WE ARE RUNNING A WAR WITHIN, EVERYTHING EXTERNAL IS JUST A FIGHT

As a kid, I always wanted a HECTIC life. My definition of hectic back then was, moving from one place to another in a single day, discussing and doing multiple and diverse things, wearing several hats, etc. My parents and sister used to tease me asking, what is special in your hectic life? I could never answer precisely but wanted to end every day of my life with a tomorrow densely packed with experiences and work. An intense desire to hop from place to place, topics to topics and feel this fast-paced world. After so many years today, I thank God to not bless me with the life I once wished for.

Let me tell you a story which I know you have heard. I am reiterating this because it is important and ancient, comparatively. As we have read, Japanese love fresh fish in their meals. They are so fond of fresh fish that they are willing and able to buy this at a high cost. However, the water close to Japan has not held fresh fish for decades. The fisherman bought bigger ships and went farther in the water than ever. By the time they catch fresh fish and come back from a longer trip, the fish were not fresh. Their second try was to install freezers in the ship to store fresh fish. It did help but the Japanese people could easily feel the difference of eating a real fresh fish vs frozen fish. This idea gradually diminished.

Their next tryout was to install fish tank and stuff fish in it. There is a significant difference in flowing water and stored water in a tank so after some time, the fish were dull, tired, and lost their taste. But after this and till today, the Japanese get fresh fish in their meal. They placed a baby shark inside their fish tank before storing fresh fish in it. The fish had to fight to survive, is constantly challenged and on the move. Their panacea.

When I stated earlier that I thank God for not giving me the life I wished for, is because my definition of life was to land up being everywhere. I was trying to challenge myself in a way. This is not incorrect, too. But as we pass through the life and evolve with experiences, we understand that life is not just about physical/mental challenges to overcome and survive, but equally about settling with those challenges. Tying ourselves with challenges and future is fine sporadically, but not endorsing the life that we are living is not advisable.

Since I am into that phase, an acute feeling of seeing our parents grow old when you are in your prime time is heart breaking. I know most of you aged 30 to 50 would be dealing with the same feeling every moment. This is unavoidable. No amount of motivation, positive thinking, good words can lighten its intensity. Certainly, not its acceptance. The point I want to make here is, the gist of life is not in disowning this thought or accepting it either. The essence lies in watering our relationship with them with our time, care, and love and not in the dismissal of thought. Practicing this is a REAL challenge.

A real challenge is not in the movement, it is to stay in the calmness