Art of Living and Russia - Ukraine Crisis Part 8

              I don’t know how to live – this has been my most significant quality since the last 12 years or the time since I came into public domain after graduation. I might be a clever student as a child but it translated to nothing in the way I approach my life in the real world. I read textbooks but failed to read the laws of practical living. Reading is easy to me, studying is easy to me, sitting in classes watching lectures is easy and it has been a good ride till twenty years, since it doesn’t need any skills. Once I came into the real world, I am a soldier without weapons – the tools required are not in possession nor the program required to run the software.

             I lived on my own terms -good or bad, beating the convention and ruing on my own eccentric trajectory. Everyone constructs beautiful houses, it just reflects their structured living and what they built in their lives. What does a person leading a haphazard life reflect? Right from the day I am out of student world, I don’t know how to live without drawing envy from others, I don’t know how not to be unbearable, I don’t know how to live without testing the patience of others, I don’t know how not to invoke negativity, I don’t know how to lead a balanced life, I don’t know the dharmic way of living, I don’t know the way to help my own self, I don’t know how to contain myself and not grow out of proportions, I don’t know how to be a good son, good husband, good role player of any sort.

           I don’t intend to disclose my deepest pain but would like to open after going through the trauma which results out of this eccentric living. I don’t know the relevance of my life to the outer world and how much I am appreciated, hated or had any other feeling but I don’t feel like living with a clear conscience to my own self. No one should ever lead this premature, childish, self-guided, distraught life in a vibrant, hopeful country like India where a lot of dreams and hopes are made. You should not evolve to a state where your presence is despised, and your utility draws anger. You should not evolve to a state where someone needs to do a condition check and certify as OK.

           This is certainly not a position where I would like to see anyone, even my enemy. The fingers point to the days that lead up to this and my unique style of living. The solution lies in leading a structured living or simply studying and practicing the Art of Living. I wish I had an architect to my life, a guide, a mentor, a guru, a teacher who warns me of the dangers ahead and puts me on the correct path. I knew I fumbled at this practical art of living long back. Most of those that watched me early on knew I fumbled at architecting my own life. This is one of the most important solutions to my problems – to know the way of living or to know the Art of Living.

            I came to the U.S. and failed on earlier occasions due to this simple reason – I don’t know how to live. The lack of this quality at the individual level sent me back packing. I am facing the heat in home and abroad due to this very aspect. I am becoming a person with guilt and begging for another chance to go back in time and correct myself.

            I am stressing the problem in this medium for three reasons – 1. To bring awareness such that no other person should suffer due to it. 2. To open on the nagging problem plaguing me for 10 years. 3. To focus, attack, kill the problem and know the way ahead.

            As mentioned, I am not clever, intelligent but a complete miserable failure as far as the practical art of living is concerned. I really appreciate everyone who wins in life by knowing how to live. I regard them highly and to me, they are intelligent; not someone who writes some random crap, thrash. The main indicator for intelligence is the reflection of how beautifully you live and organize your life. The story of my last many years should serve as a catalyst for everyone to become intelligent in your own way. How can we make everyone life-intelligent, successful; prevent failure? Teach everyone the practical way of living, correct way of living; purposeful, meaningful way of living. Let everyone live under the guidance of a Guru or a life coach to guide them along, to provide the correct path for every seeker. Let everyone study the life lessons as part of education at which they can fall back at any point.

           I came to the U.S. on this occasion and stumbled upon the institution with the very three words – Art of Living. I cannot emphasize its importance more and the timing, place, phase of this encounter. If my journey to the foreign land has any purpose – it must be to make me someone who knows the art of living, it must be to present a solution to my problems, it must be to change course and make me viable to one and all. I hope the nation becomes a big doctor to the patient with myriad problems. I came to know from my acquaintance that the simple approach to the art of living is to live in the present moment without wandering back and forth. This already touches the solution to my heavy wandering-mind problem in the foreign land. Nonetheless, this needs to happen in practice and let us wish it materialize as well.  This small step in the correct direction to solve a simple problem should cascade further and heal, cure my eccentricity and bring structure, propriety to my living. This is the expectation and hope from this encounter in the foreign land.

            Not just from this meeting, but knowing the art of living is also the solution to the war within myself. I am waging the war within myself and keep on pondering for more than 100 days. The situation should ease and the thoughts should die down to bring peace upon me. This peace within our own self should also bring peace in the outer world.

            Let us pray for the inner peace to translate to the peace between nations at war – Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine should be left alone and not plundered for it did no harm to anyone. This war which has been going on since the last 150 days is meaningless, purposeless, pointless and needs to be stopped immediately. Russia is exhausting its ammunition and Ukraine is getting the weapons from the West to engage in a long-drawn battle. You should not overwhelm the world with needless aggressive maneuvers but spread hope, peace and harmony.

            On a brighter side, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements Friday with Turkey and the United Nations clearing the way for the export of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain — as well as some Russian grain and fertilizer — across the Black Sea. The long-sought deal ends a wartime standoff that has threatened food security around the globe. It is a “a beacon of hope” for millions of hungry people who have faced huge increases in the price of food. The deal is an unprecedented agreement between two parties engaged in a bloody conflict, which is needless in the first place. It should mark a new turning point that will revive hopes for peace. To bring economic stability and security to Russia and Ukraine, the Russian aggression must be stopped and withdrawn from Ukraine. Ukraine does not deserve this in any way. Do the good work, make a positive difference and bring light to the dark lives of millions in Ukraine, Russia and around the world.