APPRECIATION

Each and every human being on the face of this earth is given the ability to appreciate and what an ability it is. To have a human being without the ability to appreciate is akin to having a rose plant without the rose. A rose plant would not be able to justify its existence without producing at least one rose. If in the event it does not produce any roses, then it should not have been called a rose plant. It should be addressed as a plant, a very good plant.

To have been born as a human being and to not appreciate this life, the ‘being’ must be dropped from the word human being. Maybe the word should be changed to ‘human want to be’ or ‘human has been’. These may suit those who simply do not know how to use this ability to appreciate.

 Our constant pursuit of something new takes us away from that which can truly be appreciated. Appreciation must go beyond merely saying ‘thank you’ for something that happened that went according to your wishes or plan. Appreciation should not be dependent on what happens on the outside of oneself. Everything on the outside is in constant flux; everything is labeled as good, bad, right and wrong. When that is the case, your appreciation will also fluctuate. Your appreciation will be based on and determined by something that is beyond your control. This kind of arrangement cannot possibly bring about true appreciation. It can only be superficial and shallow. Somehow we have become content with this kind of appreciation.

 Can you be in a state of appreciation, whether the situation is good or bad? Can you go beyond the commonly understood labels? Can you see that which is not obvious? Can you appreciate the fundamentals of this life which you have taken completely for granted? Can you appreciate that which accepts you without any conditions?

 Look around and see what is it that you can identify which fulfills four basic characteristics. If you have found it, then that is something you can truly appreciate. The characteristics are as follows – it must be unchangeable, it must be incorruptible, it must be completely free and it must benefit you beyond your wildest dreams. It would take great simplicity and wisdom to be able to recognize it. A complex mind surely would not do the job. It would take a completely new mind to be able to recognize and appreciate these characteristics.

 Once discovered, then all that is left to be done is appreciation of it, because it is worthy of appreciation. Why not? Nothing else in this world seems to share these characteristics.

Written by Kumar Nagalingam . 2011

ALLOW

If only we can allow, allow for ‘mistakes’ to happen. This is not in the least possible because we have far too many beliefs in us, for us to allow anything contrary to that belief, to take place. So we continue to disallow. Disallowing brings with it enormous pain and sorrow.

 We seem to be in a constant struggle and resistance with the world around us throughout our waking moments and sometimes in our sleep too. We expect people to allow us to be who we want to be but we have great difficulty in allowing people to be who they are or want to be.

 The sad thing is, we do not see that by disallowing people to be however they want to be, we continually chain ourselves to our own ‘concepts, and ‘beliefs’, which we use to judge others through these little windows that we have built for ourselves. When someone comes along and says, ‘Why don’t you try and enlarge or change your window?’, we are quick to pounce on them with another arrow of our judgement and accuse them of being a bad influence. I say to you , ‘THROW AWAY THE WINDOW ALTOGETHER’. Whether it is a small window or a big window, it still confines you based on conformity which in turn is based on a deep sense of insecurity which finds its foundation on FEAR. This becomes the very reason why most people are afraid of altering their windows, let alone throw it away.

 We also find the need to impose our windows on others, especially our loved ones and we disallow them to be what they are meant to be. We become totally oblivious to their higher purpose in their lives and we feel that there is an urgent need to stamp our opinions on them. The famous justification is, ‘It is for their own good’. The issue at this point is the definition of ‘good’. But the discussion of what is good and bad would take another book.

 When our loved ones act contrary to what we thought of as ‘good’ for them, the natural thing to do is of course to accuse them of being disobedient, badly brought up, ill mannered and the list goes on.

 The question now is why do we continuously subject ourselves to this narrow and a limiting perspective of things? My answer is that we have made the biggest mistake of identifying ourselves with our personality. The mind’s two greatest motivators are reward and punishment or pain and pleasure. As long as we subject ourselves to these as our driving force we would always have to take a back seat and the personality would become our driver, More often than not, the personality does not know where it is going but assures you that it is by far the best navigator you could possibly hope for. It will show you the greatest pleasures the world can offer you and it will also remind you of the greatest punishment that you may have to undergo if you do not follow its rules. We have become so accustomed to its ways that we have accepted it as part of our lives and refuse to part with it. Even if it costs us our lives. This is because we do not want to lose the pleasures that we have gotten used to and/or we are afraid of facing the wrath of the world if we do not conform.

  The world will not allow us to be different. You are expected to join the herd, any herd, as long as they are like thinking people. These herds of course, are constantly trying to pinch each others’ members so as to increase its own population. An increase in population would of course mean power and a false sense of security. Confrontations, both verbal and physical, among these herds have been known to have gone back thousands of years and it will continue for another thousand. Our mission ought not be, to try and change the ways of these herds but realize that we do not belong to any of them, get out of it and walk with awareness. Then and only then others may follow, if at all. It may seem like a dangerous road to take at first, but let me assure, it is the only road to your freedom.

Written by Kumar Nagalingam

2011

GROWING PAINS                                

                                                                            Pain is one of the certainties in life. You cannot run from it, you cannot dodge it, you cannot pretend it’s not there, you cannot ‘shoo’ it away, you cannot give it away to someone else. Yet it is one of the most wondrous experience one can have. The unfortunate thing is that a large majority do not see it as the miracle of all miracles. Pain has enormous powers. It has transformative powers. It revolutionizes everything around us. Yet most people resist it. We need to learn to embrace and experience pain without attachment to it. It is only when we attach ourselves to the pain that we get sucked into it and become one with it. We must learn to observe our pain like a spectator watching a show. No matter how painful the show may be, it must come to an end and you will walk away from the cinema and into the light once again. While you were watching the show, you laughed, you cried, you were stirred and you even evolved. All the while you were an observer, but yet you experienced the joy and the pain. It moved you.

There is a hidden message in every pain, small or big. The smaller the pain, the smaller the revelation, the bigger the pain, the bigger the revelation. Revelation is awareness. It opens up your eyes, your mind and touches your being. I would like to call this experience ‘soul awareness’.

However, very often we lack the discerning ability to discover these hidden messages because we have never been taught to look inward. Awareness will never come to the bearer of pain who looks at the source of pain outwardly. When he realizes the source of his pain is within, everything will change for him. Otherwise the pain will persist. These are the same people who will continually reinforce the myth that ‘life is unfair’. On the contrary, life is a little too fair, if there is such a thing. Her laws are exacting and absolute. Enjoy the experience to the fullest and you will soon realize that pain and joy is one and the same thing. It is just a feeling and what a feeling it can be, depending on the bearer.

 Written by Kumar Nagalingam

2010