> ***"Life is a circle. The end of one journey is the beginning of the next" — Joseph M. Marshall III***

If we ever feel low, isolated and fear the upcoming slowdown of life,we must go and look at the stars. The endless motion of stars, planets around our sky at night will give us a sense of hope and tell us that everything and everyone is connected and moreover,  it is never the end.

##### Every end is a new beginning

I went out this Saturday to look at the sky near an isolated lake. The sky looked beautiful in the crisp cold night.  There were signs of human life at points around the lake, in the form of obtrusive lights but still,  they could not ruin the beauty of the starlit night.

I pointed my camera to the North and let it sit there, capturing the stars as they traveled in the sky.  Capturing these wonderful circles of star trails....

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Taking this picture was not easy.  It involved being alone and isolated near a lake. Leopards have been reported in the territory.  I was more worried about even more dangerous animals,  humans!  Robberies have been reported in the area.

Thus, I was apprehensive of this whole exercise but the prospect of the beauty of stars dragged my city dwelling soul to the spot anyway.

The lake was calm. Light and a wild fire reflected in the silent dark mirror like waters. The moon was yet to rise.  Trees and a projected mudbank formed a nice foreground to the night sky lit with a million twinkling stars.

Mosquitoes and couple of stray dogs kept company.

**Anyway - with about 2 hours of effort**, I could get these beautiful star trails.  Since the earth rotates about it's North South Axis,  all the stars seem to go from East to West in the Northern hemisphere.  Therefore,  they actually form a circle with North pole as a center when they travel across the sky.  That is why, with a long exposure,  we end up getting so many circles - each of them the path of a bright star.

Here is another shot with a little close up

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There is no beginning or end to the motion of stars. They go around in circles.  That is why they remind me so much of circle of life...


##### The circle of life
We all go through the cycle of birth, childhood, adulthood, old age (another childhood) and finally death.  We think it is a unidirectional journey but there are many circles of life hidden in that unidirectional journey.  

**The first circle** is that which **connects the two stages - childhood and old age**.  We are dependent on others, physically not so strong and without too many personal connections in the world when we are children.  We then grow up, spend most of our life pursuing our goals and then finally grow old.. We are back to the stage in life when we are physically weak, not many personal connections and perhaps dependent on others too.  
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[Image source](https://pixabay.com/vectors/adult-age-baby-child-death-human-2028245/)
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We have completed a full circle but we fail to realize  that and feel sad about growing old.  **We need to recognize that old age is a circular connection to childhood and rediscover the joys of childhood - forget our inhibitions, find joy in small new experiences, learn new things... Life will be beautiful again and we will never be afraid of the journey ahead .. just like a child.**

**Second circle** that we do not realize **is the one that connects everything and everyone**..
Remember the famous scene in The Lion King where King Mustapha the Lion explains to his son Simba  ***'We eat antelopes and then when we die, we become grass. The antelopes eat the grass - So, it is all connected..."***
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[Image source](https://pixabay.com/illustrations/networks-gear-man-people-circle-403521/)
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We need to understand that everything is not only about our own needs and desires.  Since it is all connected,  every one of our actions affects something in the universe around us.  **If we realize the significance of this circle of life,  we are much less likely to take actions that harm other humans, animals and our own planet.**

**A third circle** is the circle of **success and failure, hope and despair, Joy and sadness...**.   We need to realize that nothing lasts for ever. We can not be happy or sad continuously.  **In every failure, the path to success will be hidden and in every Joy a shadow of sadness lurks. We will be far more prepared to continue through life in a balanced way if we recognize these circles**

Hmmmm  - Too philosophical you think?

Perhaps yes but I think at the stage of life in which most of us in this community are, we need to reflect upon things as we enjoy the beauty that is associated with them.  What do you think?

Please feel free to comment and express your views freely...

Cheers everyone. Have a great day and be positive !

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