Dear Friends,
There were times when we felt the pressure of the world is too much on our shoulders. Right then, we thought, HOW could we save ourselves from falling, or WHO could save us? Blaming the world, others, or ourselves will not help, neither taking the role of a victim. We might feel alone, helpless, stressful, or sometimes depressed.
We could empower ourselves, even in our darkest hours. A teacher of mine told me that to save ourselves is to save others. And sometimes, what it takes to help ourselves is to help others FIRST. My teacher shared an interesting story about what he had been doing for sometime now. He walked to the slums around Jakarta where the unfortunate people lived, he lived there for days, took the poor children to eat and to buy some school books in the market. Many days he returned home crying. He said, any problem that he complained about meant nothing anymore. He had hands and feet and healthy body, a graduate degree, a job that he wanted and people who supported him. Once he had that realization, his problems found their way out and many new doors of opportunities were opened. So, he realized that he must (as much as he could) help other people and make live a service. Ever since, he has been promoting this idea to everyone he met (and that is how we started to promote the principle of "Pay It Forward").
We don't need to create a grande thing to help others. Sometimes, it's more than enough to show a simple gesture of genuine smile, an offer of a helping hand, a time given to listen and pay attention, an idea to solve an issue, a donation to lighten few burdens, an effort to help someone heals, or.... a moment of own peace that also radiates peace to others.
Along the way, I met a person who also said an interesting thing related to that. She said, "to survive this world, we need to survive the 'loneliness'". What she meant was that if we could be peaceful for who we are, what we are, where ever we are... then, we'll be fine! So simple! I agree. By far, I think, that is the most challenging thing in this modern noisy world. And yet, it's so worth while to try.
One new thing everyday because everyday is a service.
This is dedicated to my teachers that I've crossed path with in many, many different ways.
Peace and joy.
Namaste.
