In the
modern world, rife with violence and natural calamities, triggered by manmade
errors and mismanagement, man is in need of inner solace, peace and security.
Not to forget, the competitive job market scenario, challenges in family life,
other challenges in society like corruption, etc. which leave the modern day
man tired, dejected and angry. In the
pursuit of inner peace, many people indulge in intoxications of various kinds
like alcohol etc. For the period, that
the intoxication lasts, the particular person indulging in the intoxication,
seems to lose the control over his/her senses. Once this period is past, the
person feels drained out of his/her energy and is devoid of the freshness
required to face his day-to-day challenges.
In the long run, such indulgence results in health problems and may also lead to the death of the person
concerned. This is not a very
intelligent choice of life. Just a
little shift in lifestyle and habits can lead to more positive, meaningful and
productive lives.
One needs to know that the everlasting joy
and happiness, that one seeks in pleasures outside and in external objects,
resorting to intoxications, in fact, lies within oneself! How does one connect
with the inner self? Spirituality is the key to unlocking our own self! Getting
connected with our own self, makes us happy and peaceful. As Guruji, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in his book,
‘God Loves Fun’ says,
“You
are the source of joy.”
Once one
connects with the inner self, struggles transform into challenges. What is the
difference between a struggle and a challenge?
A struggle is where violent or forceful efforts are made to get free of
restraint. A challenge is where we look at the situation from a competitive
perspective and use our ability to overcome it. In my opinion, the term
‘struggle’ has a negative connotation to it, whereas the term ‘challenge’ is a
more optimistic view of things.
Spirituality
empowers one with the energy and the ability to face the trials and
tribulations of life with a smile on the face.
A smile on the face is the cheapest and the most beautiful ornament that
one can wear. A genuine smile, even
under the most negative circumstances, is indicative of true inner strength and
success in life.
Making
meditation part of one’s life is a wise decision. Meditation provides rest to
the mind and body, erasing impressions from the mind resulting in clarity and
creativity. Quoting Sri Sri Ravi
Shankarji’s views, just as we brush our teeth twice a day for dental hygiene,
we need to practice meditation every day for mental hygiene. What a beautiful analogy!
Coupling
Yoga and Meditation in the daily routine, is definitely the formula for a
healthy mind in a healthy body. Spending some time in spiritual practices
regularly enhances productivity, intelligence, clarity, creativity, ability to
take responsibility and all other virtues that one may desire and require.
Practice of some pranayama every day helps make us aware of our
breath-patterns. Listening to mantras and sacred chants helps purify the
atmosphere and brings out the positive energy in us.
The
widespread violence and crime in the world today is due to degradation of moral
values and human values. Spirituality is the medicine that can cure these ills. Spiritual Practices help relieve stress
resulting in refined emotions and therefore better relationships and better
productivity.
Incorporating
yoga as part of the curriculum in education can result in the all-round
development of students (in addition to the academic, sports and
extra-curricular activities that form a part of the school and college
curriculum). In today’s world, not only
the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is important, but also the Emotional Quotient
(EQ) is important (perhaps, even a little more than the IQ).
What is EQ? Emotional intelligence or EQ is the ability to identify, use, understand and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict.Spirituality makes you stronger from within and gives you a better control over
your emotions and therefore enhances your EQ.
Life
throws challenges at us quite unexpectedly. Spirituality prepares us to face
these challenges with a calm, stable, serene and firm mind. Incorporating
spiritual education along with scientific education right at the elementary
level will help nourish human values and mould the character of the children of
today to accept and rejoice in the diversity of cultures and religions
prevalent on the planet while retaining respect for their native roots. They
will have a mature outlook towards life
and will grow into peace-loving, kind, sensitive, sensible human beings with a
broad vision towards everything.
Again,
quoting Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji,
“Inner
Peace is the key for World Peace.”
The mistaken
notion is to look for joy and peace in the outside objects. But the Almighty has reserved the domain of
peace deep within our selves. Instead of
looking for peace outside, if we do some breathing exercises and meditate, we
can connect to the space within us, where we can experience true peace. Once
true peace is experienced in this way, our outlook towards the outside world
changes and we become more compassionate in our dealings with other people. In
fact, when more and more people meditate and experience true peace, conflicts
can reduce in the world resulting in world peace.
In fact, the
Sanskrit Verse ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ which means ‘The world is one family’
can be a practical reality through the right understanding and practice of
Spirituality. Many consider spirituality as the fad of the Modern times. In my
opinion, Spirituality is the need of the hour. What do you think? I conclude this, leaving you with this
question. Please feel free to leave your views in the comments.
