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We are all, in our own ways, seeking to discover and embrace truth so that our every thought, word and deed, will reflect the sacredness and divinity of that truth. We hunger after fulfillment in which we realize and know ourselves to be in and of God, just as a wave is in and of the vast ocean. That is the ideal in any event. But at some time or other we all come up against an obstacle that frustrates us in our aspirations and that is restlessness. I'm not saying it is the norm, but certainly it does raise its turbulent head in many cases and prevents or obstructs the way forward. Although the world according to history has always been full of turmoil and restlessness, it seems that this is so, now, more than ever. There is a restlessness in the souls of men certainly not conducive to its opposite; restfulness. There is hardly a moment without noise or agitated movement or direful news to provoke some sort of reaction of horror or disbelief or fear within us. The media are constantly bombarding us with news and stories causing fear and apprehension not only for our own safety, but also for the way in which humanity seems to be losing out to brutality, greed, lust for power and status.
we look around at the anonymous faces passing us in the streets and grow lonely and isolated because out there, there are so few smiles, so few expressions of peace and/or serenity, so little warmth, so little giving. Everyone seems to be tightly strapped in, "cosseted" into sn unnatural tension.And all this lends itself to one thing, to a restlessness that is not only ruining physical health and dissipating mental energy, but that is pushing man further and further away from that sacred spark of the divine that shines in the depths of the heart and soul. It is not difficult to to recognize restlessness with its mental and physical tensions and spiritual starvation. It is so easy to say, "yes, I am restless because the world we live in is a restless, agitated world and it is impossible to divorce myself from it". Yes indeed, it is easy to justify our own restlessness by seeking to put the blame on a restless world.
In that Piscean time of the Master Yeshua in Palistine human society was in turmoil yet there arose a soul perfect in restful serenity and oneness with God the Father. In India Mahatma Gandhi shone as a living symbol of non-violence, peace and serene trust in Almighty God. Are we being completely honest with ourselves when we say with resignation that it is impossible to be at rest in such a restless world or whether there is not perhaps a hidden cause within oneself for this aprt from the outside world? It seems to be a human weakness that we are seldom able to finish any one thing, to complete any one action with our complete, undivided attention. It is seldom that we give ourselves completely to being still and at peace. Whist busily occupied with one particular activity other corners of our mind are involved in other concerns, other speculations. And have you noticed what seems to determine the course of most of our thoughts and actions? It is what others will think of us./ We are inclined to put ourselves out more for the opinions and judgements of others than for the honest opinion of what we ourselves know to be right. We don't live on our own account, but rather seem to live on the opinions of others. With exactly this in mind, Swami Sivananda once told the story of an old man, his young son, and their donkey. it happened that one day these three started off on a journey. The old man put his son on the donkey and off they went. In due course they were approached by a group of passers-by who were loudly indignant at the son for allowing himself the comfort of the donkeys back while his poor old father had to trudge along beside. At this the old man and his son changed positions. Shortly afterwards, another group approached these three and this time their loud indignations were directed against the old man for allowing himself the comfort of the donkeys back and making this poor young boy walk beside him. Rather despairingly, the old man then climbed off the donkey and now he and his son both walked on either side of the donkey. They were approached by a third group who looked in amazement at these three approaching. With much scorn and ridicule they protested against the fact that the donkey, this beast of burden, was not made use of. Were they so ignorant as not to know what a donkey was? At this the poor old man and his son were thoroughly confused and were left not knowing how they should proceed along their journey. Living outside oneself like this, allowing oneself to be blown about indiscriminately by the unsettled and fickle opinions, judgements of others contributes more than anything else to shallow and restless living. We deny ourselves the freedom to be our own lifes architects. One of our main duties in life is to keep ourselves self-contained, self-poised and that responsibility is to give ourselves wholly and completely to what ever is at hand. For therein lies our rest, strange as it may seem. There is comfort and quite joy in accomplishing which then resolves into rest. The secret of rest, of health, of vigorous, concentrated activity lies in keeping the mind one-pointed on the task at hand; always cheerful, buoyant, never worried, never borne down by fear. And when the task is over it should stop entirely. The uncompleted task, the unfulfilled action is the mother of worry, anxiety and restlessness. When we feel we have not given of our best we are restless. Giving oneself wholeheartedly to life as it offers itself to one every moment, is true renunciation for then the world is renounced for the sake of giving oneself without motive, gloom and depression are renounced for the sake of infusing life with cheerfulness, with peace and harmony and a deeply rooted trust in the ultimate goodness of all that is, over shadowed by universal love.
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