The list of problems people face is endless. There could be big problems or small problems; life problems, relationship problems, financial problems. People live in the agony of failure, unfulfilled dreams and desires. We chase some elusive success so that we can reach destination Happiness. Some people are unhappy as they see the rich and famous enjoy life while they suffer in abject poverty and wonder why they have been cursed to live such unhappy lives! People are living lonely lives. They live in the past, as they curse, nurse, and rehearse their hurt. There are still others who hate their job. Yet they continue, grumbling and complaining.
As long as we are innocent children, we dance through life, we smile, we laugh, and we play. It seems that kids do not know the meaning of problems. But once we grow up, the problems too become bigger and bigger. The problems in school are few, but as we add years to our life, we add layers of problems. Not only is there examination anxiety, but also the stress of competition. Then there is pressure from our parents to succeed and excel. The moment we are out of university, we are faced with a different set of problems, not just problems with our family and our friends, we have challenges in our relationships, just as we suffer climbing the ladder of success in our career.
Then there are problems related to the body — aches and pains, diseases, illnesses and disorders. To add to this, there is the misery of the mind as it lives with fear, worry, anxiety, and depression. Most of our fears are unfounded. They are not real dangers or problems. FEAR is a False Expectation Appearing Real. It is not real. Then comes the agony of the ego that wants to take revenge for all that has transpired in the last decade. We hate people and we carry grudges in our hearts that creates anguish. The problems only extend as the years roll by. Soon we start to age and physical problems multiply. There are family issues, just as there are problems with our kids and our grandchildren. Of course, we struggle to pay our bills and constant disappointments sometimes lead us to the thought of suicide.
It seems that the human race has been cursed with problems. It looks like we are born to suffer. Many believe that the purpose of our life is to live, to suffer, and to die, that suffering is inevitable. But this is not true. Those who realize this understand that just because there are problems, they do not have to be miserable. They can still discover a way to live with Peace.
First we must realize that we have problems and difficulties in life, not because God wants us to be miserable and suffer but because of our own Karma. What happens in life is the unfolding of our Karma. It is because of the Karma of our past, bad deeds done in this life or even in another life. It is the Law of Karma at work — as we sow, so shall we reap. What we give, we get. Thus, we must not blame God or anyone for the problems we face. It is our own doing. We must accept it. We can do our best to deal with these challenges and then surrender the rest to the Divine.
It is also important to understand that what aggravates our problems and makes us miserable is our own mind. The mind over thinks and bombards us with thoughts — upto 50 thoughts a minute which can add to a whopping 50,000 thoughts a day. The mind swings like a pendulum from the past into the present. It makes us restless, agitated. The result, we lose our peace of mind. Therefore, it becomes important to tame the monkey mind and make it into a monk. We must kill the mind. To kill the mind, we must still the mind. We have to bring down the number of thoughts from 50 thoughts a minute to 1 thought a mind. We have to observe, watch the mind. We have to watch it, catch it, latch it. The state of no thoughts is the state of thoughtlessness, consciousness. In this state, the intellect shines. Because the onslaught of thoughts ceases, we can experience peace. In this state we can also be spiritually enlightened. In addition to the mind, the ego troubles us, agonising us with anger, hate, jealousy and vengefulness. We must transcend the ego. If we realize the truth of who we are, the ego will cease to exist. Remember that happiness is a choice, suffering is a choice. We only have to decide to be happy and we can be happy.
-Air Atman In Ravi
