While on a journey, I met an educated Muslim. He had a big well-furnished house, but there was no one to live there, except for himself and his wife. In the course of conversation, I learnt that he had a son and a daughter, and he had given them the best education that he could afford after which they had gone abroad and become citizens there. When I asked his wife whether she felt their absence, she replied, “I am happy that they are happy wherever they are!”

There are many such parents who have given their children the best education, but afterwards are left alone. The parents live in their grand houses, but their lives are far from grand. They have nothing to sustain them, except for memories. This is the story of most affluent parents. They earn money and build successful worlds for themselves; but later on, their hope- filled lives turn into lonely lives.

The principal reason for this is that they lead purposeless lives. Their only purpose in life was to keep their children happy, and when the children left them, they had no other purpose.

Having a purpose in life depends upon one’s inner conviction. It does not rely on the presence or the absence of people. A man and a woman bind themselves in marriage in order to build a world of their own, but due to a lack of full commitment, they make their children the centre of their lives. Educating children is a responsibility, but not the sole purpose of life. If parents understand this aspect of marriage, they will plan their lives accordingly, and will save themselves from disappointments later on.