricious human mind set and sometimes bemusedly crushed by the fabricated souls disappearing in the agony of their displeasures.

‘What if I am plucked insouciantly and kept away from the roots, I still retain the dexterity of my style and shape?’

‘Crushed are those who forever tamper with their imbecility. I wait for the smothering wind to transfer me to a swathe of land where leaves like me make another home.’

The deep-rooted green colour of the new sprouts has a story to look forward to—the vibrancy of the charismatic winds, the buoyancy of flowers penetrating around it and the rustling of its silhouette as lovers forge back & forth to caress their repressed souls. Nevertheless, they don’t tear apart so easily. Their survival is governed not only by the incendiary virtues of nature but also by the symphonic discretion of rain drops piercing heavenly,warding off the dust laden on its nakedness.

These leaves live life in crescendo—playing a tune regardless of what beholds or bedevils them. The human story is no different!

We pledge to be master players hitting master strokes but eventually fall short of dares and dangles as life throws us in a daiquiri of rambunctious and reprisals. This is where we need to change our attitude and create a rendition of—

‘What still needs to be achieved.’

‘How contribution to society can influence our well-being.’

‘Being human and humane should be the glory of life.’

‘Test not the limits but create an earth where you wish to belong.’

I am a huge fan of Stephen R. Covey—an inspirational figure whose teachings have changed the perspective of many. His most successful book, ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ is still a reckoner of sorts. But, ironically, I feel there is more to life inspite of inculcating the reasonably good habits. As humans, we feel despondent easily and loose the structure of our spirit the moment things go amiss. What we need to do is ride high on the crescendo of what lies ahead and have faith in our aspirations and ascensions of the mind.

The book ‘Live Life in Crescendo’ by Stephen R. Covey and co-authored by his daughter, Cynthia Covey Haller is like a rail crossing the black hole slithering fortuitously into a gleaming light of hope and happiness. Let’s unbuckle some of our fixed piercing needles-

• Have we ever felt a stubborn nodule of pessimism stuck in our mind involuntary making us like a torn flesh being copiously devoured by assailing egomaniacal vultures?
• Our give and take is limited to self-assessment of what favours our inner-ego. ‘Damn the society’, ‘Damn the belonging’ and ‘Damn the humanity’. We give when there is a privilege attached to it. How about selfless giving which makes the entire human spectrum a vision of compassion and accountability?
• Ambitions and aspirations are nurtured by us. Let it act as a hope bereft of age and circumstance. It should be like a breadth that only stops at the will of the almighty; our will should be of optimism and looking ahead.

So, ‘Never Stop’— Life’s crescendo is a built-up staccato that reverberates a unique musical note uprooting its inclination to rejoice as new melodies of different proportion and intensities are created.

Covey, the author, has made an earnest attempt to bring forth life in a molecule, when opened, presents atoms that represent hope, ambitions, reaffirmations, compassion, optimism and relentless precision—all these are prudent to ‘live life in crescendo’.

So, what about dejection, distress, depression, despair and disparagement? Well, these are just conditions that need a response to and living life in crescendo helps an individual to break free from an unhealthy stimulus.