I was reading "Inferno" by Dan Brown and would like to refer to these words which seem to be so very relevant particularly so with respect to the recent devastating rape incidents happening every now and then around us.

“Denial is a critical part of the human coping mechanism. Without it, we would all wake up terrified every morning about all the ways we could die. Instead, our minds block out our existential fears by focusing on stresses we can handle—like getting to work on time or paying our taxes. If we have wider, existential fears, we jettison them very quickly, refocusing on simple tasks and daily trivialities.”

“a hero in denial is the ultimate manifestation of hubris and pride. No man is more prideful than he who believes himself immune to the dangers of the world.” Excerpt From: Dan, Brown. “Inferno.”

Though the context focuses on a much different theme and issue in the book I would like to relate it to the much bigger evils and dangers which are gathering serious concerns as of today. We off late have come across such a growing and troubling issue regarding the safety of our women and children and every now and then we have so much media coverage and material written in various blogs and forums. There are a number of panel discussions trying to reach and communicate to the people about the real issue and dangers but still I feel there is a big section in our society who feels that such things won't happen to them and they are way distant from all such concerns. It's just become a temporary news feed in the minds of the people at large and once the uproar for justice slowly dies down then we get back to the usual human mechanism of denial and that's when we tend to lapse out on our concerns.

We need to understand that this issue is not something which happens only to a section of the society. Just by reading the news about such incidents won't do any good to us but rather we need to take ultimate steps to come out and address our concerns where ever possible. Denial and taking for granted is a way of escapism and that's not what needs to be done. It's easy for us as parents to take things for granted and trust the people whom you feel can be trusted as they are regulars in your daily routines. It's easy for us to rely on outsiders and even situations which we may right off but sometimes that callous behavior of ours can lead to a devastating experience in life.

During one of my recent yoga sessions I was instructed to take deep breaths and to think of the many thoughts arising in my inner self. Slowly I was told to remove all unwanted thoughts which I felt don’t deserve to be in me and to keep a single thought which seems to be my priority for the time being. And that’s what I did with all the obedience of a disciplined student I maintained that thought in me for a few minutes. But suddenly to my surprise I was instructed to even remove that very single thought.  All of a sudden a sense of vacuum engulfed me and I was left with none but myself. I was told to concentrate only on myself and my body. Reluctantly though, I tried to do as instructed and I got submerged into my existence in the form of my body. The mindless body seemed nothing but a lump of matter sans all thoughts of our loved once.  It’s so very difficult not to think of the people whom we love so much and the various thoughts that we are surrounded with.

It’s a dread to even visualize ourselves without a mind and the various emotions that we are made up off. Though the day’s sessions went pretty easy and refreshing I was impatient to have my thoughts running back into me.  It’s not that easy not to think of the people whom we care so much and love so much and for whom we matter the most.  But sometimes emotions do drain out the energy in you and if it is so then why at all these emotions and attachments were embedded in us? A good friend of mine always used to say that Expectations reduce Joy. But then it’s these expectations that make us live. It is these very expectations that allow us to be who we are and to make us see others as part of ourselves. Expectations don’t reduce joy but it gives you hope to live another day with people whom you love so much because it’s a dread to loose any of them.

There is something such as a soul level agreement and that’s why we meet people in our lives. Such soul level circumstances become the main reason for the kind of resonance between us and the people we meet. There is a reason why we meet people. The relationship which gets created is decided on these soul level agreements. It’s like there is something in our core and soul that irresistibly pushes you to connect with a person or people. It’s more like you had an appointment with them and they just showed up for that appointment. The nature of relationship is many times undefined so it could be a friendship, a business partnership, a romantic relationship, a teacher-student relationship or many more. Now your intensity of your soul level agreement decides what kind of a relationship it might be. We are here for a reason and that reason primarily is to strive to express our soul level gifts through our very human existence in this nature. But we all need to have a platform to showcase our soul level gifts and talents and we can’t do it all alone. So we interact and many a times we come across some special people or person who allows us to fully express our gifts and thereby consciously or unconsciously we together step into who we actually are at a soul-level. That’s when we tend to show a soul level affinity and we feel drawn to them because you just feel a sense of commonness.That’s when we tend to get into a soul level agreement which was always there way before we were born. This becomes the reason for a much deeper relationship and we start expressing ourselves through love, care and many more emotions.

The infuriated self and the egocentric mind all combined together makes you think how worthless life is. Are all these emotions and feelings within us a manifestation of our body which you have acquired to carry the soul, as a carrier or a vehicle much needed to pass through the journey of life on this planet. If that's so then couldn't we have a better vehicle, an emotionless one which means a life without conflicts, ego and hatred. Is it really necessary to take up this journey. Well it seems to be forced upon us and we are destined to bare it whether good or bad till a time comes when the vehicle acquires its age of freeing the selfless soul or may be does by that time the soul get polluted after a journey on this vehicle I really don't know. What ever it may be this journey sometimes is a worthless one, a one which doesn't give any kind of satisfaction to the inner self if at all there is one or may be once born u loose that inner self and become a mindless entity struggling to keep the vehicle alive but without any much gain.

I have been following the recent TV series of “Mahabharata” and it’s been some months now where in its reached the climax stages of this great epic, the war itself. But some how when I watch it a strange sense of depression and meaninglessness engulfs me. What I see in every single episode of it is some strange philosophy being explained to justify the large scale massacre and burning of the dead bodies. Its been shown that once the sun rises all of them get decorated with their best ammunition and acquired powers and abilities and then towards the end when the sun sets and the counches are blown to announce the end of that days war all these great warriors are seen in white burning bodies of their beloved once on either sides. All in the name of “Dharma” when all this blood shed could have been stopped and corrected much earlier. There are so many questions that I feel unanswered. Take for example the moment where in Draupadi was insulted and humiliated in front of so many people and that too people of such huge stature by their experience, wisdom, courage and valor yet no one raised their resentment over the shameless act though every one had the power and ability to stop it then but it seems were bound by some or the other kind of promises.What promise when a woman's self dignity is at stake. Leave alone them what about the Pandavas who without a second thought felt a prey to the viciousness of the Kauravas and let go their pride by keeping their wife as a bet. What meaning does that have and is that a good Dharma and still Pandavas are considered to be the true followers of Dharma. Wonder why such an epic ever happened or did it really happen? May be my little mind does not have the insight of understanding this great epic and the reasons behind all of it. 

Time just passes by and you never know when kids grow up slowly. I still remember when I first saw my new born nephew and the immense happiness he had gifted us. Yesterday was a day when once again I cherished those wonderful memories when we celebrated his birthday. As usual as every kid’s eagerness to open up his gifts he was waiting for me to reach home so that he could unpack all the lovely presents which he was waiting for all day long. Kids, they just grow up so soon but will always be kids for us as we ourselves will always be one for our parents. It’s now that I realize how much our parents would have thought of us and how immensely they would have got involved in every single activity and events when we were kids and never ever let us down.