A large part of the modern man’s problems arise from just one single thing – we think too much about ourselves. We are always thinking, “Oh is this good for me”, “Is this what I want”, “How will I be in five years”. All this “Me-Thinking” leads to madness which in turn leads to depression. Unfortunately, our entire society is structured on individualism. We are taught to have goals, work hard to achieve them and this is supposed to lead us to a utopian success.
Life doesn’t work this way. I remember a time when my grandmother and grandfather were around. They were much happier. Back then in India, people didn’t even have fixed names. They were fungible. One person would have several names. Or even simply be known as “Mother of ABC”. The ancient people knew that happiness is not brought about by enforcing identities, rather by dropping all the identifications that we have attached to ourself. They kept life very simple. Their needs were simple and their joys arose out of the simplest things.
We, on the other hand have been indoctrinated by modern educational values. Education is a misnomer. We are acquiring greater degrees and lesser friends. We are far more literate and far less educated. We are far more connected through social media and a lot less social. We are loaded with amazing information, but are less wise. Its hard to undo the damage inflicted on our minds by modern consumeristic and goal-oriented society. It appears there is no way out.
But there is. We can undo this menace of “Me-Thinking”. This is by giving back to society. Help others and see how much joy this brings. Our joys are meaningless when they are not shared. Think about the most beautiful dish you enjoyed and there is nobody around you who you could share the excitement with. Joy multiplies manifold when shared. Ultimately a good life is a shared life and not a lonely life. Therefore, we must share. Go help people around you and see if your depression remains.
I intend to begin a practice of sharing. Those of you who have questions – about your lives, about your careers, about the spiritual path, about relationships, about anything – I am here. You can email me at: akhilmagal@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you and help you in any way that I know I can. Feel free to drop me a line.
Until then, keep sharing. Keep caring!
Akhil
Journey of a thousand words 