THE KEY

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita

“duḥkheṣhv-anudvigna-manāḥ sukheṣhu vigata-spṛihaḥ

  vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ sthita-dhīr munir uchyate"

'One whose mind remains undisturbed amidst misery, who does not crave for pleasure, and who is free from attachment, fear, and anger, is called a sage of steady wisdom.'

Happiness & Sorrow; Optimism & Pessimism; Light & Darkness; Love & Hate; Life is a mixture of all extremes. At some point or the other, we all face extreme emotions and situations. But what is the key to sustain all of them and move on with life? The key is BALANCE.

Work-life balance, emotional balance, Financial stability are the ‘general goals to achieve’ for most of us. They help us lead a comfortable life. Going a little deeper, the balance between our mind and heart is something we strive for. When there is a balance of thought between the logic of the mind and the emotion of the heart, the choices we make will be with more confidence and clarity.

On a broader note, I feel every event in the world is balanced by some other one. Like Newton’s third law says, ‘every action has an equal and opposite reaction’. If a ball is thrown on to the ground, it will bounce back with the same force. Also, all the matter in the Universe is constant. If there is a new matter created here, there will be an equal matter destroyed somewhere else. On the whole, everything is balanced.

Hence when the entire cosmos follows the Balance theory, and since we are also a part of this cosmos, I believe our emotions and life also follow the same. If you are facing difficulties today, there is going to be happiness with the same intensity tomorrow. Nothing is going to remain constant in life. Everything will be balanced. Like the saying goes, ‘This too shall pass'.

So, all we can do is to maintain equanimity of thought and equilibrium in emotion. Being positive in any situation helps us to face the life strongly and boldly. Because ultimately, everything will be balanced. So ‘Be kind, but don’t let people take advantage of you. Trust, but don’t be deceived. Be content, but never stop improving yourself.’

INSIDE OUT

You sow what you reap. You cannot expect a banana tree by planting an apple seed. Similarly, you cannot expect a positive output by feeding negative thoughts to the mind. What we believe inside is what we achieve. Therefore, it is important to tune our principles in life for achieving the desired results.

“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.”- Earl Nightingale

Buddha believed that desire is the reason for sadness and hence he renounced every desire. Mother Teresa believed that she was born to serve and so she did her entire life. Yuvraj Singh has cured his cancer with his strong belief. This shows that our body reacts to our thought process.  Everyone has their own principles around which they construct their life. Faith is power. If you believe in something strongly, then that something will become your life because those principles lead you to choose accordingly. Those choices turn into actions and finally yield the desired outputs.

The best example of the strength of a belief on Earth is Religion. When many people believe in a set of principles, it becomes a religion, which becomes a way of life.

Therefore, choose your principles wisely, as that is what defines our life.

Thoughts-> Beliefs-> Principles-> Choices-> Your Life J

The Ink bottle

Every bad event in life will be balanced by a good one like every dark cloud has a silver lining. It’s common for any living being to face some or the other kind of tough situations in life. Many people end their lives out of depression or thinking there is no good left to happen in their lives anymore.

I believe that life is an empty book to script our own story. And the magic ink in our pen is the strength and persistence to complete the book till the last page, no matter what. Some make their stories bigger by facing more struggles, moulding themselves harder and coming out as a shining Diamond. However, some may exhaust their strength and drain out their inks, leaving behind their book unfinished.

It may sound idealistic to think positively every time and everywhere. But trust me, this attitude is what that makes all the difference. There is no one in this world who hasn’t faced problems or tough situations. Then why not face it a little differently?  Believe that there is a backup of a good event for every bad one. After all, pain is what that brings out the real potential; Struggle is what that gives us the strength.

At such times, we need an ink bottle to fill back the ink in our pens. That ink bottle may be different for different people. For some, it can be their loved ones. For some other, it can be a therapist, and for some other, it can be a goal or some kind of diversion. Because you never know what miracles, the magic ink might do. J K Rowling (Author of Harry Potter series) decided to end her life after parting with her husband. She sought professional help and we all know what she did with her “magic” ink.

There can be no success story without pain. Everyone may not have a great story, but everyone has a story to finish. That is what remains and can be an inspiration for someone to live.

“Taking your own life? Taking from who? Once it’s over, you will not miss it. Your own death is something that happens to everybody else. Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                      - Sherlock Holmes

In the end, everything will be okay. If it is not okay, then it is not the end. Complete your story...

PS: I wrote this blog after the disturbing news of my childhood classmate’s suicide. This blog is a small effort from my side to bring a new hope for someone in need.