Philosophy warning: This blog has a lot of Philosophy in it. Read at your own risk. the state of mind of the author can be gleamed from the tone of the blog. It may be transient and may not have a lasting impact, though for the moment - it looks like the shit just hit the roof. Read on
There was a funny incident yesterday. I was pretty much frustrated
with the whole world. I want to do a lot …
with swimming, training, office work etc etc… my mind was in over drive. I was
frustrated that no one else was getting what I can see on the wall. I could get
anyone to see the math side of training for swim meets or client acquisitions
at work. Ya ya… the two are unrelated but the genesis is that both can be
handled by a high use of past data and analytics. But anyways I was at my low
point.
In the past I have always bounced back. I think resilience
is a quality I have. Shit will hit for some time till I learn to deal with it
and then I will hit back at it. And when you are down and out inspiration comes
from many quarters. It comes like a bolt from heaven, as if god is trying to
tell you something at the time. Possibly that’s why the religious books give a
lot of people a lot of solace in troubled times. They are obviously written
with a lot of symbolism and meaning on every page. So with so much meaning
dripping out, it is not that difficult to find something that means something
to you at the right time.
The same goes for T shirts. If enough Tshirt sayings are
roaming around you with meaning, your mind will find one that gives it the meaning
it’s seeking. I know my mind works faster and more logical than most others. It
is ready to move on and quickly makes its decision and takes a few steps ahead.
Now the world on an average has trouble catching up, which in turn leads to
serious issues on the frustration front for me. So yesterday when I was angry
with the entire world, moping that no one understands or cares or can do
anything. Hell they don’t even get it, at the point one kid is roaming around
with the t shirt that says “sometimes you have to stand up alone, just to know
you can still stand”.
How bloody empty and corny is that. But I am ashamed to
admit… ok not really ashamed, but, you know… it struck as a voice from above.
Without too much explanation and analysis, I can tell you, I found meaning in
the line. I took what I wanted from it. Yes, I will have to stand up alone.
I was reading a book where there was this one story of a king
who got the wise men to write all the wisdom of the world. The wise men wrote
an encyclopedia after ten years which the king dismissed. He wanted it shorter.
After another decade he got a book, which too did not please him, then a
chapter, and then finally on his death bed, they read him the wisdom of the
world in a line. It said “there is no free lunch”. As a corollary to this story
I add – you are alone.
And I don’t mean this in a depressing sort of way. Surely
there are enough who care for you and love you. But the real truth is that you
are alone. You are responsible for your actions or in actions. You are
responsible for your ideas and implementation. There are always forces moving
you around, but the truth is - you are
alone. The faster it sinks inside of you the better it will be for you. You
will not search for answers or meaning outside. You will not look outside but
inside to find answer and happiness.
Jispa – your dad is there and your mom is there for you. Tomorrow
you will have a partner who I hope loves you and you will in return. You may
bear children and have a lovely circle. But the truth is simple – you are
alone. You are responsible for what is happening to you and what your state of
mind is. I have written about this book before. The title says a lot ‘if you
meet Buddha on the road, kill him”. If you look for anything on the road and
find it, kill it. There is nothing out there. All what you need is inside of
you. Harness it, it will tell you what to do. There is a reason I don’t pray.
Now you know.
Am not sure whether this is coincidence or whether you are actually right in stating that we know the answers and are merely looking for an external sign to reaffirm it in our mind. Yesterday I was miserable all day and kept sulking as I felt alone in various aspects of professional and personal life. Today I read your blog and then realise you are right.. I have made the choices, they are my decisions, in this aspect yes I am alone. But I still have a mental block, confusion and this awful feeling that I have to FACE the consequences of these decisions alone.. Am searching for buddha inside me but no luck till now :(
ReplyDeleteFor me it’s simple. Once I realize it’s my doing, the onus is on me to face the consequences. Once that’s done… then I know I have to focus on solving it. Alone. The serenity prayer - God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
ReplyDeleteHopefully your Buddha will come to you. you know – many times I find him while swimming or while playing or in a shower or a movie or when I am explaining something to someone. And most of the times – the problem simply goes away from the mind. Who needs a Buddha when you have a good budhhi that simply forgets the problem :)