Life Has Much To Offer, Don’t Go Away Yet

Murali A Raghavan

Aspate of suicides reported recently makes us wonder: What drives an individual to take his own life? The drastic action is perhaps due to intense despair and a feeling of helplessness. The question then arises: What is life and what sustains it? No doubt the physical frame is sustained and supported by air, food and water. But at the psychological level it is hope, the perception of self-worth and moral strength that affirm the will to live. All excuses like loneliness, loss of wealth, humiliation, shame and guilt that might force the decision to give up on life midstream could be traced to the loss of the will to live. Hope is the springboard of all activity. A new hour, a new dawn and a new year, all hold out hope. Hope can also spring forth in a manner that is unconnected with us. A good turn of events for someone else can kindle hope in us. However, hope could turn out to be a double-edged sword. Unfulfilled hope can be devastating, as in business, love and competitive situations. Grief might blur one’s vision but the flicker of hope helps us navigate the darkness of despair. In contrast, death is total darkness. One way of handling this is to hope realistically rather than reach for something that is unattainable. There will be less chance, then, of falling so short of the goal that everything seems out of reach and hence, life will not lose all meaning. To act and not be distracted by the fruit of action is a good way to avoid such situations. The Gita advises us to remain detached from fruit of action. Self-criticism and introspection are useful exercises to appraise one’s strengths and weaknesses so that one can understand one’s potential. This is not to sit in judgement and find fault. Any assessment of one’s worth can only be relative and so is not absolute. Comparisons are odious, wrote a poet. So when we desist from making comparisons, it helps us overcome a great many problems. Everything in the world is there because it is of some worth. Ramakrishna Paramhansa said that a stone that lies on the road is there for a reason we might not be aware of. Every person likes to be loved, to receive compassion and kindness. No one would like to be hurt, deceived or offended in any way. So the universal moral code is clear: Do unto others what you would have them do to you. A convicted criminal appeals for mercy or clemency hoping that the very moral code he violated will somehow pull him out of the dire situation he has put himself in. In some cases a one-off moral transgression may make it difficult to justify the continuance of life. Speaking a lie while being aware of the truth and doing wrong intentionally even while knowing what is right could lead to dilemmas that erode selfworth. A fractured mind, like a broken mirror, does not reflect reality. It leads to misconceptions and creates confusion, leading one to jump to conclusions. When one is unable to reconcile contradictions in perception, hasty decisions are made and when translated into action, these can have disastrous, and maybe irreversible consequences. Such as the decision to take one’s life. A unified mind is the key to peace, happiness and fullness. It can help us see the whole picture rather then get trapped in ephemeral details. Not everyone might turn out to be a Beethoven or Stephen Hawking. However, by not getting disheartened by setbacks and by finding ways to overcome difficulties, we can learn to appreciate and enjoy whatever we have instead of calling it quits.

Come To Terms With Multiple Identities

Discourse: Swami Sukhabodhananda

An old man died disappointed in life. He was honest and could not tolerate dishonest people. When he met the Lord in heaven, he asked, ‘If human beings are your creation, then all of them are your children. Why are there so many differences amongst them?’ God replied kindly: “Each person who is born on this earth has a unique message to offer to the world. It is only through these lessons one understands life and godliness.” When people tell lies, it implies that things are not as they seem. Learn to look behind the facade. When someone dies, it reminds us that nothing is permanent. Life is impermanent. So don’t take life for granted. When one criticises you, it teaches that no two people are alike. When someone breaks your heart, it teaches you that loving someone does not always mean that love will come back to you the way you want it to. When someone cheats you, it teaches you that the root cause of evil is greed. Even good deeds offer their own messages. Hence, the world is like a university teaching us in unique ways always. Let your life be one of learning. Learn to do everything with love and devotion. Be grateful for everything. Then you will receive Divine Grace. This is the law of life. With devotion, your third eye or intuitive eye opens, and you would see many meaningful coincidences occurring in your life. You will see the hand of God blessing you in mysterious ways. We might think we are individuals; actually we are a collection of many identities. The one in you who listens to me is different; the one that creates problems is different. I am a father, with reference to my son, a son with reference to my father, and a boss with reference to my employee. Therefore there are several identities in one individual. How to achieve a balance with so many identities? How to transform the negative ones into positive? Buddha advised his disciples to move around with five seekers, so that their presence would impact the other. One’s purity would empower the other. Atmasmaranam or self-remembrance is an important aspect in life. We have to remind ourselves of the great teachings of enlightened masters. When we are forgetful, unconsciousness takes over. We have to become conscious and remember that we have to decouple ourselves with the ‘wrong’ self. The wrong self has its survival games. We have to see them clearly and understand. Observe how the wrong self is a function of the ‘lower self’ and the game of life is to operate from the ‘higher self’. This is not difficult, but one has to practise with joy. Don’t work for joy; instead, work out of joy. Truth does not disempower. Whatever the truth, one should be able to see it. Truth does not operate in a way to please one. Truth reveals the facts of life. Do you want to be with fact or fiction? Further, we can unify all the various identities we have at our disposal. That is the alchemy that spirituality invites us to experience. We can do that only if every identity in us is driven by a principle. Be principle-oriented. The foundations of our lives must be based on goodness. Every identity should be anchored on transformation. Transformation means growth. If all identities are transformed, then we become individuals. Or else, we would be like those seated in a chariot with each horse galloping in different directions. Let all horses run in the same direction.