Why Spirituality?

From time immemorial, saints and prophets have tried preaching a better way of living a life, with the hope to improve man. To help man to become something better or living a fuller life promising an improved way of life. Making him more SPIRITUAL.

But why spirituality ?

Spirituality for some, is kind of hip and happening thing that they feel they should be part of. Probably a way to believe that they are doing something more than others For some, its a hot topic of discussion over a drink, for others it is kind of a journey, just like, for a kid visiting Disneyland. And for some, it is something as an experiment of something unknown.

People have always prayed to a invisible power to keep them safe and prosperous. So many poets, writers, artists have expressed the beauty of that unknown for which words probably can never describe, songs cannot be sung and pictures cannot put to perspective. Why is it like that? I am sure, science may not have an answer to that. Or for that matter, can anybody answer why we are born and why do we die ?

If we ask ourselves the question, Why Spirituality ? we may dodge the answer by replying, I am a good person, I do no harm to others etc etc. So i do not need Spirituality.

But the funny part to note here is, were we not supposed to be like that in the first place? That is how we were suppose to lead our lives. Nature did not want a son to kill his father for the throne, or neither did nature wanted us to kill in the name of religion, which actually has become very common, and the effects of these acts are all over us to see for ourselves. We were expected to lead a simple and righteous life. It is we who have complicated our lives to such an extent now, that we feel that we do not need the Supreme power. In the human mind, the Ego of the man has subdued the supreme power of the Ultimate. Can any of us deny this?

How many of us actually have the courage to look deep down within our own selves and say " I love you", that is probably the most difficult part for anybody and to avoid that we see a whole different gamut of pretensions. It could be fear, ignorance, guilt or pure pompous ego.

Because the answers to all the problems is possible already there for us to feel, all that is needed is the path for it. Just like a video game, it has an end and it has a start, and the player has to reach the end to finish the game and in the process, dies, undies, dies and undies many a time, until a determined player actually does reach the final destination.

Now coming back to the question of why spirituality ?

Spirituality makes us aware of our final destination of this video game called as LIFE. This is the basic fact from which we all run away from, for us our jobs, money,cars etc are enough to have fun with, why do i need to know more ? There is a need to know more, because unless otherwise it becomes a infinite loop,

for i=1 to infinity {
birth();
fun();
sorrows();
death();
}

And many a times we perform many actions which pushes us even backwards in the cycle of evolution, that this cycle begins all over again. These actions can be bad karma or even good karma, does not matter, both of these add baggage to this journey and in this era of high fuel prices, even the airlines have restricted baggage limits, should we as humans not do the same ? ;-)

Dogs are Us?

Sounds similar ? Jokes apart, i wanted to share something which i saw while i was waiting to catch my train for work. I work in San Jose, and take the public transport to work.

Across the platform, on the street, a homeless person, with tattered clothes, a wheel chair containing his belongings, clothes, some utensils. It was very evident that he did not have much to eat and was looking for some food. Now here is the interesting part,this person had a pet dog with him. A small,hairy and unclean creature, just like as it's master. It was walking couple of steps ahead, a brisk couple of steps, stops, turns around , probably to make sure if the master was following or not, and then again brisk couple of steps, waits and turns back .. and this cycle continued.

Now what struck me was the attitude of the little creature and the faith it had. Despite being hungry, unclean, dirty, smelly and probably braving the cold nights, it still was bound to its master, come what may. Not bothered if it remained unfed by its master, not angry for its current condition and neither complaining or neither biting the master, or barking and saying " what the hell is this and why should i be with you", none of this - just complete faith.

This struck me like a bolt of lightening, we humans, supposedly the superior creatures, intelligent etc but we somehow cannot let go off our ego. We are like well bred, well fed, loved dogs who are easily distracted, not recognizing the fact that our eternal well being is with the Master within us and not in the distractions along the way.

I think we need to learn a lot more than we think we already know!