How Virat Kohli reminds us of the brevity of life and the inevitability of death

I turned 27 last week. While sitting in solitude to allow the feeling of having turned 27 to sink in, I was reminded of a brilliant line that I had read in the book When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, which went - “The days are long but the years are short.''

While I cannot think of any other line that describes the brevity of life with so much simplicity and profundity, I cannot think of any other individual who serves as a constant reminder of the finite nature of life the way Virat Kohli does. If you’re confused with regard to my pick, allow me to elucidate.

It’s no secret that Virat Kohli is someone who possesses bottomless reserves. The game may well and truly be in the bag but, while on the field, he’ll still dive to save those inconsequential runs, even it that means risking injury. The series may be sealed but he’ll still play the dead rubber with all his heart and might.

Giving anything less than his 120% would mean disrespecting the game that he has limitless love for, the game that has given him so much, and the game that, in all likelihood, he’ll only have a chance to play until his late thirties or early forties.

Every time Kohli steps onto the field, he is cognizant of the very finite nature of a cricketer’s career, which lasts for 15-20 odd years at most. ONLY 15-20 odd years I should say, especially when compared to the average human life expectancy, which stands between 75-80 years. Confronting the reality of his cricketing career’s mortality instils in Kohli an inextinguishable desire to make each day as a professional cricketer for India count.

Many a sage has advised on living each day as if it were your last. Virat Kohli’s conduct on the cricketing field exemplifies this advised approach.

In early 2019, Kohli had remarked that once he retires, he doesn't reckon that he’s going to pick up the bat again. “I will be spent, the day I finish I will be totally spent and that’s the reason I am going to stop playing cricket. So I don’t see myself coming back and playing again. Once I am done, I will be done, and I won’t be seen around the scene,” Kohli had said.

Kohli’s remark has parallels with the following quote from Mark Twain:

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.

Put simply, a man who has pursued his life’s blueprint with full honesty and dedication does not carry any major regrets or unfinished business with him to his deathbed.

Similarly, the phrase “totally spent” in Kohli’s remark means that he will have lived his life as a cricketer to the fullest and not have any unfinished business, the fulfilment of which was under his control, once he hangs up his boots. He will be “prepared to die” (retire) without feeling the ill-effects of his withdrawal from the game knowing that he’s left nothing on the table.

Perhaps the greatest spur to “[living] fully” is the realization of your own mortality. As Confucius once said - “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one." The realization of the relatively short span of a cricketer’s profession is what spurs Kohli to live his life as a cricketer fully.

My claim that the profound realization of the brevity of life and the inevitability of death impact the way Kohli conducts himself on and off the field is further corroborated by this video of Kohli in which he explains why he decided to get tattoos.

At the end of the video, he mentions “one life, you have to live it.” Typically, I wouldn’t have read into this casual-sounding comment all that much had it been someone else. There are plenty of Toms, Dicks, and Harrys who throw out the “one life, live it up” truism at the drop of a hat.

However, Kohli is someone who speaks from the heart. He is very candid and articulate in the way he speaks and truly means and believes in whatever he says. Anyone who’s watched his interviews and press conferences over the years will attest to this.

In a 2018 interview, Kohli labelled himself as a “monk in a civil society”. His monk-like demeanour now is in stark contrast to what his brash nature was like during his formative years as a cricketer.

He has deliberately worked on cultivating more peace of mind over the years as a result of which his aggression now is more controlled. Cultivating more peace of mind makes this short life not seem as short as it allows one to buy more time. On the other hand, a busy mind accelerates the perceived passage of time.

This is such a short and precious life that it’s really important that you don’t spend it being unhappy. Rarely do I see Kohli unhappy. As long as he knows that he is giving his 120% and is controlling the controllable to the best of his ability, he is accepting of outcomes, even the unpleasant ones.

He understands that despite putting your best foot forward, there is a lot of randomness in life and you often end up on the losing side even when you didn’t do much wrong. Being accepting and interpreting defeat as a learning outcome is what keeps Kohli happy. In his own words - “You either win or you learn.”

I really believe in the concept of, "you either win or you learn". We fought hard and gave it our all but one thing is for sure, next season we definitely will bounce back stronger than ever with our learnings from this season. Take care. @RCBTweets #RCB #IPL2018 pic.twitter.com/b0QM9chRAN

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) May 24, 2018

In conclusion, there is a lot that we can all learn from Virat Kohli and having an interest in cricket is not a precursor to imbibing these learnings. His principles and best practices off the field are what allow him to be at his supreme best on it.

Regardless of what your “field” is, you can apply some of his principles to it. When lacking the confidence or the courage to execute any of them due to fear of any kind, remind yourself that we are all going to die one day, aren’t we?