Time is not a silent companion; it is a relentless force. It searches out and gradually destroys everything that is merely material. Wealth fades, power collapses, monuments crumble and even the strongest bodies surrender. History is a witness that nothing made of dust escapes the verdict of time. Yet humanity, again and again, behaves as if time can be negotiated, delayed, or deceived. As another year passes into memory, time stands before us like a silent mirror, asking us to look closely at the truth of our lives. If life is viewed as a business transaction, then most people are living under a dangerous illusion.

 

They chase profits that appear impressive on the surface - money, status, influence, and comfort - but when the day’s account is settled, the balance shows a loss. A life spent only in material accumulation ends in bankruptcy of the conscience. As the year 2025 slips quietly into the past, it stands before us like an unfinished ledger. We must ask ourselves honestly: What did we gain, and what did we lose? Across the world, we saw dazzling technological progress and unprecedented connectivity, yet we also witnessed horrifying man-made tragedies. Wars continued to consume innocent lives. Children were buried under rubble, families displaced by conflict, cities reduced to ashes - not by earthquakes or storms, but by human hands.

 

These are not calamities of nature; they are failures of conscience. Time recorded the screams that were ignored. It also recorded the quiet acts of goodness - those who healed, sheltered, fed, taught, and stood for justice when it was costly. Time is impartial, but its judgment is exact. A human being does not fulfil his duty by living only for himself. Such a life may survive, but it does not succeed. Whatever goodness a person possesses - especially moral clarity, faith, patience, and wisdom - is not meant to be hoarded. It is meant to be shared. Truth that is not communicated fades. Goodness that is not spread withers. Faith or religiosity that does not inspire action becomes a hollow claim. Society collapses not merely because of evil people, but because good people remain isolated, silent, and self-absorbed. Social welfare is not charity alone; it is moral leadership. It is guiding, reminding, encouraging others to remain firm on the path of truth and constancy when storms rage outside. In an age of noise, manipulation, and fear, standing patiently for what is right is itself a silent testimony of a conscience that is alive.

 

Time gives every human being a limited probation. This is not a rehearsal. The opportunity to correct, repent, reform, and rebuild does not repeat endlessly. A missed chance is often lost forever. We cannot push time back by even a fraction of a minute, nor can we buy an extra hour with all the wealth of the world. Regret arrives when time has already moved on. The tragedy of our age is not ignorance, but delay. People know what is right, yet they postpone it. They promise to change “next year,” to serve “later,” to speak “when the time is right.” But time never waits for intentions - it only records actions. As we step into a New Year, let the memory of 2025 not be a weight of guilt but a mirror of truth.

 

Let it warn us that living only for ourselves is the surest way to fail. Let it remind us that inner peace is not achieved by escaping the world, but by standing firm within it - with patience, faith, and unshaken moral resolve. For those who align with truth, spread goodness, and remain steady amid chaos, time does not merely destroy - it testifies. When noise fades and the race pauses, a quiet certainty remains: time was always guiding us toward an unavoidable meeting. In that realisation lies the final warning and the final mercy: do not let life pass in heedless increase and restless rivalry, until one day distraction ends at the threshold of graves and the truth of what truly mattered becomes unmistakably clear to all. A person may remain absorbed in distractions until death nears, when all show fades and reality stand clear - so why not seek understanding now, while life still allows return and choice? (The author is Regional Secretary, Society For Communal Harmony, New Delhi)