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Often we waste our lives by looking back or looking too forward, and ignoring, or worse still, grumbling over the present. We forget that this is corroding to one’s personality.

Many of us miss the beauty and joy of ‘living today’. For we are busy trying to recapture yesterday or long for tomorrow. In fact, we should live in ‘today’ determined each morning to wring the maximum joy out of every minute, or every hour. Today is not just something to be lived through like some dark passage with light only at the beginning and at the end, a halting place between what has been or what might be.

Today is our gift to discover the new riches in our own little world, to explore other lovely interesting paths, to find new potential and new pleasures.

With this vision our world will begin to expand. The view from our window takes on a sweet new dimension, enshrining the best philosophy. We cannot prevent Time from marching on. We cannot stop the onset of age, but at the same time we can enjoy its bounteous route. Often we waste our lives by looking back or looking too forward, and ignoring, or worse still, grumbling over the present. We forget that this is corroding to one’s personality.

We can certainly retain the treasured moments of the past, and savour the precious memories of love and bliss, which have gone but we must not live on them. We must look forward to a vision of God-realization, which we must be eager to achieve. It is now that counts and how much happiness we can squeeze out ‘from today’. There is nothing wrong indeed in this. We need the impetus to strive for this goal for ourselves. But if we keep our eyes fixed on the winning post so firmly, that we miss all the signposts on the way, then we are letting our lives slip by half-fulfilled and half-enjoyed.

I feel it is people who are only interested in themselves who find life tedious and ageing. Those who keep active mentally and physically are seldom bored, seldom defeated, and truly seldom grow old. These truths are too simple to be significant in our search for the ultimate fulfillment of life. So they are missed, thus missing a vital link in the beautiful art of living. Great saints are always pointing out our follies. We can improve provided we have the humility and devotion to correct our ways. There is no doubt this changed vision is possible only with Sri Gurudev’s grace and compassion.

Harih Om Tat Sat.

Vicharasethu-August 1981

-Ammini Madhavan