Those who travel a lot know the value of travelling light. The less the baggage, the easier the journey. For ourselves and others whom we affect. But such a common-sensical understanding eludes us when we come to the journey of life.
When you think back (if you are in my age bracket), some of our happiest days were when we possessed very little. But let us for a moment go beyond possessions. The baggage of the mind is also a tough thing to carry with us. Who did what to us when, and how we are going to make him/her pay for it, or to change their way of thinking or living (the fond hope of all spouses is to change the other, and that of parents, to change their children- both with little success), are thoughts that occupy a lot of our time.
What if we lightened up? Think about what we are enjoying, and which no one can touch. In India, in addition to air and water, we have liberty, freedom of speech (unless you are Rushdie or a similar persona non grata), rule of law (even if it is slow at times), and a lot more to be thankful for. Even gas connections are usually available now, which was not the case around 20 years ago. Education is also accessible to most, and barring foreign travel, which may be difficult for some given the rising dollar/falling rupee, you have pretty much everything.
Even structuring time available to us. We have a choice of pursuits, from watching Ekta Kapoor serials or Big Boss (yes, some find them entertaining), or reading, or watching films (downloaded ones are apparently available somewhere in the world), or playing with our kids. Do we shed the mental baggage and enjoy what we have? We should. Because we can.
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4 comments:
Good thought.
We can make our life easy and simple if we want to. But we think/believe/feel/realize it is tough and do not attempt.
:)
Reminds me of that classic one about the guy who prepared himself for all eventualities and set off with heavy baggage on his horse. He did not make it past the first bridge - taking the bridge down with his thoughtful load. He had forgotten to pack in a raft apparently.
Let their be 'light' is what God said after creating heaven and earth. Wonder what he was thinking?
On another spiritual note, beer companies stateside are also eagerly pushing the 'Lite' brands.
Maybe the Hyderabadi refrain "Light le lo yaaro" has more to it than meets the eye!
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