Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Searching for Solutions in Life : Sea also cries

When the things go wrong as they some times will
When the road you are trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t quit.

Author of this poem is not known. Every one of us will have some problems or other at each moment .Especially when you set a high target in life or practice rigorous work ethics, You have and inevitable stress and welcome uneasiness. Rather than sighing we must smile. We can’t afford to quit the game, although periodical rest is a must.

Long ago I read a story in Tamil. I don’t remember the title of the story or its author. But some passage in that story struck me very much and I vaguely remember now. However. I would like to recollect the essence in tranquility and transform them into readable English.

It is all about the Sea searching for a solution for its problems. No doubt there was a great deal of dramatization in those sentences and I was mesmerized by them .Now the roaring waves of the sea have their own agony and despair. They seek peace and solace from a person who came over there to get some peace and consolation from the sea. Just imagine the vast expanse of the sea feeling lonely and asking for some strength and support from the visitor, who is perplexed by the predicament of the sea.

“Are you sure that I should comfort you? Do you know? I came here to derive some supportive words from you .I am now bemused and bewildered what to say.” The visitor counters the sea.

The roaring waves of the sea just envelop his leg. Unable to speak and fully choked with emotion and in an excited state of frenzy and sorrow, the sea finds itself imprisoned into a state of despair and unrest.

Each person has his own or her own agony and anguish. Who will console whom? Where will salvation come from? Who will extend support and strength, as each one of us is sailing in some boat.

Any adversity in life or a series of defeat and failures that we encounter are only a pointer to draw limits to our so called intelligence. To stamp out the cult of intellectual arrogance and bury it once and for all, these defeats are needed and most welcome.

Our visitor hero in the story with all sympathy under the Sun is helplessly looking at the sea which is crying wildly and kissing at his feet. There comes a revelation for him, something like a streak of light within him or a door opening with creak sound . What kind of secret the sea conveys to him? In life, all trials and tribulations including all kinds of humiliation and deprivations are also a kind of comforting pleasure. Even occasional wild cry is also a soothing element to lighten our heart. While crying , the accumulated dirt and filth just melts away . The debris generated by cumulative defeat also get weeded out for our own good.

Personally speaking, even while floating on the sea of inexplicable sorrow, many a time I have given the much needed encouragement/ solace to others . It’s strange, but true that I have given something to others, which I do not have in abundance. This is the magic of love and finer feelings for fellow human beings, which we should internalize in our day today life. Advaita Vedanta is all about this care and concern only, for fellow travelers on Earth. Indeed if all of us get reasonably involved and get connected with others, most of our own problems will take a back seat and there will be little time to worry.

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