There will be times in
Life when you have to simply hang in there. Nothing you do will work for you.
And each day will be slow, dreary and hard to live through. All you can do in
such a time is to believe that Life is teaching you to keep the Faith and
develop Patience.
Nobody loves a problem
situation. So, really, no one wants a challenging phase in Life to prolong –
joblessness, a business slowdown, a critical health condition or a messy
relationship drama. But what can you do in the face of Life’s onslaught? As
they say in cricket, when the bowling is intense and difficult to play, simply
let the ball go past you. Don’t stick your bat out, don’t play a rash shot in desperation
or you will lose your wicket! In fact, India Captain, M.S.Dhoni, told the
media, after his team’s Tri-Nation Trophy triumph at Port of Spain (West
Indies) yesterday: “Sometimes you have to play boring cricket.” He was
referring to the difficult-to-negotiate overs in between when the Indian run
rate slowed down and the team lost wickets in quick succession.
So it is with Life too –
when it becomes boring and painful, you can avoid the suffering by simply accepting
that your Life, for now, is playing out in slow motion. Actually, why must Life
always be fast paced? Why do we need to be running from meeting to meeting,
chore to chore, commute to commute all the time? Why must everything be an
agenda item or on a To Do List?
A good metaphor to hold
is that of a clock that’s ticking away even in a thunderstorm. Un-fluttered.
Unmoved. A strong mind is like the clock. It remains untouched by the vagaries
of Life. Neither exulting vainly in success nor tormented in failure. To be
sure, Life is not only about winning and losing. It is, in fact, all about
living. And living does not need a pre-qualification. Living simply means being
present in the moment, no matter where you find yourself. Jalaluddin Rumi, the
13th Century Persian mystic and poet, has said it so beautifully: “Take
sips of this pure wine being poured. Don’t mind that you have been handed a
dirty cup!”
I have learned that Faith
is not about a God or religion. Faith is knowing that everything happens for a
reason. And since the reason will not always be immediately evident, you must have
Patience to last a trying phase, till the reason shows up! Life is not a
100-meter race. If you rush through it too fast or keep brooding its slow pace
you will surely miss the scenery! And since you can’t ever go back in time or
Life, the most intelligent thing you can do is to live fully every moment of
the Life that’s playing out for you, enjoying its magic and beauty!
No comments:
Post a Comment