Every being created by God lives for a longer or shorter duration on this Earth! They carry on their lives in one way or the other perpetuating their race is an important concern for them. The basic needs of food, clothing, sleep and reproduction are common to all even from the unicellular organisms like the amoeba! In what way is man different from all other creatures inhabiting the earth? Man is at the acme of evolution and cannot be satisfied with mere eating, sleeping and reproducing! A relevant question is being asked by many. “Do we live to eat or eat to live?” We may find a few who may live to eat but mostly people eat to live for without Annam Prana cannot exist. So, for sustenance food is the prime necessity. But is it enough if like animals, birds and other creatures man too exits the earth eating, sleeping,and begetting children? Is there no other purpose for man on earth? Living is not important but the way in which we live adjusting and accommodating ourselves to the trials and tribulations of family life is far more important! We should not be merely born, grow and die soon and be forgotten!
There is a definite purpose for which God has created Man! But caught in the web of Maya or illusion man has gone astray. He has totally immersed himself in silly material things an attachments that prevent him from soaring high into the spiritual plane. He is a victim of the “Arishadvargas” like desire, anger, and others that have enslaved them and spread their tentacles on them! Religion has not helped him! Instead of uniting, it has divided man from man!
Theism has given place to atheism and agnosticism. One section of religion fights to destroy the other section of the same religion! Brotherly feelings for others have died down permanently and there is no proper understanding between people and the nations. Morals have been totally forgotten and immorality has increased in the present society by leaps and bounds! Yet man thinks that he is happy and carries on his existence as if nothing has happened! Can this be called a proper living? Values for which he should live and die viz Satya-truth, Dharma- righteousness, Santhi- peace, Prema- love and Ahimsa- non violence have become things of the past!
Proper living is that which leaves footprints on the sands of time! It should guide the future generations to the right path! Man should achieve something noble and good by which he should be remembered forever and become an immortal! Hundreds of our ancients who have served the society and made others’ lives happy and comfortable are still remembered for their invaluable contribution! They have become Immortal! Should not mortal man become Immortal through his actions and thoughts? “ Asatoma sadgamaya, Tamasoma jyotirgamaya, Mrityorma amritam gamaya.”Should he not proceed from untruth to truth, from darkness to light and from mortality to immortality? Present man and society is steeped in untruth, and darkness and both have to be saved from a catastrophic end! One shudders to think and witness the terrorist acts of senseless violence all over the world! Nations are locked in arguments and threats of war against one another! The common man is the sufferer to the maximum! Materialism and civilization has become more or less a bane rather than a boon to society despite the comforts and conveniences that they have brought!
Man has become obsessed with sex! There is not a single day when a rape or abduction is not reported! Theft, robbery, kidnapping, murder, forgery, cheating, smuggling are the order of the day! Can we say that our living is ideal? Assess yourself and you will be aghast at the atrocities being committed by man! Yet he says he is happy and civilized! Can such living amidst such a society be called proper living? I doubt it very much. What is then the remedy for this rot that is eating away the vitals of society? The panacea for all the ills of modern society is to develop a sense of Spirituality! A few are afraid of of the term Spirituality. It has nothing to do with withdrawing into areas far from the madding crowd and meditating under the greenwood trees! It means service to society without expectation of any reward! Krishna emphasizes the same in his Bhagavad-Gita, “ Karmanye vadhikarastu ma phaleshu kadachana”-you have authority to act not to expect any reward! At least a tinge of selflessness or sacrifice and a concern for the sufferings of others is absolutely necessary for the modern man. It is badly wanting in him. Faith in God, company with the wise and the pious, reading the scriptures and being a good Samaritan shall go along way in making him a spiritual person! Above all love for all creatures is the crown of Spirituality and without it no service can take place!
Thus if we live to serve others in need and difficulties, we are living a worthy life! Otherwise it is worthless! Living, we are dead! “ He lives who lives for others”! There are so many downtrodden and hapless individuals in society who have not even a single meal a day, people without a home, those who cannot afford normal dress who cry for our attention and love! Do we look at them and does our heart go out in infinite love for their well being? That is the test for our good and ideal living! A life of such activity is real living! You should see God in the smile of every man! God manifests in every creature. “Ajayamano bahudha vijayathe”-without a birth He manifests in many! A Living that identifies the God within with the God in the other can be called a Real Living!
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