Of Education and Success

Education may not be the surest way to success but it is the surest way to happiness and civilization.
Coming into contact with enlightened minds and diverse cultures opens up your mind in extraordinary ways. It helps you fathom the depths of the universe, realize how you are both magnificient and insignificant and provokes you into engaging with the world on a deeper, more genuine level.
Today I realized the value of my education and intend to be a lifelong learner.

The value of simplicity

Today I figured that, not for nothing have great souls stressed the value of simplicity.

There is something almost divine in living with the elements of nature, to enjoy walks in warm sunshine and cool winds, eat simple wholesome food, work well and sleep well without undue stress on any one task( for instance, modern life places extraordinary stress on work).

After years of living a stressful life which culminated in four horrifying months of distress and dissatisfaction, I was at my wit's end trying to find a solution. Then, fate placed me in a situation which consisted of cooking three simple meals a day and spending the rest of my time, walking and working out, reading and writing, napping in the afternoon, moonlight walks on the rooftop and lazily reading late into the night.

In the beginning, I was bored and then it felt blissful. My thoughts cleared and I began a feel a sense of well being creep into my system.

It got to a point where I became increasingly resentful of anything that altered this schedule of mine as it felt too good to let go.

In my case, wanting to hang on to this too long would result in living in a limbo. So, I need to figure a way to experience the same feeling of simple well being when I return to my normal life!

Can I do that I wonder?! 

The ability to take pleasure in living...

Today I figured that the ability to enjoy life is in itself an art. It is the deftness with which you can accustom yourself to your surroundings and the people around you no matter how mercurial the pace of change; it is the skill with which you can explore the depths of whatever's on offer; it is the tact with which you can navigate conflicting events, it is the power with which you can grab that which appeals to you the most; it is the insight with which you can decipher your own thoughts, needs and emotions and act accordingly; it is the vision with which you can create your life's goals; it is the courage with which you can pursue these goals against all odds and finally it is the ability to laugh and cry and move on to the next thing...

Conflict...desires, discomforts and individual self-absorption

How do you deal with the power of individual motivation when it is in conflict with another individual motivation? Consider the following instance;
There are certain reasons behind certain actions of mine and there are times when it comes in direct conflict with what others desire from me. I stick to my resolution chiefly because at that particular moment, that is the best thing for me. I don't consider it in relation to the past or the future, only in terms of present need. In other words, I simply use my prioritizing skills. If whatever the other person desires from me is either beyond my reasonable capacity to give or appears to be something that can wait, I don't put it before my necessity.
The problem arises when my need conflicts with others' necessity or desire and they are unwilling to graciously accept my decision to do what I need to do.
So now we have a situation where both are equally absorbed in their own needs/opinions and refuse to put it aside to accept the other's needs/opinions.
When two powerful motivations clash, how can it be resolved? And if it is a clash between the needs/discomforts of one person and the desires/expectations of the other, who is right and who is wrong?

Unexplained moments...

Have you ever had moments of unexplained emotions that perplex the hell out of you? And, when you later analyse it, you feel as though the explanation is simple but elusive?
I had one such moment today when out of the blue, I felt this intense sadness seep into my soul and paralyze my faculties. One moment, I was just fine and the next moment I felt fit to jump off a cliff into the deep blue sea.
In retrospect, I wondered if it was the lack of distractions or lack of harmony with my surroundings that caused this. However, I've been through plenty of empty, boring, enervating, disharmonious moments without wishing myself dead!
Then, for no particular reason, I thought back to distressful events of the past and made a connection. When some things remain unresolved they have peculiar ways of showing up in your life long after the event is over.
Sometimes, sorrow is so absolute that it becomes the fountainhead of your personality. As long as you are doing something that engages you in the present and keeps you happy, there's no room for this sorrow to spring forth and envelope you in its burning folds. The moment you are alone with your thoughts with nothing or no one to distract you and give you an illusion of contentment, sorrow surges forward to remind you of its existence.
Never ever deny sorrow its moment in the limelight. Let it reign over you until it is ready to let go of you. That is the only way to destroy the power of this seemingly simple emotion.

Why this ennui?

As I grow older, I find myself increasingly falling prey to ennui. Why does this happen when I still haven't accomplished even half of what I wanted to and life continues to hold infinite possibilities? Is it because I am no longer the unfettered bird of youth and the single state? Or, is it because I am unable to strike a balance between individual ambitions and social responsibilities/obligations? Or is it just a case of screwed up hormones from stressful events?

Whatever the reason, this intense weariness is anything but life affirming!

From within the confines of my relatively limited knowledge I wonder if my ennui is the product of a lifetime of wandering blind taking life as it comes instead of working to a set purpose? Wandering blind definitely has its joys but it also means swallowing a lot of crap which can dim your capacity for finding joy and sunshine.

When youthful energy, courage and optimism is spent, scattered, fragemented in this way, can ennui be far behind?                               

We need a dream...

Today I figured that we need a dream and we need to work on making it a reality. Regardless of whether we succeed or not, it is vital that we work on the dream. It is ok if it is a life long work in progress as it is the process that gives us joy rather than the success.
We need a purpose in life for life to have any meaning. The purpose has to be your own and the effort should be yours as well. I see too many people who live in a constant state of compromise either because they have lost their ability to dream or because they entrusted their dreams to others and the waiting, sometimes seemingly forever, sometimes truly forever, increases their resentment and poisons their lives and environment.
So, find your dream and work on it...your dream is too precious to be sacrificed and too fragile to be handed over to another.