Travel light

Once Chotu accompanied his father AnandRam to the market place. He was carrying a small bag which he wished to fill with his booty of chocolates and eatables that fascinated him in the bazaar. He saw his father pick up stones and thorns now and then from the path and put them on the side of the road. After sometime, he asked his father “papa, why are you picking up stones and thorns from the path? For whom are you clearing the path?”. His father smiled and said “I am clearing the path for us. When we are returning from the market place, with less stones and thorns in the path, we would be able to go back home early and also with less pain in the legs. Carrying the weight of our purchases would also be less painful with a smooth path under our feet.” Our dear Chotu also joined his father in clearing the path as they walked to the market place.

Little Chotu understood it so effortlessly. But, what about us?

For the last 2-3 months, we have read articles/blog posts with regards to greed, jealousiness, anger etc. I have tried to explain as simply and as much as I can about fear, ignorance and such related vikaras. I have also explained the harm done by these feelings to the wearer of these feelings. Methods and procedures too have been dealt with. Still the questions remain - “But, Why should I be the person changing always….when the other is as bad as ever?

Why should I forgive and move on? Because, it is possible only for the saints or for such people with no self-respect and no self-esteem. Only cowards and spineless people would take down the insult silently?

To possess these emotions is but natural. Then, where is the question of me dropping it?

If I am changing all the way, when will the other person understand and change for better?

What do I get out of all these?”

These and such related questions are asked.

With each topic I have clearly dealt with these questions. Yet it seems to have been overlooked or not understood correctly. May be, I have not put across the point clearly too…

So, I will start addressing these issues with a fresh angle – the ME angle. For the start, market place in the story above represents our desires and wishes that we wish to shop for in the world. The home is the heart where peace and satisfaction is. After shopping we have to come home to actually enjoy our purchases and wares. Right? Put otherways, “Getting what you want is achievement, wanting what you get is success.” More or less, most of get what we want (most of it!) but still have the deficit factor which removes the joy from possessing it and enjoying it. And that is possible only when we come back to ourselves. And coming back means less of thorns like jealousy, anger, frustrations etc. So, to actually enjoy our lives we need to drop these things – emotions from ourselves. Not clear yet? No issues. From tomorrow, we’ll deal with each of these questions and more individually and then address the problem at the grass root level. Till then, “to be more peaceful, I should be thinking less. And to think less, I should be living only in present moment – but for that I should be free of all that is past and future.” Think about it!

Till I write again, jiyo light, jiyo right.