Life is like River-rafting- Dr. Shreesh
-Dr. Shreesh
Whenever I find little ‘me time’, always I start thinking how to sort out myself. I often wonder about the significance of Shrimadbhagvatgeetaji and lately was struggling to figure out tools to comprehend it more. My erudite friend from SGPGI, Lucknow, Shri Skand Shukla had said me- first, sort out yourself.
Sorting out yourself is very gigantic task, actually.
Problem is we don’t live in isolation as we could make a plan undeterred by anybody. If, I borrow analogy from Stoicism so there are two kinds of things in our life- for some, we have control how to go about them, but for some, we don’t have any control- we have to learn with them to go along. If we try to apply this notion into our practical life, then we face one more issue- things which we could control and things which control us, they don’t come to us in any certain pattern. And we need concentration and indulgence whatever we do to get rhythm and perfection. What happens generally, if we do things which are in our control, suddenly things pop up in urgency we don’t have any control over. It creates chaos at least in our inner self, which longs for calm.
This is also a truism that whatever we do in any capacity, we wont be able to control the flow and content of urgencies/tasks. Then, what is the point to know that stoic notion? Perhaps, this wisdom conveys that whatever fall to us to do, we need to accept happily and we need to try to go with the flow. OK, then again, there is one more concern. If, we don’t think about future at all as many wise ones say that live in NOW, the only moment is Now, No past, no future, just this present moment; and I focus only to be in flow, I let myself immerse whatever comes to me with joy then is there any guarantee that I could be able to make my future as I wish. Forget about making the future, if there is no future, no past, only the present moment; then also, there is one fear I am growing-I don’t want to regret that I somehow wasted my life or I could do anything, something more meaningful maybe.
But as I am raising questions to myself, perhaps I am receiving some answers too.
I know there is no past or future, only the moment present; but as a fact it is not internalised into me within. I don’t believe this actually. With the kind of training I have received so far, I am aware that there was actually a past, will actually a future. So to understand it fully that there is ONLY NOW, it requires a conscious training. Perhaps this notion is not that simple to comprehend. I need more pondering. What exactly this notion wants to convey? If I could synthesise the stoic notion and the notion of wise ones then perhaps they both want to convey that- YOU ARE POWERFUL AT THIS MOMENT, I can make this moment as MINE. I can’t change anything in past and who sees the future, but yes upto a greater extent I can contribute to the moment I am having NOW.
And, if one can live his life with this awareness, I don’t think he would have anything to regret ever.
Now I am imagining that life can be compared to the River-rafting.
We often cherish that river rafting is such an adventurous and fun experience. WHY? Because the danger attached with it makes us fully aware the present moment. For the moments we do rafting, for us there is not past or future. Our mind becomes free from the heavy baggages of the past and future for some moments and it makes our mind to capture the moment present wholly, easily we get the flow, we attune ourselves to what is happening in the moment. This experience is awesome. Mind with its full capacity perhaps, witnesses what happens in now. If we get power to control river-rafting, the way we want, if we already know what is going to happen, how the waves would behave to us and how we are going to overpower them, fun would be lost, because one part of our mind starts comparing what is happening now and to the thought template what we already assumed about future. River-rafting would no longer be any fun. We will loose the fun of flow. Likewise, We have lost the fun of life so far because the heavy baggage we carry of assumptions, imaginations about the past and future. If we could make ourselves aware in every moment we live, maybe we don’t get chance to think about the past and future like we can’t afford to think about the past and future while doing river-rafting.
This is really a wise thought that there is no past and future. From the notion of Stoicism to Gita’s ‘Karmanyevadhikaraste...’; I can sense the same wisdom. But yes, to apply this insight, we need a conscious practice. Practice to live in the moment of NOW, only.
Whenever I find little ‘me time’, always I start thinking how to sort out myself. I often wonder about the significance of Shrimadbhagvatgeetaji and lately was struggling to figure out tools to comprehend it more. My erudite friend from SGPGI, Lucknow, Shri Skand Shukla had said me- first, sort out yourself.
Sorting out yourself is very gigantic task, actually.
Problem is we don’t live in isolation as we could make a plan undeterred by anybody. If, I borrow analogy from Stoicism so there are two kinds of things in our life- for some, we have control how to go about them, but for some, we don’t have any control- we have to learn with them to go along. If we try to apply this notion into our practical life, then we face one more issue- things which we could control and things which control us, they don’t come to us in any certain pattern. And we need concentration and indulgence whatever we do to get rhythm and perfection. What happens generally, if we do things which are in our control, suddenly things pop up in urgency we don’t have any control over. It creates chaos at least in our inner self, which longs for calm.
This is also a truism that whatever we do in any capacity, we wont be able to control the flow and content of urgencies/tasks. Then, what is the point to know that stoic notion? Perhaps, this wisdom conveys that whatever fall to us to do, we need to accept happily and we need to try to go with the flow. OK, then again, there is one more concern. If, we don’t think about future at all as many wise ones say that live in NOW, the only moment is Now, No past, no future, just this present moment; and I focus only to be in flow, I let myself immerse whatever comes to me with joy then is there any guarantee that I could be able to make my future as I wish. Forget about making the future, if there is no future, no past, only the present moment; then also, there is one fear I am growing-I don’t want to regret that I somehow wasted my life or I could do anything, something more meaningful maybe.
But as I am raising questions to myself, perhaps I am receiving some answers too.
I know there is no past or future, only the moment present; but as a fact it is not internalised into me within. I don’t believe this actually. With the kind of training I have received so far, I am aware that there was actually a past, will actually a future. So to understand it fully that there is ONLY NOW, it requires a conscious training. Perhaps this notion is not that simple to comprehend. I need more pondering. What exactly this notion wants to convey? If I could synthesise the stoic notion and the notion of wise ones then perhaps they both want to convey that- YOU ARE POWERFUL AT THIS MOMENT, I can make this moment as MINE. I can’t change anything in past and who sees the future, but yes upto a greater extent I can contribute to the moment I am having NOW.
And, if one can live his life with this awareness, I don’t think he would have anything to regret ever.
Now I am imagining that life can be compared to the River-rafting.
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| Source: Indiathrills |
We often cherish that river rafting is such an adventurous and fun experience. WHY? Because the danger attached with it makes us fully aware the present moment. For the moments we do rafting, for us there is not past or future. Our mind becomes free from the heavy baggages of the past and future for some moments and it makes our mind to capture the moment present wholly, easily we get the flow, we attune ourselves to what is happening in the moment. This experience is awesome. Mind with its full capacity perhaps, witnesses what happens in now. If we get power to control river-rafting, the way we want, if we already know what is going to happen, how the waves would behave to us and how we are going to overpower them, fun would be lost, because one part of our mind starts comparing what is happening now and to the thought template what we already assumed about future. River-rafting would no longer be any fun. We will loose the fun of flow. Likewise, We have lost the fun of life so far because the heavy baggage we carry of assumptions, imaginations about the past and future. If we could make ourselves aware in every moment we live, maybe we don’t get chance to think about the past and future like we can’t afford to think about the past and future while doing river-rafting.
This is really a wise thought that there is no past and future. From the notion of Stoicism to Gita’s ‘Karmanyevadhikaraste...’; I can sense the same wisdom. But yes, to apply this insight, we need a conscious practice. Practice to live in the moment of NOW, only.
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