Seven Insights that Shifted my Perspective on Life

Acknowledge, Accept and Embrace your Spirituality

Most people believe in God. That is, most people acknowledge (maybe grudgingly) that a Higher Force exists.

Fewer people accept the “Hand of God” in their lives.

And only a handful will raise their hands when asked if spirituality is central to their lives.

I am a spiritual seeker. There now I have outed myself, after hiding from the doubting, derisive and disapproving gaze of my family, friends and all those who know me.

I was not one a few years ago. Life yanked me in this direction, ripping apart life as I knew it, leaving me with no choice, but to jump. The deeper I went, the more sense I could make of me and my life, and the choices that I had made, almost compulsively. I wondered how beautiful my life would have been only if I had known then what I understood now.

And of course, the next thought that followed was how less stupid the world would be 😊 if only we accept the primacy of this Higher Force in life as the moving force of all Creation.

I am often challenged by others on the above. Somebody asks, “ Will God get me that fancy bonus?” Another laments, “I pray to Him regularly but look at my life, why do my prayers not work?” Or this, “Yeah fine, He exists and He has Created all this. But now I have to live this life and make something of it!”

True, true, true

So let’s get a few things clear at the outset.

God will not come and live your life, as you know it. He will not say Yes to all your prayers or fulfill all your desires. In my case, He made it a point to deny whatever I wanted, desired, chased.

Dreams nurtured from childhood DENIED. Ambitions seeded and assiduously pursued DENIED. Despite my hard work, right attitude and immense faith, what “I” wanted was DENIED, for frivolous reasons or no reason.

Yet, I couldn’t complain as my life was showered with abundance, even if it missed what “I” wanted. And that “I” was deeply hurt, perplexed and at edge.

God is Present in every atom of this Infinite Creation and even beyond. Those who seek Him with a sincere heart, will always perceive Him and His magic working through them. The only reason why we don’t perceive this Infinite Intelligence that powers all of Creation, is our own colored glasses that we have got on. And our deep reluctance to take them off.

Take off those glasses and see what I see:

1. We are spiritual beings having physical experiences. This means that we are not our bodies, nor are we are our minds, brains or intellect. We are souls that inhabit this body-mind complex.

2. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.” William Shakespeare got it right all those years ago. We are merely playing our parts. Except that most times we muddle our way through, as the lines have not been given to us in advance. So let’s not take ourselves too seriously.

3. Law of Karma holds even if we are just playing our parts in this extravaganza written and directed by the Almighty. As long as we are associated with this mind, we are responsible for our actions, (even if they are borne out of compulsions beyond our control), and hence we will experience the consequences. And that is what creates our Destiny. And that manifests in our lives almost unconsciously.

4. It is not possible to control the outside world. But when we know in our innermost being that what we experience is transient and nothing is forever, our minds can remain equanimous irrespective of what is happening outside.

5. Life becomes more peaceful when we learn to accept the present moment, as it is, and respond to the moment consciously. If you have seen the Netflix documentary “Painkillers”, there is a telling line about people wanting to run away from pain and chasing pleasure. We are now a society of “runners and chasers”. Chasing gratification and glory in one experience after the other. We can cut through this mindless running when we realize #6

6. It is futile to seek happiness in the outside world. It never lasts. That grand love with our soulmate that gave us so much happiness yesterday becomes the reason for misery today. Happiness comes from within. If you are unhappy, irritated or just plain bored, before pointing the proverbial finger outside, look within! Source of joy and misery lies within.

7. We miss the real miracles of our everyday lives. All that you see and perceive in this creation — humans, animals, rocks, plants, objects are made of the same five fundamental elements: earth, water, space, air and fire. God’s infinite permutations and combinations creates this multitude of forms. And sometimes, He infuses them with Life.

Embracing Spirituality helps us access a higher perspective of Life

We understand the transient nature of life is both limiting as well as liberating. Limiting because there is not enough time. Liberating because hey, what the heck, nothing lasts forever! “This too shall pass” goes beyond being a mere truism that we read in books or tell others to being a practised truth that we live every moment.

So what are you waiting for?

Take off your colored glasses, embrace your own divinity and learn to experience life. As it is.

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