Are we running without direction?

Most of us would agree that we are living life at a dizzying speed. There is a mad rush everywhere from dawn to dusk, in public places, at homes, in lives. The youth today wish to taste everything too soon, chase success at any cost. So, they do not mind doing overtime at work or waking up at night to make ends meet. It does not bother them if they are putting their health at stake, for they would do anything to make hay while the sun of youth shines over them. They are no longer looking for stability but bigger, quicker jumps. This fast-paced life, in fact, gives them a kick.

There is a perception in society that you can’t get noticed unless you’re running. Since walking is out of fashion, walkers are at a risk of being discarded as ‘outdated or unenthusiastic’. This whole ‘hurry up’ nature has seeped so much into us that it has become difficult to be consistent in keeping our word. The young are in a hurry to enter into and exit out of relationships. The rising number of divorce cases, broken families and the increasing old age homes are all the result of this culture. The greatest irony is that when people take breaks to escape this mad rush, even their interludes are full of noise. Either they end up watching the idiot box or indulge in loud entertainment and socializing. So, in the absence of any touch of silence in our lifestyle today, the mind and the body hardly get time to de-stress, to get healed. As a result of this driving in the fast lane, there are frequent emotional accidents, physical and mental damages in the form of lifestyle diseases and finally the soul and body both cry for rest. There is no time to pause, recollect and evaluate things. People are clueless about the direction they are heading into, for their only aim is to squeeze in the maximum now. Gulping instant coffee all the time we have completely lost touch with the pleasure of savouring a home brew sip by sip. Hence, it’s high time that we change for our own sake if not for anyone else. Remember! spiritual growth happens when we slow our activity down, not when we increase it. So, if we really want to stay safe on the road of life, then we have to hit the brakes, pull over to a rest area and stop, or else we might meet with a fatal accident. The ugly truth, however, is that many of us do not know how to rest! Actually, most of us simply refuse to choose rest, because we don’t want to come out of this mad race of living in the fast lane. But we need to understand practically that rest is choosing to do nothing when we have too much to do. It is like listening to our weariness and responding to our tiredness, not to what is making us tired. Rest is what happens when we say one simple word: ‘No!’. In order to rest we must admit that we are not indispensable, that the world can get along without us. Once we understand how small we are, only then might we find the right reasons to say yes. Only then might we find the right reasons to decide to be with our inner self. So, what are you waiting for, let’s begin the process of change NOW!

(The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal & UK. Till Date 9000+ Published Columns have been written by Him.)