A man purchased a car, took care of it very well, cleaned it, washed it, kept it covered lest dust should accumulate on it, had built up a garage for it so that any cricket ball or stone from the kids playing in the garden would not damage it. He requested one of his friends having an expert knowledge in vehicle maintenance and hardware to visit him frequently, assess the condition of his vehicle and provide any suggestion for general improvement. He rarely missed any TV show on cars and made the most of all the articles on vehicles that appeared in newspapers. In summary, he did his best to keep his vehicle in the best condition possible — according to his capability of course, which he was always trying to expand. However, there was something amiss — he never drove the car. I do not know whether it was because he didn’t know how to (it is possible, isn’t it, that he won the car in some prize or award, or received as dowry), or that he had nowhere to go by car. Whatever be the reason, I never enquired him about it, I still believe that he was investing far too effort in maintaining the car and was hardly receiving any benefit from it.
Most of us lead our lives in the same way. We try to keep ourselves in best possible shape and condition. We go to gym, parks, yoga and aerobic classes to keep fit, consult our doctors for early detection of any ailment. We read newspapers and magazines to stay updated on world affairs and stimulate our brains. We visit exhibitions, go to concerts, to satisfy our artistic needs, and read books to keep ourselves motivated. We also go to temples, and distribute the Prasad to kids outside. We do everything to maintain our health and fitness on the physical, vital, mental, and psychic planes. But what then? What do we do with this well-balanced and healthy lifestyle? Is it going anywhere, moving at all? Human body, human life is more like an instrument, a vehicle. How wise is it then, to put in so much time, energy, effort keeping it in the best possible condition, but all the same standing still at the same place? Yes we do job, earn a living, bring up children and give them best education. But isn’t it just working, in fact working a lot, without moving ahead? Something like working out on a treadmill? There we sweat it out, but all the same remain exactly at the same place. It is not a matter of making some extraordinary contribution to humanity and civilization so that history remembers us like Gandhi, Mandela, or Tolstoy. It is just seeking to take few steps ahead, thus moving ahead, even if only a little. Whatever, but being in motion. Ahead.
photo credit: Views of the Ganges from the Ram Jhula hanging bridge – Rishikesh, India via photopin (license)
Pradyot 