A Holiday Home in the Mind
We should develop a holiday home in the mind to relax.
Summer was simmering, temperatures were rising
in Delhi, and the beer guzzling
husband and wife duo, and their college
going children fed on junk food, were looking
forward to their first overseas trip ‘together.’ Meanwhile, a message
flashed on the pretentious mobile of the husband.
“Eureka,” he screamed, “Leave sanctioned.”
“Trip to Chiang Mai will now be a reality,” screamed
the children and wife.
The husband had clambered up the corporate ladder with a bloated
ego, riding roughshod over his colleagues; however,
at the cost of his deteriorating health
condition.
This is a familiar tale of several upper middle-class families and the ones who mimic
them as they crave to keep up with the Joneses.
The prana levels
of such individuals are low.
Just as an architect designs buildings, we humans
can construct an oasis of peace in our minds
where we can luxuriate in a genuine holiday.
Humans should develop a mental state where they can appreciate and embrace nature and its myriad
flavors.
Many years ago, there
was an old farmer.
One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to commiserate.
“Maybe,” the farmer replied laconically. The next
morning the horse returned, bringing along with it three other wild horses.
Taken aback at the turn of events, the neighbors
congratulated the farmer.
“Maybe,” was the reply.
His son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, and was thrown off the saddle and broke his leg. The neighbors expressed their grief. “Maybe,”
answered the farmer. Shortly, some military officials came to the village to draft young men into
the army. The wounded son was not
recruited. Soon congratulatory messages poured in from
the neighbors as the son escaped the hazardous
employment.
“Maybe,” said the farmer.
The stoic farmer remained
unfazed in all situations. He was neither egoistical nor judgmental or given to hyperbole or
despondency. The mind remained
quiet and was in a perpetual state of positivity and holiday.
The supercilious family
from Delhi was so full of themselves
and hurtling towards imminent disaster that it would undeniably benefit by learning a few secrets
from the old farmer. They could discard their pomposity;
erase egos and narcissistic tendencies, besides a highly overbearing
attitude which only attracted the vituperation from others.
Instead of planning
an annual holiday, the family ought to
create a sacred
space within their
hearts and mind
where positivism mushrooms and develop
a delicate balance of detachment like the old farmer.
It would be sagacious to dwell on
the inner self
and practice deep
faith and prayer to connect
with the self by sublimating noise
and ego.
They could visualize and connect to a
soothing terrain in their minds, which would restore equilibrium in their disoriented
lifestyles.
This topography could
upend the pyramid
and radically alter a desultory lifestyle to a more harmonious one. Imagine the mind conceptualizes a
retreat within its containments,
where supposedly a thousand monks practice meditation, observe their breath and remain
in silence say for three
months. This chamber
would generate abundant
energy and an aura where
the individual would
like to revisit
hundreds of times.
Pranayama
and the practice of yoga – be it for the propertied or poor, healthy, or unhealthy – help in mental reconfiguration, rejuvenation, and
revitalization, which soothes frayed nerves
and makes individuals joyous and happy. This is a harbinger of a sanctuary of radiance.
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