KEEP
SMILING…
(An Article published my school days)
At the climax of the Mahabharata war, Gandhari accused Krishna for
not trying to stop the war and cursed him that he and his entire kula would
get destroyed.
Krishna
did nothing, but ‘smiled’.
A smile can change a person’s attitude; I have heard;
a small smile is a bridge between two conflicting souls; it acts as an
assurance of love and relationship too. In fact, ‘Man is condemned to be free’,
says Sartre and he or she utilizes this freedom for happiness, without doubt,
knowingly or unknowingly. Each and every moment of our life is nothing but a
revolution and this revolt finds its end in happiness, or bliss, as people call
it. The very same effect is being produced by the so called smile, says a
famous psychiatrist.
In
the aspect of evolution, a smile might be a trait, which may have been used to
put down the excess activation of the adrenaline gland, thereby enhancing the
energy conservation in the body. This may be the reason for the development of
the ‘smile (laughter) therapy’ where people are made to laugh in different
manner and different types, for the proper functioning of the body and the mind.
In
our day to day life, smile symbolizes happiness. Can you name a person who
doesn’t laugh at a joke? It may be difficult. We also do smile when we are
ashamed .Some use smile as a part of diplomacy while the others use the same
for soothing themselves from pain. Smile is also used for criticism, its darker
side while others se the same to encourage and elevate their fellow beings.
I
have always wondered about the smile of a kid, who doesn’t even know how this
world looks like. His smile is something which can break open even the hardest
of the nuts. There could be no one who has ever disliked a kid smiling.
But
more importantly, I strongly feel that it conveys the idea of acceptance.
Most of us are selective form all that comes to you in life. I do agree that it
is our right to choose, but there are certainly ‘certain’ things which cannot
be chosen, but we are just meekly required to accept them. The more we resist
there more we will be beaten at our back causing mental frustration and waste
of time.
I
do not say that all worries are a waste of time, but accepting a worry, ‘as a
worry’ is not seen amongst us. When Swami Vivekananda’s friend passed away, he
cried like hell (in spite of he being a sanyasin), and when asked why, he
replied saying that he was no one to stop the working of his indriyaa’s (organs).
It
is here where Buddha’s ‘Follow the middle path’ becomes important. There is
nothing good or evil. Life is nothing but a journey from a lower truth to a
higher truth. We are nothing but floating wavelets in the eternal flow of life.
When all the good have evolved from nature, the very same nature is the mother
of all the evil as well. Drawing a median between the two extremes seems to be
a difficult task, but until then, remember that the Mahabharata within you is
still switched ON.
I
have heard people say that I do not have enemies, I have only friends. But
please remember, that the moment you utter friends, enemies are automatically
created. We live in the world of opposites and that is what which is making it
beautiful. Remember Swami Vivekananda, saying that he would like to be reborn
in India,
a thousand. This sentence necessarily goes beyond the idea of patriotism, no
doubt.
Never
be under the impression that you can win the world by the suppression of your
feelings. The suppressed mine of a man is a devil. Never tie yourself with a
string attached to a pole. The maximum distance you can move is the length of
the string. be like an empty pot; argue with he world not for the sake of
winning, but for knowing. More importantly ’love your neighbors as you love
yourself (Jesus)’.
It simply means the acceptance of
others feeling, emotions and opinions as you accept yours. At least never be a
traitor to yourself. If you start cheating yourself no one in this world can
help you. You are your only friend and you are your only foe. If you can’t be a
sun, leave it, but at least try being a lamp; its light may be little, but do
remember that it can be used to light thousands of other lamps. It is when this
acceptance approaches; rather, when you approach this acceptance, you become a
‘Human Being’.
After
a class at night, a Zen Master lit a lamp and gave it to a student to help him
through the darkness, in to his cabin. But as soon as the student entered the
darkness, the Master blew off the light. The student was enlightened.
“A
Smile appeared in his face; the Buddha’s smile”.
