Without a closure its meaningless but so it is, even after that!

There is no meaning to any activity without a closure. Its rendered useless without reaching the eventual purpose. I, you and everyone else seek the means to an end in our every pursuit and the most mundane involvement or participation. Imagine no salary at month’s end in a job or a mystery novel without its climax . A musician working on a piece without completion or an artist unable to complete a painting. A meal that doesnt get over or satiates hunger, drinking water without thirst or worse water unable to quench thirst. A never ending day or night that has no morning. Winters that dont lead to summers or vice versa. Even during meditation if you dont reach the recess in your inner depth then you struggle within, if you cannot park your mind their for just one moment then you crave for this closure.  

Everything is running in a cycle but it has to reach closure, its inevitable and a must. If it weren't so then we’ll all be too hopeless and disoriented. Every day work hours have to end so we can rest and the rest too shall end so we can work again. Same goes for the best of parties one can attend. How else do we find or give it a justifiable comprehension, we wont be able to relate without finding the final point. The most fascinating trek has to come back to its start point, sky diving or river rafting, all these exciting activities will just become a never ending horror without reaching their last point. There is no road trip or train/flight journey without a destination. We may or may not get back to square one every time but still there is somewhere to be reached and that is its closure point. 

How can anyone be in love with a person whom you could never express and now that person has gone beyond your reach? They might have left the locality, city or even country and you dont know how to trace them. The memory will eventually fade away. Even if you have earned enough in your life or at least more than you ever require, then too you wont find a closure in binge spending or continuous frivolity. We cant ever do enough to conclude for all times, we have to stop somewhere and then start somewhere again. Its a tedious and vicious circle. 

Clearly the only closure to life is death. They are inseparable companions, two sides of same coin, like day & night, winters & summers. But there’s got to be more to life than death. Or can we deny the fact that the weakest & strongest, sickest & healthiest, richest & poorest, sane & insane, ruler & ruled, all reach the same end. No discrimination or difference. Except for the repetition of same activities and/or trying new ones every now & then, is there really anthing more to our lives? Is there anything sustainable, meaning thats not rendered futile with age & time? There is so much we do just out of pressure of family, society and our peers. Its not necessarily bad but have they ever questioned or tried to break out of this cycle. So even if you find closure to many activities daily they still turn around every time. 

When I see people around, they all seem pretending without realising, seeking thrill, faking expressions & emotion without reaching their depth or maximum intensity, doing most things without actually knowing why, going about every day like a machine. Its rare to find anybody truly alive, anyone with eyes full of life, with acceptance without question, complete harmony with nature, with no attachment or aversion, or fully involved in self less acts. I know its sounds hypothetical but somewhere deep in my heart i believe its possible.

I am seeking a closure to my life before my time ends and my life expires. I dont want to accept death as my ultimate fate. Anybody who doesn't believe in fate is a liar, as we all know that death will come to us all at last. Its undeniable and inevitable. Clearly just earning a living, taking care of a family, raising children so on and so forth, is the most common regime of mankind across the globe. I am yet to meet anybody who has found a closure by doing just that. So I choose to seek by other means. May be I will find or may be not? I will know that I tried. 

Everybody lives in their own imaginary world

We have a incessant construction going on in our head. The world we keep building and modifying within. We keep picking elements knowingly and unknowingly, on a subconscious level. Hence losing our purity and innocence in the process. As no matter what the reality is, we make a world for ourselves based on our prior experience, exposure and mindset. There is no neutrality only biased view point. We constantly pick likes & dislikes, cool & not cool, tasteful & not, new or repetitive, etc. After collecting all these fragments every moment, we have what is generally referred to as outlook, viewpoint or even attitude towards things. Generally, most of our upbringing is focused on materialistic values as in studying, career and jobs/profession/business with occasional drift here & there towards values of life. In our schools moral science is looked upon as an extra subject and hardly anyone pats your back if you score well or highest in it. What is the broader aim of life, what kind of person should you be, righteousness & helping/contributing others as well society; all these questions are debatable and based on personal choices. Our personal gains always take the precedence. Though everyone vouches for success and appreciates successful people. In this race people take shortcuts and not so legitimate means at times.  

Where exactly are we heading? What is the end purpose of our various pursuits? Certainly, it should be more than ending up in a funeral pyre or grave. Irrespective of anything and everything we all do end up there eventually. Is it to lead `a happy life’ for us and our dear ones? What exactly is `a happy life’? We don’t draw satisfaction from the same activity or achievement in the same level at every given point. But nobody lets any such realization dawn upon them fully before they have moved on to searching for something new & next. Thankfully, sooner or later life serves us and shows us new possibilities, to what ends.

So based on our living and the imaginary world we have created within us, there is a sort of code of conduct we have formed for our individual self. We adhere to it fully and partially as & when it suits. Nobody really questions you for that; its for your eyes only. As there are many unanswered, unsolved, inexplicable instances in our imaginary world. There are many conflicts there everyday which nobody can see and nobody can judge you for. We can be whoever we desire in our world, we can cheat, rush and skip any rules. Thankfully scientists have not been able to create a device to picturize what goes on in one’s head, it certainly wouldn’t be ‘a happy film about a happy life’. We rise and fall in our eyes, in our world all the time. Some people luckily find others in front of whom they can open up completely and reveal to a great extent the actual happenings of our private world. But its hard to find the same frequency with another person all the time as even that person has their own world to manage.

People like to gather for events, parties, get together, etc. who have this common reception of various degrees for a certain activity. Or they are trying to seek similar worlds in others head unknowingly. Much like our quest to find water on other planets. If we are successful in such an attempt it makes for ‘a happy day or event in our happy life’. Books, movies, television and live show are often a binding agent when our connection gets weak with reality and its hard to pick anything from it. These mediums further provide imagination for our imaginary world. Its like dreaming in a dream.

In the end its still not very clear what exactly are we seeking, how to hold on to what we have found and where will we find more. Our ‘pursuit of happiness’ seems frivolous and yielding only fleeting success. Do we really know and understand what to strive for and how? Is there something everlasting at all?

I hope for now, every now and then, if we just step aside our imaginary world or come out of it then new & true possibilities can emerge. There can be sliver of harmony amongst us, our peers, our society & country and above all with nature.

Accept and respect

These are two simple and common words which are very easy to understand. There is no complexity and broader meaning here. Yet its something very difficult to come across. You see difficulty in accepting one’s circumstances or the people around. As long as there is power and strength, it is put to use to make changes. Its not always necessary and sometimes letting things be as they are, let people be how they want to be, is the best course. But more often then not we fail to judge and discriminate that. The chances of people hurting other people is very high when they cant respect other person’s space/privacy or cannot accept their way of life/freedom of choices. As long as they are not intersecting, which they don't in most cases. Its very common to see remorse in these cases where one has failed to changed things or in another words failed to accept things. The struggle a person goes through with an imaginary vision and forgets reality for the sake of it. It is very sad and I often fail to feel compassion here. 

I think its the lack of respect that brings it down. Its not respect for something or somebody specific. It may have its root in self-respect but that is something to ponder. To look at the true beauty of life without any facade comes by respecting it for what it is and accepting it as it is. We can claim and advocate all we want about things we have done and achieved but its doesn't change a myriad facts where accepting things willingly or unwillingly was the forced choice. How is it fair to keep a narrow perspective and being desperate to see & bend things in one direction. There are always many possible outcomes of any given situation, we wont know/control them all. 

I have experienced that if you can focus on this forced choice we may have had to accept at some point and start respecting then things can take a beautiful turn. Its the denial which is the only hindrance. If something that might be a weakness from a general point of view, its not necessary that we cannot develop from there. Your weakness can become your strength or your speciality. Its the attitude that makes all the difference. Everybody in class cannot be number one but if everybody is hoping to get there then disappointment will be obvious. The learning is more important than the position. The knowledge will take you more places than the vainglory every will. If our inspiration is put in a wrong figure, a place that’s misfit for us then misery is all we can expect. We are humans and bound to do errors, circumstantial or deliberate, doesn't matter. What matters is what we can make of the aftermath. There will always be accidents and confrontations, but the direction we can take the results is what defines us and the life to come. 

I once met a man who told me that his only, grown up and working son had been shot to death, as in murdered. He desperately wanted to blame somebody but didn't know who. It had been a while, the police case was old and unsolved. He told me that he lost his faith in god which I found highly irrelevant. If God is supposedly some entity that gives and takes everything, then it was his to take what he had given. How does it help the dead to cry and seek revenge even after years. However I did tell him that his son might have made some strong enemies but he denies that saying he was always friendly with everyone. Now the question that strikes here is that do we always know a person as well as we believe, no matter how close, are we in a position to ever judge or decide. The son had a life span and it got over when it had to. Who can challenge this reality, will it be any different if the son had died in a road accident, flood, earthquake or other many such unforeseen events. 

Just imagine if there is toddler in your family and is hurt by something or is simply unwell/sick which needs medical attention. Now will it be of any help to be sad/depressed/worried about it, I have seen people even cry, or focus on the best course of help and attention you can provide. Even then results might not be as positive as you want them to be or as quick as you want them to be. You have to accept it’s not in your hands and every one cannot be healthy/well all the time. Things will always change and you have to learn to accept & respect them as they are. Only then you can be contributive, productive and conducive for any betterment. Struggle will only lead to trouble. 

Its good to define & recognise your individuality but if you want to be respected for who you are then you have to equally regard others’. We want to do things in a certain manner we find best but sometimes its good to try willingly what is expected from us or suggested just for the respect of others. There is no harm in it. There is no place for ego here. Where there is love then there will be respect & acceptance. Its worth trying at least.  

Multitude to singularity

You can only taste one dish at a time, enjoy one song at a time, cherish one scenery at a time, fully be with one person at a time. We do like many things of multitude tastes and preferences but only enjoy one at a time. Even if you try to eat your favorite food while watching your favorite television series, try to observe sharply that the moment your focus moves to the screen the taste vanishes and the moment you are engulfed in the taste in your mouth you lose the context of the display on screen. But the shuffle happens very fast for us to bother much about it. As it doesnt seem important to focus on one thing at a time. You can try to understand this with a more specific example like listening to two of your favorite songs at one time, wouldnt that be absurd! 

We might have a zillion choices of things that we like, for instance clothes, shoes, bags, food, music, places, people, etc. but at a given point we prefer only one from each category. We always seek this singularity of things around us. It brings us together, its a more wholesome experience. One can casually do any thing but what really makes it perfect is when something you like can completely bind your focus genuinely. Whichever person, thing or place can do it for longest period becomes our favorite. If it was one time or very occasionally then it forms our favorite memory. Basically even if you cant help it to happen again, you want to live it again in your mind as everything felt just right in that moment. It is why you hear often people say live in the moment or live for the moment. As there are only fragments like these which keeps everything going or seem worthwhile. 

If somebody hasnt found this singularity in a long time then meeting that one special person when everything seems to come together for you, holds the most special/important position in your life. You can experience this special moment anywhere and anyhow. Many of its triggers are common for many and unique in other cases. You might have most things going but then eventually it starts getting mundane or monotonous, then going for a holiday to a new place or somewhere you havent been in a long time, gives you the solitude or singularity of your mind. 

Its our inherent nature to be at one place at a time and do one thing at a time, though external factors often take it away from us and life becomes a drag before you know it. In most cases mental fatigue seeps in faster than you know. Our being/existence seems spread over in so many places that getting to collect ourselves or to feel wholesome again becomes an ordeal to achieve. We are in this struggle always whether we know it or not or accept it or not.

You are going about your everyday life and a random long drive with a close friend/relative gives a relief, trying a new restaurant and new food can do it for some, a long waited concert / show can bring it for some. You cant really predict in advance when or what exactly will give you this moment of singularity next time. But we crave for it and live for it everyday waiting subconsciously. 

There is another very easy to comprehend example for this phenomenon, love at first sight or your first crush. The glee you felt or the constant grin which everyone questioned but you couldnt explain. There comes  sudden joy in everything you see or do. Many/most of us have experienced at least one such phase in our lives. 

Now comes the part we do not realize even after going through all this for decades. We like or love multitude of things but its the singularity that gets us thriving. The source of this singularity is always dependent outside on some external factor. As long as you are healthy, capable or well off to afford, its not an issue but things are not always easy or accessible for every common man. We start to age so rapidly without even realizing what/when/how it happened. As inevitably things change or dont last, we dont get the same joy/fun doing the same things, our taste & preferences change. We cant hold onto things in their same form forever. Everything has to vanish eventually, its the beauty of the end.

There is corner in our heart which is unexplored by our conscious mind, untouched by anything or anybody. Its resemblance or glimpse has been experienced by us through many instances or factors, but its identity is still a mystery just like its existence. But the first and foremost thing is acknowledging that its their even as a belief. As nothing is more reliable in this world than you to yourself. You will always be there for you come what may, wherever you are and in whatever condition. In the beginning its like diving into the ocean of your mind looking for this one small pearl, you dont know how deep its lying and in which corner. Though believe me it shines so bright that even from a long distance you start experiencing its glimmer which is your only hope. Suddenly you will know to have this lamp which might not shine fully the whole dark forest but at least the space two feet around you. This is enough to start walking as the more you move, the more light shines with you to clear your surrounding in this journey within. Once you reach there you will never have to look elsewhere to feel alive, wholesome and satisfied. You will be truely liberated, free, fearless and independent.

This kind of voyage is undertaken by very few adventurous people who strive to increase their moment of singularity after having identified it through one’s own life’s experiences. You can spend many many years in the multitude of things and there will still be zillion things left to explore or discover but to what ends. 

Sense of degradation

निकलना खुल्द से आदम का  सुनते आयें हैं लेकिन बड़े बेआबरु होकर तेरे कूचे से हम निकले । by Mirza Ghalib

Its been experienced by different men over ages ever since our existence began. There is always an underlying sense of degradation within us through out our lives. No matter how many ways & attempts we discover & invent to be constantly happy but they all fail miserably. Human mind is like a special infant which can never be satisfied.

The couplet above speaks of the shame of Adam upon being banished from the garden of Eden. The poet expresses his similar tribulation of being part of the creator once and now longs to rejoin him but always returns disappointing from his doorstep.

न था कुछ तो खुदा था , कुछ न होता तो खुदा होता , डुबोया मुझको होने ने, न होता मैं तो क्या होता !  by Mirza Ghalib

"My being was my undoing. Your gift of life - with all its woes and travails to wring some happiness and contentment from - conferred hardly any benefit on me. In fact, it was my undoing. In Your scheme, what difference do I make? I was much better off when I was a part of you. I wish I had remainded that way."

excerpt from the book - Diwan -e - Ghalib by T. P. Issar

There is an incessant battle going on where everyone is endeavoring to achieve the state of constant. Every little desire and wish that strikes our mind makes it restless & uneasy and we immediately start striving to gain the same state we were in before it happened. The peace & contentment found is of coming back to the way we were but the illusion is such that we confuse it to be coming from the fulfillment of that quest. Our life becomes a malady of this struggle forever until deathconsumes us.

Though its difficult to understand & explain how we came to be, if we were once supposedly part of the almighty. There are various relegions & sects that have attempted to answer this question but the bitter truth is it can only be known but not passed on. As this answer lies within everyone of us to realize it ourselves and not be given to us from outside by somebody else. No object, person or situation is permanent and hence its influence or impact lasts momentarily. Anything that is fleeting cannot yield something that will last forever.

On the other hand if we were never part of something that formed our origin then there is nowhere to reach. Can we simply go on doing whatever strikes our fancy, whatever comes easy, whatever is convenient? Isnt there any consequence of our action? Then why humans are born different and expereince seperate level of pain & pleasure. Why does some have to struggle to achieve what others are born with? Is there a way out? Can we resign from being at all? Can we choose to not exist? Is suicide ever a solution for the pains in one's life or are they carried to next birth?

If we have developed a highly advanced & functional society with government today, is it really any different from what life might have been fundamentally 2000 years ago or was it different from what it was 5000 years ago. We as humans have experienced joy, hate, love, anger, jealousy, lust, greed, pain, fear, anxiety in the same manner forever. What progress can we really make or have we made in our evolution & civilization?

 जिन खोजा तिन पाइया, गहरे पानी पैठ, मैं बापड़ा डूबन  डरा, रहा किनारे बैठ। (Author - not sure)

Its a very comman saying and a meaninful one too. We have to find our answers and meaning to our existence. There has to be a way to end this cycle of degradation. The feeling of our life being controlled by external forces or power. We should be in capacity to choose. We should be able to choose when our life ends. There should be no accidents & illness without our permission. Our success & failure shouldnt approach us without our knowing in prior or it should not have any affect on us. Nobody should be able inflict fear & pain on us. There has to be a key to limitless joy & peace. Lets find our lost kingdom.

Making love out of nothing at all

The most intense form of sensory pleasure that we humans can experience is having sex.  It engages all our five senses and mind at the same time. There is no other feeling more overwhelming than the contentment drawn from this act. The only catch is you need another person to fully enjoy it, participate with, similar mood and attraction. We like to share something we enjoy most by default with the person closest or most important to us, namely our spouse/lover. But doing an activity together doesnt make it an expression of your love. 

Its ironic that the person you start having physical relations with suddenly holds paramount importance in your life. We go all out for them, even out of our way to please them. I have observed to the extent that people behave out of character, go below self-esteem to win the appreciation of their desired one. Even though our family members are the first ones to  take care of us in myriad selfless ways but our sexual partner gets all the privileges and priority. 

Whoever coined the phrase 'making love' surely did so in throes of passion of carnal desires. As it means two people having sex and it has nothing to do with love. If its actually love then why is it restricted to just one relationship at a time. It doesn't extend to everybody you claim to love in your life. How do you differentiate between love in your various relations? We obviously claim to love our friends, relatives, family without a hint of sexuality. Our society allows us to have multiple platonic relations with members of opposite gender but directs us for only one sexual relation at a time and should not include family members (incest), as polygamy and incest may have disrupting & corrupting effects and implications. There can be a chaos of jealousy, dominance and possessiveness. Many a crimes have been known as a result of a person not able to tame their sexual desires and fantasies. They use any foul means possible to achieve its fulfillment like taking advantage of helplessness or forcing themselves on others. 

How does act of copulation depict an expression of love? We dont express it to everyone we love and nor do we harbor the fantasy of expressing it. At times when we cross the taboo line of being sexual with someone we are not supposed to. Its very common for people to hide it to great lengths, when they fail to do so life becomes miserable. As the guilt burdens them incessantly. Yet occurrence of such weakness is fairly well known and common to us humans. 

Sex is pure lust and its an animal instinct in us like many others. As most animals dont differentiate while choosing their mating partner. I suppose labeling it to be lust is belittlement for some people. As lust may be seen as something degraded and uncivilized where as an act of love is all pious (pun intended). The purpose of sex is simply procreation and not recreation. If we claim it to be a right given by nature to exercise & exploit then why use artificial means of contraception available today. As  earth would be bursting with human population without control.   

I often find it very funny to observe that most couples when go for social purpose, dress up there best. Many a times you can find women dressed in a very provocative and revealing manner even when casually stepping out. But then everybody has there own definitions these days. If those women are already with their partners (lovers and spouses) then they have no reason to attract more attention to their physical beauty. Isnt the whole idea of looking sexually desirable meant for your partner’s eyes only? They shouldnt have any motive to look enticing in least manner. Yet you see everyone proud to flaunt the looks of their companion and often gift fancy attire to highlight it. They would try to look as attractive as possible and go at lengths by spending time, money & energy to achieve the effect. In case of singles its very well understandable but for the rest of them, its beyond thinkable for my feeble mind. You find profile pictures and photo ablums on various social media where people are deliberately posing dressed up in a way only your spouse/lover should see you. But as long as its not nightwear/lingerie, its accepted as normal. Some even say, if you have it then why not flaunt it.

Its normal and natural for adults to engage in sex with consent of your partner. I always advise couples to only do so at rare occasions. Its a beautiful experience to share. But if something is worth cherishing and easily accessible then we tend to over do it. Excess of everything will render it without charm. You can use that time to spend quality time with your beloved in various other ways. Its just like cutting cake on your birthday and anniversary. Its something meant for special occasions only. Doing it often will ultimately make one of the partner lose interest? It can get very difficult when only one of you is in the mood. The frequency of sex with your partner is not a parameter of love for that person. Once you have done it enough for few years then the sex life becomes pale and dull. Lack of sexual excitement with your partner becomes a major reason of failing relations, falling marriages and then they seek to spice things up in any which way. Even after a quarrel or differences, couples seek to make up with sex for reassurance. Its just the opposite approach of what should be. If you maintain a decent gap then such loss wouldnt happen in the first place. If you see the same scenery for few years then it becomes boring. Similarly couples while engaging into copulation with full lights on or during day time are prone to lose interest in each other very easily. As after a while the same body having repeatedly seen, doesnt arouse desires. They feel helpless as sexual needs are still there but the lack of gratification makes them wander mentally.

Anger and lust are form of same force within us. When under influence we tend to forgo everything important around us. Where anger always leads to devastating effects, lust when unchained & unchartered can lead to worse havocs. Just like anger needs to be managed and controlled, so is lust. Both being natural impulses doesnt mean we can or should express it as and when we desire. The one who can fathom this and rise above both can achieve unthinkable heights.

Celibacy is a way of life for rare few on earth. People of different cultures, countries, civilizations have observed great benefits of it at different era of time. But its value has been universally acknowledged. Sportsmen, scholars, researchers, scientists, philosophers, thinkers and spiritualpractitioners stress upon abstaining from sex to conserve our physical, mental and psychic energies. Such energy can then be utilized anywhere we focus it. After all its this energy that leads to creation of another life like us.  

 

you can't see if you always keep looking

Even though we are always looking for what we seek knowingly and unknowingly, we cant see it. The most profound and evident feelings, emotions and experience cant be seen with our naked eyes. It requires delving inside. We all have felt at some point ecstatic joy & happiness. It doesnt matter what was its triggering cause as the source always remains in our heart. Whether it is a warm embrace of our beloved one, excessive sensory pleasure, affection from your mother, holding your child, etc. We tend to close our eyes to let it engulf our very existence for that moment, to savour it fully. Even something that hasnt got anything to do with emotions like a perfect breeze, we have to close our eyes to cherish it. Its an involuntary action. As these are some of the most beautiful moments of our life and our eyes arent required to see them. We keep looking to increasingly experience such joy or enhance it but cant see it anywhere. It just happens when it has to happen.

If only one could identify the exact location of the rise and dissolve of this wonderful feeling that emanates in our heart, we wouldnt be dependent for its trigger. May be even hold on to it for as long as we want or have a constant flow.

After a long day of hard work, wasted time, dream coming true or any other circumstances, it has to end the same as every other day. We lie down and close our eyes to sleep. Whether its joy or sadness, whether you want it to pass away or hold to it forever. The strength to accept the inevitable tragedy or joy of success that we have craved for the longest time. It has to be processed with our eyes closed eventually. When you are praying with all your faith and devotion, you close your eyes. All the important instances that occur in our life are only seen with closed eyes.

We derive our strength to look forward to what each day brings by not looking. The clarity to see things in their right light comes from not looking. It is considered the worst kind of torture for any human when they are not allowed to sleep for more than 72 hours. As those few hours of not looking every night during our sleep is essential for existence. Else it drives us insane.

If you want to expand your potential, gain clarity towards the purpose of your endeavors, get answers to inexplicable questions and instances, ultimately experience limitless peace & love, you just have to consciously close your eyes, to be at complete rest. Its the epicenter of answers to so many mysteries, most of which subconsciously plague us through out our lives. Its the ultimate door we need to enter to cater to all our needs of Safety, Love and belonging, Esteem and self-actualization.

When we look at it literally then there is nothing to be found. As without any objectivity we dont know what to relate with or begin with. One has to be a lateral thinker to take this chance, be at a saturation of craving, exasperated with the fleetingness of things. Its like a journey in uncharted planes with nothing at your disposal, full of uncertainity but no fear to losing anything.

What we see may not necessarily be real and we cant see yet doesnt imply;  it cant be real. 

Life is a debt!

When an infant cries over a broken clay toy, we smile affectionately at the silliness; when a child raises hell over separation with a friend owing to change of school/city, we smile and cajole them out of it; when a young one nags over a new toy or candy, we convince them out of it by all means. We all act so grown up, wise and pragmatic in such situations but fail miserably when facing the same. As we age, our ego builds a false notion of value importance for various things people we are interested in. If only we d instill the same knowledge given taken in our childhood, lifewould be much more sorted. We would nt cry, fight or be depressed for some acquisition and separation of our beloved ones for whatever reason it may have occurred. We struggle all the time to gain what we dont have already or was ours once, but rarely appreciate fully or be grateful to the universal giver.

It is comprehensible when a child acts like this but not when grown ups do. The primary most important reason is what we have failed to understand utterly that life everything which comes with it, is a debt on us. We owe it to something/someone we dont know, dont understand and unfortunately dont care. Nothing here is ours and no matter what claims we may prove over someone or something, it wont become ours.

The first thing that strikes me is the end of life, how its unsure and not in our hands. So all the things at our disposal and things that we may gain access to eventually, by acquiring them somehow or the other, are with us for an uncertain amount of time. We are all born in varied circumstances, financial condition, family members, location, religion, weather, health, etc. We cannot determine any of these for ourselves and nor can anybody else. They are pre-ordained. If we look around, various children are born with certain disabilities ailments. But most of us have been gifted with almost perfect senses to experience this world. Are we really ever grateful for that? We have eyes, ears, tongue, nose, face, arms, legs, mind, brain, etc. The very basic essentials to live life. They are all taken for granted to be our rightful property.

We all have been given so much but we fail to even acknowledge the courtesy. If someone dear to us is sick, disabled, hurt or dead, we cry over it, get sad or depressed. If any of our precious belonging/acquisition gets lost, damaged, stolen or taken against our will, we crave it like anything and almost like our life depends on it. If someone snatches our status, post or insults us in some way damaging our position amongst our peers, society, workplace, etc. basically hurting our ego, its such a devastating experience. Why is it that we are so oblivious to the fact that none of it is ours. It is been given to us or made available to us. Even we have acquired or build something over time with efforts, remember the time, efficiency talent was not originally ours. We are just temporary caretakers with certain perks.

There is a owner of everything we perceive knowingly or unknowingly, things we are aware of yet or not. His system is very intricate, immaculate and flawless. Just because we dont know it, doesnt mean it doesnt exist and just because we dont understand it, doesnt mean its flawed. The nature and all its beings features are in perfect sync bound by a certain law pattern governed by the owner.

We all must spend some time to express our gratitude someway or the other, by praising the giver/owner in our hearts, by contributing means at our disposal to those who dont have, doing selfless service of any kind to those in need and most of all spread his kindness, love generosity to everybody we come across with equanimity. Otherwise its a disastrous waste to die eventually with a narrow mind and selfish attitude.

We are all self-inflicted slaves

How can you be happier and more satisfied in your life? I thought of using this as a title of this post. Its the most common question asked and answered in self-help/improvment guides. But I realized it has something to do with the submissive nature of ours. Hence I consider us all self-inflicted slaves to our mind.

The happiness and satisfaction of our lives is a state or experience of our mind. We pereceive things through our senses and experience it in our mind. Mostly it lasts for a very short time, before again our mind projects a new situation/condition to make us feel incomplete. We keep trying and experimenting with various things, people and situations around us. We try to determine how to make the best out of them to our benefit or for people we care. We see, hear, taste, smell, touch and feel everything at our disposal in our own way. Thereby to establish a meaning or connection to it. There are myriad subjects available to us whether we know them all yet or not. 

There lies the catch, the constant endeavor to please our mind, convince it, satisfy it, etc. We confuse our satisfaction to be that of our minds'. As unfortunately 99% of us dont know our identity beyond our mind and body. No I am not refering to us being a soul. As soul too just comprises of our subtle body. But I am not even talking about various layers of our existence here. 

You will have to experiment this on your own to realize what I am trying to say here purely out of my own experience. First of all lets just do away with the barrier of any kind of fear of society, law, etc. As they prevent us from taking into action many thoughts that may occur to us at times. We dont want to pay heed to those kind of feeling and desires here. We all have our sense of righteousness based on our upbringing, culture, education and exposure. So there are again many actions we avoid out of that obligation. So now we narrow down to all actions & activities which are unconditional and free from prejudice or dire consequences. 

We spend all of our time & energy for ourselves and/or things/people we deem important to us. But you have to at least try to go out of your way even if it costs you a bit and keep yourself open to do something for someone self-lessly. You have to deduce that the outcome is not benefitial to you in anyway you can understand for now. There is nothing in return you expect from it. Again you can choose any activity for the same. But I suppose you get the gist. The heart of the matter here is that do something willingly against your mind's wish everyday for sometime. Be it assisting somebody helpless whom you dont know, tending to anybody in need, planting trees in remote places, cleaning places where we dont hangout, etc. 

I would like to stress here again that I am pointing towards things you either dont notice because you are too busy and self-absorbed in your own life or dont consciously take out time for. Even if you start with half an hour a day, it can yield results you cant possibly imagine. All you need to do is cut sometime out of your next weekend getaway, coffee with a dear one, a little bit from your sleep, etc. The more you dont like to do or cant do the better. It can be a sick relative you dont like to visit or some distant aquaintance in very poor & helpless state. If its strangers in these conditions then all the more better. You should force yourself out of the reverie of selfish pursuits & gains. For a change expand your heart, broaden your mind and choose to be different from animals. 

There is so much stress & confusion at every nook and corner of our life today. Essentially because all our energies our constantly focused to just please our mind. It has gradually made us very selfish and focused only on our feelings and desires. My career, my companion, my family, my friends, my ideology, my aim, my ambition, my desire, my wish...............We have become so predictable and boring indirectly.

Interestingly, this is also the essence of meditation. Its meant for you to exercise control over your mind & body for sometime and avoid them from participating in any conscious activity. To refrain from all feelings, thoughts, ideas, movements for a shortwhile everyday. The most vivid and direct way to confront your true nature. To be completely comfortable and in acceptance of who you are. Before you venture out in the world with your expectations & ideas and hoping people to see you in the right light. Its the most primary selfless activity from which you cant derive anything physical. It gradually opens up the capacity in you pay more attention to everything around, to be aware, to have greater & longer focus on your determination, to contribute to existence in its entirety with however small a contribution. To be happier & more satisfied in your skin.