CHENNAI: There is a missing link between ‘our aim in Life’ and ‘the aim of our Life’. With the apprehension of this link, feeling of dangling, or tug of war with life will come to an end.
Living in a society that is driven by external resources and economy, we are more focused on our aim in life rather than having the clarity about the very aim of our life. Every day, at every step, our exploration starts to fulfil the goals and aim that is set by us with the parameter of our own desires. Even though it is set and often fulfilled, it does not seem to offer satisfactions.
We remain unsatisfied, and set more goals and create more desires. By doing this we are moving away from reality and finding paths towards the opposite direction. Today we are stuck with a big question mark ‘Why are we living?’ and what is the purpose of life? To find an answer, we have to come back to reality. To experience this reality we need a change of perception, vision and attitude towards life. In other words, we should start to see life as it is, and not think, how it should be. It is about radically changing our outlook on life. It is a complete conceptual shift.
Life is not just about cracking of examinations and earning of money and more money. Or about getting a good partner and settling down. It is also not about winning the wars of competition. But, it is about doing all this and having all of it while learning to align them with the divine purpose of being a Being of love, peace and happiness, rather than losing this divine purpose while attaining the mundane.
The purpose of journey is to reach the destination. But when there is no clear vision of the destination, we become wanderers; when there is no destination it is not a journey but just “Wandering” without any purpose. This ‘wandering’ makes us feel that there is no purpose in the walk of our life. It makes us feel burned out and tired of life.
In this fast pace of time, there is an urgency to explore ‘The aim of our life’ to keep the ‘aim in our life’ going. Perhaps ‘aim of our life’ which is the ‘destination’ should determine the ‘path’ that is ‘aims in our life’. Today, we seem to prefer charting our path to travel our journey without destination. At the end of the journey, we realise this is neither the destination we want to reach nor the destiny we want in life.
We spend our time and energy to earn money, possessions and positions. Do we get them ? Surely yes, we have achieved material possessions and comforts. We assumed that through this possessions and positions, we will be happy. Our assumption is proven wrong, by travelling south; we can never reach up north. Our direction itself is wrong. We have never said, “I am going to work to earn happiness.” We have always said, “I am going to work to earn money” and while working on this, I got stressed. So we achieved both money and stress. We said, we will achieve success, and assumed attaining success we will be happy. When did we think and say that I will achieve happiness?
We work out to look good and fit, never work towards ‘being good’. We effortlessly try to keep our outlook beautiful and attractive in expensive clothes, laced with jewels. Never did we do anything to remain matured and beautiful inside, by garnering good thoughts. We tirelessly attempt to conceal the hostility of age, such as ugly black spots and wrinkles. When ones inner self is confronted in conflict, never try to make up the mind saying it is ok. Instead of healing in silence, I let the ugly side of my mind take a form of anger, greed, and jealousy come out as a demon with fearful clutches. To reveal this ugly, fearful face of my mind I am never ashamed or hesitated. To be happy, is our ultimate destination, unfortunately, we do not give attention to the path. The path chosen is corrupt, immoral, deceitful, and unethical. Will this path help me to reach happiness, the destination?
We want loving family. care and respect from people, but the path we chose is devious. Our communication and dealings are tinted with fury, antagonize and anger.
We want peaceful life, the direction we chose is disapproval and condemn to every situation. Acceptance and respect beget love. Satisfaction sprouts out happiness. Sincerity and serenity with the self creates peace.
It has become an uphill task even to recognize what is good in an increasing turmoil and uncertainty atmosphere. Care and compassion is replaced by violence and stress. Every action is ingrained by dependences, attachments, desires and expectations instead of love and kindness. This will only beget frustration, resentment and disappointment. In the process of exponential increases in our external aims and objects, we completely neglected our inner selves by draining out our potential energy.
Spirituality, it very clearly conceptualises that every living being is a divine energy, a soul, and it comes to the stage of this world as an actor and should play its part while being at peace, happy and loving. The aim and objective of an actor is not fulfilled, by just having come on the stage with a role, but how efficiently and attentively he has played a role without being influenced by the co-actors and the audience.
We need to awaken this powerful sense of recognition of the inner self. Call of the time is to realise the self, release the inner power. I have to procure these inner powers of love, peace and happiness within to nurture life.
Raja yoga meditation helps to ameliorate life totally. Troubled life of disordered relationships, greed, addiction, anger and violence is replaced by peace, happiness and love. When our path changed, our destination and destiny is changed.
B K Jaya from the Brahmakumaris