There's a Chinese orange tree in my front yard that touches the common walkway into the building where I live. The tree is amazing in that it is either flowering or bearing fruit throughout the year. It's a pleasent sight to see it bending with the weight of tiny oranges. But that's my side of the story.. I mean that's what happens on my side of the tree. The side facing the walkway is exposed to lot of naughty neighborhood kids who love to pluck oranges. The sad part is that they never let the fruits ripen. They would climb the boundary wall to pluck raw green oranges even when they know it too well that the oranges are so sour that they can't even be tasted. But that's normal as you can't reason with kids much. They want a new toy even when a similar one is lying at home already. They are kids after all.
Interestingly that same psychology of acquiring things continues as we grow older, the only difference is that instead of raw oranges it's something else. Maybe a new 4WD car, a new house, or simply going green with jealousy & playing politics when a colleague is to get promoted.
If we switch off our minds from the daily rut of office, work, home, it's not that difficult to realise how we still are those mindless kids, we are only older. How much of what we have acquired is of use or how much of it have we used really? So many things in my cupboard are lying new for years. And when someone gets a new job, a tinge of jealousy does run through my mind even though I'm quite happy with where I'm.
The Bhagwad Geeta says let other's happiness make you happy, it's only then that we will be able to train your mind to refrain from its natural desire to acquire all the time. Or better still just turn away, and go back to being how you were before you saw what you saw. Life was okay even then, it only became miserable after you let your mind chase something that you didn't really need.
It sounds ideal, and hard to achieve. But trust me it's not difficult. I try to practice it all the time. It gives a certain sense of satisfaction and closure otherwise the mind keeps aching for that 'thing' and keeps ruining its own peace.
If the mind is still restless, do some good to someone, replenish the bird feeder, buy flowers for your mother, hold the door for a 'man', give away toffees that the shopkeepers pass off as change. That helps rub your ego and brings back smile on your face.
In the meantime I don't know how to convince the kids to leave the oranges on the tree for a few more days..
Interestingly that same psychology of acquiring things continues as we grow older, the only difference is that instead of raw oranges it's something else. Maybe a new 4WD car, a new house, or simply going green with jealousy & playing politics when a colleague is to get promoted.
If we switch off our minds from the daily rut of office, work, home, it's not that difficult to realise how we still are those mindless kids, we are only older. How much of what we have acquired is of use or how much of it have we used really? So many things in my cupboard are lying new for years. And when someone gets a new job, a tinge of jealousy does run through my mind even though I'm quite happy with where I'm.
The Bhagwad Geeta says let other's happiness make you happy, it's only then that we will be able to train your mind to refrain from its natural desire to acquire all the time. Or better still just turn away, and go back to being how you were before you saw what you saw. Life was okay even then, it only became miserable after you let your mind chase something that you didn't really need.
It sounds ideal, and hard to achieve. But trust me it's not difficult. I try to practice it all the time. It gives a certain sense of satisfaction and closure otherwise the mind keeps aching for that 'thing' and keeps ruining its own peace.
If the mind is still restless, do some good to someone, replenish the bird feeder, buy flowers for your mother, hold the door for a 'man', give away toffees that the shopkeepers pass off as change. That helps rub your ego and brings back smile on your face.
In the meantime I don't know how to convince the kids to leave the oranges on the tree for a few more days..
