I often take the public transport trains in Singapore and think of how well they are run compared to the local trains in Mumbai, for a moment taking away the harsh truths of the population explosion in India and the lack of adequate funds for the scale of modernization required! I was taken back in time when I travelled on the Mumbai local trains and soon my mind was already working on the similarities between a journey from point A to point B and the journey of life at large.
We can imagine the train stations as different points in the timeline of our life and we are all looking for the trains of opportunity that come by from time to time. There are slow trains and fast trains just like some opportunities may take us further in life faster than the others. The crowds of people are all individuals who are looking for opportunities that they come across and are willing to take them. Some middle level managers prefer to remain at their position not willing to take further responsibilities to avoid risk and failure.
There are those who would settle to take the next train if it is too crowded even as there are those that would make a furious attempt to get into the next train. Is it worth waiting a bit to get that seemingly better opportunity that is expected in the future or grab what comes by and keep surging ahead? The trains (especially the ones in Mumbai) are quite unpredictable. A train may suddenly change tracks and the lucky few on another platform may get that quick break. So, you may be left behind and the other guy may go ahead by virtue of being at the right place at the right time. Even so, depending on the time available, you could quickly run across to the other platform and either just manage to get the train or miss it and lose the other train as well on the earlier platform!
Again after getting into that train, you may have to know when to exit and make way to the door to take the next connection or else you may end up somewhere else along the journey.
You may of course reason that if you could afford that first class season ticket, then maybe the journey could have been a lot better. The opportunities like in business favour those who have enough capital to generate more capital.
So, finally it is for us to plan the journey if possible in a city that suits our pace, choose the trains that we can rely on and reach the destination a little less tired and provide more time with the next generation to take on those same trains in the future, that are hopefully more predictable and dependable.
It is indeed heartening to find a contribution to the blog-- a-from-the-heart-out of experience -- kind of piece. The scenes you have described are easily relate-able. You have not labeled the piece though- my suggestion- this can be "gen-next-perspectives". Good and let us have regular encores.
ReplyDeleteNow to some observations.
1. Waiting for opportunities at a station: Slow/Fast trains etc. What do you do when there is a strike, there is neither a slow or a fast train coming, and when one comes up you are so gratefully relieved that you rush to board. Now two things can happen as you have hinted. You miss out as there is huge crowd ahead. or you manage to board. You mnage to board , but your relief is short lived, the train develops a snag, stops somewhere between two stations, you do not know what to do. You can curse all, become a terrorist and burn all down, or say it is your prarabda, go thru this &think of Him who will surely deliver, and be in perpetual faith.
Or as I understand CWG from my brother, accept that all these are my own decisions to "experience", so there should be no problem. The miserable point is "I do not know" and masters Gurus, Teachers, books, are not able to adequately give me reasonable comfort.
2. About affording a FC ticket. Yes I keep telling Him "Buy me once to know what it is like". His reply is if He gives me I will be so immersed in the comfort of it, that I will forget my purpose of birth itself namely, to re unite with Him.
3. About choices and be with gen-next etc., Decades of social lubrication has oiled my thoughts so well with the idea that I should , leave the choices to Him. The reality is that I am confused today. So spending more time with any generation let alone the next, to bring them to the same trains with FC tickets for a comfortable journey, and reaching the destination less tired etc, kind of thoughts appear to me as fraught with too many fault-lines for my liking. I also feel I am incompetent to be able to offer any definitive kind of suggestions.
These are my immediate thoughts as I read ur blog. I would try and ponder more leisurely and respond if there is some good masala.
Long live Jignyaasaa.... Love and Godbless Vichu
Gulpa's Comments:
ReplyDeleteSo Vichu like.
When all circumstances "conspire' against purushaprayatnam and they so predictably do,the fatalist in him envisions two courses of action:first,suspend this idea of plans and actions, resign to praarabdha or "accept" praarabdha and wait in perpetual faith for Him to deliver whatever. Not merely in matters like missing a traln literally but missing out in real life in all matters. Very frustrating and demoralising yet trusting and virtuous.
God cannot say you didn't trust me!!The second is to say enough is enough and bomb the world.No room here for further intentions and "purposeful actions".Those who might suggest this course for a possible correction in the circumstances live in a grand illusion about man's freewill or are vainglorious. The script stands written and ours is but to submit and be delivered.Again quite maddening but no illusions,thank His Grace.
To add to this crushing load of "surrender to His Will",there is this CWG's God Who says that the script is your own and so there is "no problem".CWGG is BTW not saying so.He only says that we draft our own scripts along with Him and countless masters and angels.The script details the circumstances that we decide to encounter during a particular lifetime with a view to draw certain experiences that they would bring about in order that we evolve.You are however "free" to draw a different experience if you choose to which in turn wlll spur you towards some action which could deviate from the "original" plan.Since there is only one Will which activates and governs the universe there is neither violation in nor impossibility of changing life scripts by use of our "free will".
What CWGG says about masters,teachers,Gurus,books and other spiritual guides is a little too radical for an intelligible exposition in this short space and with my limited communication capability. His "revelation"may be attempted to be stated briefly as follows.In the pursuit of truth, these guides help us in turning our attention to inside ourselves which is where the truth is said to be lying hidden.We however feel without help since what we receive from them does not seem to reinforce our experience.
In conclusion I am prompted to virtually reproduce some lines I wrote in response to one of Ambu's forwards of one Joshi's story.It will fit as a conclusion here too.
Let us live our lives in acceptance of His Will while feeling at the same time encouraged to engage in enthusiastic action relying on His promise of His eternal and unfailing support,entertaining the highest hope without either being entrapped in expectations or being cowed down by despondency, in short living a life of peaceful confidence and humility.If it sounds pretentious,doesn't matter. Start with pretending,earnestly!!
God bless us all.
Gulpa
I can only say "amen".
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