Life is neutral. It is neither good
nor bad.
It is how we view it, use it and live it,
that shapes our experiences and therefore our sentiments about Life. A man
before entering a city paused at the gate and asked an old fakir, a nomad, “What kind of people live in this city?” The fakir replied with another question:
“What kind of people used to live where you come from?” The man replied saying,
“Thugs, cheats, venomous creatures, which is why I decided to migrate from that
city.” The fakir remarked: “Then you
will find the same kind of people here too.” The man went away without entering
the city. A week later, another new visitor arrived at the city’s gates and
asked the fakir the same question.
The fakir asked him to first say what
kind of people lived where he came from. The man replied saying, “Wonderful
good souls. Peaceful, helpful and kind. I wanted to never leave them but also
want to grow my business. Hence I am migrating.” The fakir said invitingly, “Go on! You will find good souls, peaceful,
ever helpful and always kind, here.” The man entered the city.
Life is like that city. Always there.
Always happening. Good or bad is based on our interpretation of it. Swami
Vivekananda asks us, ‘Is fire good or bad? When it warms us during the cold
winter nights or when it helps us cook food, we say fire is good. But when it
burns down our forests or scalds our fingers, we say it is bad. But is fire
changing its properties? Or are we changing our perception basis our
experiences?” So it is with Life. Someone somewhere in this world right now is
celebrating the arrival of a new baby. And just at this same time, someone else
is grieving the loss of a dear one. But isn’t it the same world? So, when Life,
that is giving us all these experiences, this discerning ability, when that
energy source itself is neutral, why are we clinging on? Why are we attached?
Let go of that which is a creation of your mind, this definition of good and
bad. Live Life for what it is: pure and happening. Life’s playing
in you, for you, right now. Where are you?
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