When I lost my father 27 years ago, I had quit my job just a week back and had registered for my Ph.D. in a reputed institute. My brother had just completed his MBBS and was doing his internship. My sister was in school. And my mom had quit her job as a school teacher to take care of the household and look after all of us. We did not have substantial savings nor did we have our own house – we were staying in the quarters of a college where my father was the principal. He was at the prime of his career and about to become the Vice Chancellor of a University. His loss was a blow for all of us from all possible angles and none of us at that time believed that we could ever recover from it. Within a year though, my mom found a job, I found a job, my brother completed his internship and went on to do his MD, my sister could continue her education unhindered and we bought our own house. Of course, it took tremendous efforts on our part to put our life together again because, in the jolly humdrum of everyday life, we tend to forget that disaster can strike at any time without warning and turn our lives upside down; especially, if we are not prepared for it.

Apart from that one big lesson, we learned a whole lot of other things that helped us become independent, responsible, and mature beyond our years. Life has a way of teaching us lessons – the hardest ones come from the toughest of adversities and if learned & implemented in the right way, they also pay huge dividends to turn your life into something beyond your wildest imagination. When I look back today from where I stand, everything that I lost along the way here, actually made me a better person. So, whether it is the death of a loved one, break-up with a partner, divorce, loss of a job, monetary loss, or lost opportunities, it is natural to feel sad, let down, or frustrated for some time, but eventually, if you are willing to pick up the pieces, you can actually reconstruct your life into a spectacular work of art using the lessons from your losses as the building blocks.

Even history is full of examples where setbacks & losses ultimately led to positive outcomes and paved the way for new opportunities. The devastating Great Fire of London destroyed a large portion of the city in 1666. However, the rebuilding process led to the creation of a more modern city with wider streets, improved sanitation systems, and fire-resistant building codes which significantly reduced the risk of future fires thus laying the foundation for the kind of city London is today. Alexander Fleming’s famous mistake of accidentally contaminating his petri dish with mold in 1928, and killing the bacteria growing in it, led to the discovery of penicillin, the first antibiotic, thus revolutionizing the modern world of medicine. The Tokyo Market Crash in 1989 which led to a significant economic downturn eventually forced Japanese companies to become more efficient and innovative, ultimately strengthening their long-term competitiveness in the global market.

So, the moral of the story is that losses are not just valuable learning experiences, but if leveraged in the right way, can open doors to new possibilities with surprising benefits in the long run provided you shift your perspective to viewing losses and setbacks as stepping stones for a brighter future. That said, everything that I learned from my father – whether it was physics & astronomy, cooking (to save my life), tips & tricks to remember chemical formulae and the position of elements in the periodic table, the opportunity that he gave me to become a ghostwriter for all his speeches, the encouragement & support that he provided me with which enabled me to become a well-educated and well-read person, everything remains with me till this day and I continue to use this knowledge & experience in ways that I never thought I would. So even with him gone for so many years now, he continues to guide me in spirit.

Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect. – Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).