Celebrate life without any excuse!
5 Jan 2009, 0000 hrs IST,
SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
There are two types of celebrations. One is as thanksgiving, an expression of gratitude for the Divine. The second comes from dropping the past, Speaking Tree. We don't need an excuse to celebrate life and moving forward, knowing that life is eternal. Any excuse to celebrate is good.
The past year might have been one of turmoil. But like the evergreen Christmas tree, life too is evergreen; no storm or snow can wither away the Christmas tree's leaves. Similarly, our spirit is eternal, despite personal and social grief.
The nature of spirit is celebration; it is the best way to come out of the gloom, post-crisis. In celebration, you are not just having a party. When sanctity is attached to it, celebration becomes complete. The body, mind and the spirit rejoice.
If celebration uplifts and unites all around you, if it frees them of the traumatic past and hold out hope for the future, then you will not feel guilty. That type of celebration is service. It is sacred. Turn your celebration into a sacred offering for society rather than a self-centred pleasure-seeking one.
When celebration has a tinge of sanctity and prayer, it gains depth and dignity. It is not just entertainment for the mind or excitement for body, but nourishment for the soul. Most celebrations in India, whether Diwali or Holi, have a sacred aspect. Instead of beginning the new year with intoxicants, begin afresh with an act of kindness, a moment of reflection.
Celebration is an attitude, so you can celebrate even in a time of economic slowdown. To celebrate life you don't have to spend a lot of money. Celebration comes from enthusiasm and joy. When you are depressed, that's when celebration is needed the most. Reconcile with the past and move on to the future with enthusiasm. Share what you have with others.
Life will always move in the direction of the best. On the way you may find some rough roads, but they will lead you to a better life. Difficulties give you depth and joy gives you width. The wise see their past as destiny, the future as free will and are happy in the present. The unwise regret the past, think the future is destined and are miserable in present. The choice is yours.
Keep smiling. The year gone by has taught us many lessons; what we should be doing and what we should not. Every pain that we went through brought us some depth, and all the joys and pleasures gave us a new vision of life and hope for the future.
Welcome the new year with a genuine smile. That smile comes when you know for sure that you are loved. If you don't know you are loved by the Divine, you will not be able to celebrate life. You will live in insecurity. With insecurity comes greed. With greed comes selfishness. And with that comes anger. With anger comes lust. And with that comes sadness and misery one behind the other, like a chain.
Look back and try to remember how many days in the past year you were entangled in such maya. When you do this, do not reject anything. Let your attention be on the self. This is a delicate balance. That balance is yoga. That balance is spirituality. Some people think being silent is spirituality. Some think only celebration is spirituality. Spirituality is a harmonious blend of outer silence and inner celebration; and also inner silence and outer celebration! Celebration that comes out of silence is real celebration.
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