We may do innumerable activities in a day, some with enthusiasm and others with indifference, but in the larger scheme of things what makes an activity superior to the other. We may feel guilty and remorseful while engaging in a particular activity as it seems to be a time drainer, while the other appears productive or enjoyable. But what yardstick justifies one act as noteworthy and another run of the mill?
Is reading and learning more significant than eating, bathing or sleeping? Is the act of earning a living more glorious than entertaining oneself through watching a movie or playing a sport after a hard day at the office? Is the time spent with the family and friends a waste vis-à-vis time spent at the workplace?
To illustrate, a colleague of mine would go off the hook whenever he had to pass on reading his newspaper for some household errand. He would remain upset for being deprived of his favourite pastime and take hours to regain his composure.
In a similar vein, a friend would resent and get angry with herself every time it drew her into a thought or an old memory while doing something important. She would lose more time regretting over the foray than actually engaging in deviant behaviour.
Likewise, another acquaintance with diabetes confided to his physician of spending hours together fighting the urge to take a sweet dish; He would open and close the door of the fridge over and over just to have a glimpse of his cherished sweetheart. To his surprise and relief, the wise doctor told him that consuming the dish would cause far less increase in sugar levels than from the stress generated by mulling over the subject forever.
An excessive burden with so many dos and don’ts, right and wrongs could make the human-machine go insane in short order. We are no saints or hermits who can exercise absolute control over our minds; The Bhava or temperament of the human mind keeps changing with every passing moment. We are ordinary mortals who get distracted sometimes in a day, but to regret and fret over these excursions is more damaging than going through them.
We are all here in 2020, irrespective of how we lived our yesteryears. On retrospection, we shall find that all we did so far is past and dead, regardless of whether we revered or sulked doing it. Can’t we indulge in all the flavours of life with the trials and the roller coaster rides of our mind?
What matters eventually is one’s outlook towards an act and not the act by itself. So take out that shame and sorrow while undertaking the ordinary tasks of the day. Do every chore with elan and confidence with no room for repentance later; go through all the mental and physical activities with fun and excitement. Be alive in the present moment, cause pain or pleasure, this year too shall pass whatever our attitude!
SPEAKINGTREE.IN Times of India. https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/ease-up-and-let-go-this-too-shall-pass
Comments are closed.
