Still waters run deep

The year 2012 just seemed to have begun and so soon has two months passed by as quick as a lightening bolt.  I have become too pensive these days. Most of my thoughts are unwanted, causing more damage than doing good to my physical and mental wellbeing. I am unable to concentrate and finish the work I plan thanks to these thoughts which drop on me like acid bombs. I must not let these little devils cloud the brilliancy in me. I must continuously work hard and clean the dirty, stinky sewage within me. Must Work, Work, Struggle! Struggle!

Everyday we face so many problems, an uncountable number of them. Mostly and almost always we ourselves are a problem to us.  Its because we assume a lot which are not true, expect a lot from others and consequently these tatakas and soorpanakas rule over us and creates a rusty layer over our intellect. If we remove this rust we are safe else we are drowned for ever in this huge ocean of problems or more aptly "sufferings".

The next point is our desires. They are such vicious creatures. Desire for sex, for material objects. Her necklace is good, I want the same one. I want to watch this movie with my friends. I want this, I want that. Our wants keep expanding and growing exponentially. Someone said that the very point of going to the temple is to satisfy some material desire or the other. Who ever prays for world peace, permanent happiness and unison with God? With desire comes envy, jealousy, anger, pride all holding hands and ruining our mental balance. Honestly speaking the very reason for composing this post is my desire for everyone to read and appreciate which must not be the true motive behind any action.

Reactions? What about them? It is our vague and false assumptions that make us react to situations in life. Jumping at the first opportunity to argue and fight with others. So what if the other person said something wrong or has committed a mistake? Who are we to correct and have silly arguments? Our every effort to correct others be it our own kith and kin is a colossal waste of time.

I am slowly discovering that every teensy-weensy thing in this universe is not at all what I think it to be. My whole mental attitude needs to be changed. I need to get a new perspective, a different angle, or an angle which does not spoil my peace of mind.

Simplicity is a beautiful quality which we must cultivate at a very young age. Living simply is what our great leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi have always proposed. This means our surroundings must be uncluttered, have only the minimal necessary items and a total abolition of consumerism. When the surrounding environment is clean, our thoughts also become clean and there is a lot of positive energy generated within us.

After changing our mental attitude, controlling our thoughts and keeping things simple comes the challenging part. That is to be still, calm, unagitated at the face of even the perilous situations. How do we master being calm? How can we resist speaking those words you shouldn't have spoken and doing things which cause us indescribable misery, sadness and regret? It is actually quite simple. That is why we have the power of imagination which no other creature possesses on earth. We must imagine a strong transparent barrier between us and these trouble makers. Everything that happens is on the other side of the barrier. We are only witnesses, we don't need to worry and get too involved. Just observe, don't react. All the harsh insults hurled at us by others will bounce back at them. The evil asthras mean't to destroy will backfire. The more calm and cool, the more will the torch within us burn brightly.