Life is a mystery. It’s impossible to predict what tomorrow will bring. If someone had asked me if I would take a road trip from Ohio to Seattle, my answer would be "Are you kidding me?" Well I didn’t know that life had that plan in store for me.
Being a victim of the recession, I had no choice but to accept whatever job offer came my way. One fine day, I got an interview call from Microsoft. In two days time I was offered a contract opportunity with them. I had less than a week to report at their office in Bellevue, close to Seattle which was miles away from where I lived in Cleveland, Ohio. I was excited about the opportunity but the thought how to get there from here was a bit overwhelming. I like adventure and this probably was the biggest adventure for me - moving to a new place where I don’t know anyone and with very less time to make the shift. What was hard was the thought of leaving all my friends, the memories, dreams and the home that I had created for myself.
Looking back I have to admit that I got exactly what I wanted. My life had been turned upside down in a span of 6 months. I felt like I had lost control of my life. Deep inside me was a yearning for a change. It wasn’t really because I didn’t like where I was. Despite the tough times, I was too attached to where I was. This comfort zone was my real problem. Even the memories of people who were not there anymore but had deeply touched my life were boundaries of comfort. I wanted to break free but just didn’t know how to do that. May be I didn’t want to because of my own fear of experiencing the unknown. Well what you resist persist and I now I can vouch for it.
I wanted a fresh start and life is offering me what I asked for. I chose to embrace the unknown with open arms. I sold most of the furniture and stuff that I had accumulated over the years. This was probably the hardest part. We all know how we hang onto that pair of jeans or that small gift, though trivial, given by someone special just because we don’t want to miss it. But isn’t that what life is about. We must let go of things, people, experiences and even beliefs at some point in our life to make way for new ones. I decided to drive all the way to Seattle since that was the cheapest option for me. In the two days time, I went online and called people who were renting their places in Bellevue and Redmond, said bye to my friends, sold whatever I could, shipped the items that I felt would be useful and dumped all the clothes in my car.
I remember the night before I left. My apartment was empty. I looked around knowing that things will never be the same. My mind was filled with memories of the good old days. I remembered all my dreams that came true. Those thoughts also brought up the dreams that would never come true. A strong feeling of sadness and a longing for the past overwhelmed me. I wanted to forget them but the harder I tried I was only thinking about wanting them back. I felt naked without anything to hold onto. My eyes were filled with tears. This longing for my past made me feel weak and afraid. I could feel the fear spreading all over my body suffocating me. I then remembered the words from a wise friend – “Accept this moment as it is. Do not resist. Accept your fears. Welcome them as a special guest”. I closed my eyes and put my whole attention to the experience I was going through watching what my fears and emotions were doing to me. I don’t know how to explain what happened, but in a few moments there was a transformation. Whatever made me nauseous melted into thin air. I felt a sense of freedom as if my whole body was released after being locked up in a tight container. I could breathe fine. The next day, the morning of July 2nd 2009, I began my road trip.
I want to talk about fear a little bit since all human problems can be boiled down to some form of fear. It’s perfectly normal to experience fear. It’s a part of being human. What we don’t want is to allow fear to stop us from moving forward. Fear is not our enemy. If you look at it closely, its nothing but information that’s expressed in a way we are not comfortable with. Sometimes our fears don’t even exist and we create it unconsciously. This is a pattern most of us have been trained to do since childhood. Freedom from fear is by accepting it, by acknowledging its presence just as you would accept a friend into your life. When you do that you will be able to discern whether your fear is for real or an illusion. You will receive the information it has for you and help you to take action. If for some reason your fears do come true, accept the consequences. It’s too late to resist since its either happening or has already happened. Do take action when needed otherwise allow nature to take its course.
That’s precisely what I did during my road trip. When you are aware of your fear and emotions, there is a fine line that keeps it from grabbing you. I stayed with my fears all the time – what if my car breaks down, what if I fall sick, what if I don’t make it to the destination on time, what if I don’t find a place to stay, what if I get robbed and on and on. We all know our “what ifs” game the mind plays. I allowed it to be as it is. I knew that right here and right now I am safe, enjoying my drive. If any of my “what ifs” do come true, then I will make the best decision possible in that moment. I allowed life to unfold in its own terms on day at a time, one moment at a time.
I made sure that I make the most out of this trip – driving with the feeling of being bored, eating at places in no mans land, talking to the local people in the small towns that I came across. If I felt sleepy, I would call someone to talk to or close the windows so that the heat and perspiration would keep me awake. I made sure I make the most of the trip. My three day road trip in which I covered 2400 miles took me through, Detroit, Chicago, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana and Idaho. The first night I stopped in Minnesota and the next night in Montana. My favorite part was driving through Montana. The beautiful trees and mountains were so impressive. I wanted to camp in the woods and get lost in nature. May be some day I will find an opportunity for that. I reached Bellevue, around 5:30 on Saturday the 4th of July. None of my “what ifs” came true and I was grateful that I made this long trip.
We must make plans for tomorrow and take action but at the same time be prepared to accept the unexpected. Our life is like the river flowing in a direction. When it meets a rock that can’t be pushed by its force, it goes around it and finds a way. Sometimes taking no action might be the right action. Whatever you do, the only way to blending with the flow of life is the way of harmony.
You may not want to take a road trip but if life has that in store for you, go for it.
Understanding Religions and Peace
Choice is an integral part of human life. Denying choice is similar to denying freedom. We choose the people we want to hang out with, the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the education we pursue and so on. Our ability to make choices are fueled by our intuition or social/cultural conditioning. But what is the real driving force behind our decision to make or break a choice. It’s the pursuit to be happy and to avoid pain. However, when it comes to choosing religion do we make a conscious choice aligned with our driving force? Do we choose to be religious or is religion bound on us without a CHOICE?
How does one become religious in the first place? We believe in a higher power because we don’t know how we came here and the mystery behind this universe and forces beyond our level of comprehension. Out of curiosity or fear of _______, we chose to identify with a particular religion. Some people believe in the idea of heaven, some people believe in the idea of rebirth and so on. So the true intention of a religion is to empower us with wisdom that will reveal to us this mysterious power.
You are religious because of one of these reasons.
1.Your parents made you so and you just want to abide by the rules of the culture.
2.You believe that upon worshiping god, you will be granted better and secure life now and after death.
3.You are scared of being cursed/punished by god or believe in the devil and need god’s help for protection.
4.Your society might look down upon you if you don’t believe in god.
5.You really want to know and experience god.
"(Those who follow the path of spiritual wisdom) see that where there is One, that One is me (God); where there are many, all are me; they see my face everywhere " - Bhagvad Gita
Every religion talks about the same god but with different names and ideas. You followed and absorbed these beliefs, called them the truth and made it a part of your reality. If each religion talks about the truth, then we have multiple truths – multiple gods. So if each religion has its own god, would gods be fighting against each other, when humans fight in the name of god. Could there be boundaries and geographical divisions in heaven as on earth? May be? Well to understand this lets take a look at the creations of god. There is only one sun, independent of religion and the sun shines on you everyday no matter who your god is, what your color is or where you were born. Similarly there is only one moon, nature and one earth. So why do we have many gods? Did man go wrong when he created religions?
Most of us have not seen god but believe in his existence. This feeling of unknown is the very cause of having multiple gods. Human nature is such that when we cannot understand something with our senses, we tend to agree with any idea that gives us something to grasp about the unknown. If there is fear in us, then its just a matter of time before we accept theories and philosophies as the so called "truth".
Religion is a man made institution and it’s only as strong as its weakest belief. Since a belief is only an interpretation of something, it is bound to change. This is also proven by the fact that, most of the major religions in the world have fragmented into numerous entities with passage of time. Any-thing can be interpreted in a zillion ways. When light falls on a rose, its red color is made visible to human eye, or, may be a rose is just colorless and the effect of light is what makes it red.
I am not saying that religions are fake but that each religion talks about a path that leads to god. However, we as humans need to examine the path and exercise our power of choices before we accept the path. The point I am trying to make here is to be conscious while choosing to be religious. If you believe in god, then it is irrefutable that the god that created you is the same god that created me. If people were aware of this and their purpose of choosing a religion, there wouldn’t be so much hatred and wars in the name of god. If a person asks you to kill someone in the name of god, you need to ask yourself if killing is what your path to god teaches you to do. We believe this universe was created by a super power and we seek his guidance and protection during our life here on earth. Isn’t it an irony that the battles we fight are to protect him when we all the while we are seeking his protection.
"Thou shall not kill" - The Bible
"And the servants of (God) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, "Peace!"" - The Quran
There is absolutely no religion in this world that encourages the idea of killing and wars. The question we really need to ask ourselves is that when people fight wars in the name of god/religion, aren’t they actually fighting to protect their personal beliefs? Using the name of god to support wars is nothing but a political and selfish motive and should be recognized as an attempt to corrupt the true purpose of a religion.
"Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime" - Ernest Hemingway
Let’s step outside our mind/body/ego for a moment and observe our planet. There is only one sun, moon and nature for this entire universe. We all breathe the same air and eat foods from the same source. No two branches of a tree fight against each other. The creator is indeed a genius of supreme intelligence to have created this universe, positioning the sun at perfect distance so that we can still bear the heat, the flow of energy to sustain and evolve life and so on. So didn’t this power know that creating human beings with differences in color, races and religions and an ego dominated mind-body will only lead to wars and discrimination? I strongly believe that our creator was smart enough to intentionally create us with so many differences with a purpose and this purpose is what will guide each soul towards the concept of Oneness.
Is it possible to co-exist peacefully?
How can humans be peaceful when each one of us has strong beliefs and opinions about religion, culture and life? Can we co-exist peacefully? I believe the key to our existence is in understanding what peace really is. It’s hard for people to change or even accept beliefs outside their comfort zone and when they resist change, they generate more resistance. As George Bernard Shaw says
"Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous"
Peace is not about following what is right or wrong. Peace is not about what is the best option and peace is not about what keeps one happy. True peace is ACCEPTANCE. Its allowing what is without resistance. One might be happy or sad but can always be peaceful. Being peaceful has nothing to do with external circumstances, it’s an internal state. When one achieve the state of peace within, peace will prevail in the outside world.
I had similar conflicts within myself due to my social, cultural and religious beliefs. I would think why do these people talk so loud, why do these people dress this way, why do these people behave like this? It took me along time to step back and ask why I think, talk or dress like this. I cannot expect other people to change for me however I accept them for who they are. I realized that when I accept myself I will naturally accept others. Every now and then if something creates a resistance in me, I would stop to observe why I am feeling so and I try to identify the root cause of it. We all know that wars and arguments can never resolve anything but lead to more conflicts. True peace was always elusive for me when I believed in "eye for eye". When I made an honest effort to examine that which disrupts my peace and understand how I can restore peace, I was also learning more about myself and the way I had conditioned my mind. I am not saying that bad thoughts/actions are only bad just because we think so but that understanding the root of the action and accepting it if it cannot be changed is the path to peace.
One might spend their whole life arguing and fighting to save their religious and personal beliefs but nothing stays forever. We are here for some time and we don’t get to take anything with us after our death. Our body, color of our skin, who we are and where we were born, our entire ego dies. All out attachments dissolve into thin air upon our death. This goes to show that life is a playground to learn, grow and evolve. Life is about choices and our choices and beliefs create our reality. Let’s be conscious about the choices we make.
"If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart."
Lao Tzu
How does one become religious in the first place? We believe in a higher power because we don’t know how we came here and the mystery behind this universe and forces beyond our level of comprehension. Out of curiosity or fear of _______, we chose to identify with a particular religion. Some people believe in the idea of heaven, some people believe in the idea of rebirth and so on. So the true intention of a religion is to empower us with wisdom that will reveal to us this mysterious power.
You are religious because of one of these reasons.
1.Your parents made you so and you just want to abide by the rules of the culture.
2.You believe that upon worshiping god, you will be granted better and secure life now and after death.
3.You are scared of being cursed/punished by god or believe in the devil and need god’s help for protection.
4.Your society might look down upon you if you don’t believe in god.
5.You really want to know and experience god.
"(Those who follow the path of spiritual wisdom) see that where there is One, that One is me (God); where there are many, all are me; they see my face everywhere " - Bhagvad Gita
Every religion talks about the same god but with different names and ideas. You followed and absorbed these beliefs, called them the truth and made it a part of your reality. If each religion talks about the truth, then we have multiple truths – multiple gods. So if each religion has its own god, would gods be fighting against each other, when humans fight in the name of god. Could there be boundaries and geographical divisions in heaven as on earth? May be? Well to understand this lets take a look at the creations of god. There is only one sun, independent of religion and the sun shines on you everyday no matter who your god is, what your color is or where you were born. Similarly there is only one moon, nature and one earth. So why do we have many gods? Did man go wrong when he created religions?
Most of us have not seen god but believe in his existence. This feeling of unknown is the very cause of having multiple gods. Human nature is such that when we cannot understand something with our senses, we tend to agree with any idea that gives us something to grasp about the unknown. If there is fear in us, then its just a matter of time before we accept theories and philosophies as the so called "truth".
Religion is a man made institution and it’s only as strong as its weakest belief. Since a belief is only an interpretation of something, it is bound to change. This is also proven by the fact that, most of the major religions in the world have fragmented into numerous entities with passage of time. Any-thing can be interpreted in a zillion ways. When light falls on a rose, its red color is made visible to human eye, or, may be a rose is just colorless and the effect of light is what makes it red.
I am not saying that religions are fake but that each religion talks about a path that leads to god. However, we as humans need to examine the path and exercise our power of choices before we accept the path. The point I am trying to make here is to be conscious while choosing to be religious. If you believe in god, then it is irrefutable that the god that created you is the same god that created me. If people were aware of this and their purpose of choosing a religion, there wouldn’t be so much hatred and wars in the name of god. If a person asks you to kill someone in the name of god, you need to ask yourself if killing is what your path to god teaches you to do. We believe this universe was created by a super power and we seek his guidance and protection during our life here on earth. Isn’t it an irony that the battles we fight are to protect him when we all the while we are seeking his protection.
"Thou shall not kill" - The Bible
"And the servants of (God) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, "Peace!"" - The Quran
There is absolutely no religion in this world that encourages the idea of killing and wars. The question we really need to ask ourselves is that when people fight wars in the name of god/religion, aren’t they actually fighting to protect their personal beliefs? Using the name of god to support wars is nothing but a political and selfish motive and should be recognized as an attempt to corrupt the true purpose of a religion.
"Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime" - Ernest Hemingway
Let’s step outside our mind/body/ego for a moment and observe our planet. There is only one sun, moon and nature for this entire universe. We all breathe the same air and eat foods from the same source. No two branches of a tree fight against each other. The creator is indeed a genius of supreme intelligence to have created this universe, positioning the sun at perfect distance so that we can still bear the heat, the flow of energy to sustain and evolve life and so on. So didn’t this power know that creating human beings with differences in color, races and religions and an ego dominated mind-body will only lead to wars and discrimination? I strongly believe that our creator was smart enough to intentionally create us with so many differences with a purpose and this purpose is what will guide each soul towards the concept of Oneness.
Is it possible to co-exist peacefully?
How can humans be peaceful when each one of us has strong beliefs and opinions about religion, culture and life? Can we co-exist peacefully? I believe the key to our existence is in understanding what peace really is. It’s hard for people to change or even accept beliefs outside their comfort zone and when they resist change, they generate more resistance. As George Bernard Shaw says
"Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous"
Peace is not about following what is right or wrong. Peace is not about what is the best option and peace is not about what keeps one happy. True peace is ACCEPTANCE. Its allowing what is without resistance. One might be happy or sad but can always be peaceful. Being peaceful has nothing to do with external circumstances, it’s an internal state. When one achieve the state of peace within, peace will prevail in the outside world.
I had similar conflicts within myself due to my social, cultural and religious beliefs. I would think why do these people talk so loud, why do these people dress this way, why do these people behave like this? It took me along time to step back and ask why I think, talk or dress like this. I cannot expect other people to change for me however I accept them for who they are. I realized that when I accept myself I will naturally accept others. Every now and then if something creates a resistance in me, I would stop to observe why I am feeling so and I try to identify the root cause of it. We all know that wars and arguments can never resolve anything but lead to more conflicts. True peace was always elusive for me when I believed in "eye for eye". When I made an honest effort to examine that which disrupts my peace and understand how I can restore peace, I was also learning more about myself and the way I had conditioned my mind. I am not saying that bad thoughts/actions are only bad just because we think so but that understanding the root of the action and accepting it if it cannot be changed is the path to peace.
One might spend their whole life arguing and fighting to save their religious and personal beliefs but nothing stays forever. We are here for some time and we don’t get to take anything with us after our death. Our body, color of our skin, who we are and where we were born, our entire ego dies. All out attachments dissolve into thin air upon our death. This goes to show that life is a playground to learn, grow and evolve. Life is about choices and our choices and beliefs create our reality. Let’s be conscious about the choices we make.
"If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart."
Lao Tzu
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)