While taking a walk in the morning, generally, the walkers in our group sit after forty-fifty minutes and have discussions on various current social and political issues. I generally listen to their individual contentions quietly. There’s a clear division on these topics, with some people for and others against.
A few days ago, somebody initiated the topic of increasing insensitivity, indifference and stress in the society. Almost everybody accepted it. Few of them shared sleep loss, continuous irritation, bad dreams, giving up and leaving everything to destiny or God. On That day, I paid closer attention to their conversation. Despite having more conveniences and comforts in their lives, they weren’t happy or content. It seemed like their mental health was deteriorating.
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This made me wonder: what price are we paying for all our progress?
Why can’t we enjoy the fragrance of flowers, the chirping of birds, the flowing of gentle breeze, the laughter of children, the rainbow in the sky, the rise of the sun, and many more little things in life. It’s because our mind is already engaged in comparisons, competition, consequently preoccupied and filled with the garbage of unestablished insecurities, uninvited worries, unnecessary anxieties, undesirable arrogance and unwanted egos.
To clear this negativity, we need to slow down the pace of life and calm down the mind. We need to think of all that we have been blessed with, and not which we don’t have. Focusing on what we don’t have leads to feelings of deprivation, discouragement, and sadness.
Life is long enough and a sufficiently generous amount of time and resources have been given to us to gain the highest achievements in life. But it’s possible only, if it’s invested in generosity, compassion, right purposes, and people’s welfare. When it’s wasted in needless activities like excessive indulgence in material possessions, we are faced in the last, by death’s final constraint, to realise that it has passed away, before we know it was passing. We have not been given a short life; we make it short. It’s not that we have a short time to live, but we waste the most of it. We suffer in life because we identify with an external world which is only relatively real. Life is long enough if we know how to use it. We get back what we put in.
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Desire is the main obstacle in getting us being happy. We fulfil one desire, and three more will precipitate to be fulfilled. Happiness will become a mirage which will elude our grasp. The question is where does desires come from. They come when we are hungry for something. Desires come from emptiness inside us. We get attracted to the illusive objects in the form of desires to fill up that emptiness, which is not possible because desires are not real. Because of our ignorance, we treat them real and experience void despite being full. So we need to know and appreciate the fullness we have within ourselves. It will not only rejuvenate our spirits, rather will save us from all kinds of sufferings and grief.
In a world that generally glorifies speed, worldly success and instant gratification, we are reminded that the best decisions come from careful reflections. As the saying goes “When the mind is calm, the intellect is sharp and actions are effective”. A calm mind is a happy mind. This calmness fosters happiness and allows us to consider life’s bigger picture and pursue more fulfilling paths. It brings harmony to our surroundings and grounds us in deeper thinking. Patience empowers us to enrich our lives. It’s an ode to the beauty of taking a step back, examining the facts, and reflecting before making choices. By doing this, we can spark new insights and accumulate the wealth of wisdom. Throughout this journey of life, let’s invest in living a life filled with meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.
Tags: #chirpingofbirds, #Convenience, #discussions, #dreams, #flowers, #fragrance, #getgreengetgrowing, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #happiness, #life, #morningwalk, #nature
