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You want to be a river and child?
Weird?? Whats it to be a river? and what is this child thing to do with me??
Wait up. We will come to that.
But firstly, Rivers in the world.. Niles,Ganga or Amazon ..the great rivers. But what makes them as great ? Their vastness probably? And what makes them vast? Think think.. Yes, you said it correct. its the smallest tributaries , streams that join the mainstreams from time to time at various points. The tributaries that bring in along with them different flora,fauna.. and silt.. that makes it richer..
Now analog our mind to a river. It has main stream of thoughts based on our beliefs, faith, culture, teachings from parents and society. Now it can be a river or a poodle.. Difference in two? and how to find out? you will know shortly ;)
Have you seen a poodle? Its stagnant. So what happens is, after some days, it just starts stinking.
Our mind is full of thoughts.Ideas.But, If there are no new thoughts, new perspectives of looking at a thought/incident/event/object/ person.. then more than often thought process will become a viscious cycle.No matter what the incident , problem or event .. you will end up thinking in the same way for each thing.
So basically, mind without those new thoughts will be stagnant poodle which may stink after some time.
Which probably is a big problem, coz being stagnant , is being stinky and rigid..And believe me .. being so rigid is not good at all. That sad colleague of you.. always talking about how things arent good.. You dont feel like going in that person's company. It makes you feel pessimist. You avoid him right? why? coz he is being rigid.. stuck to thought that all's not well. and he cannot break it..So dont be that collegue..And Darwin has already said it. Survival of the fittest... So,Learn...Adapt..Change.Be flexible. And not just once. Do it continuosly. Till end of your days.
Now, not wanting to be a poodle, how can our mind become a flowing river?
To become a river you need to have a thought process which just flows.. its not restricted..
Eg? you know that puzzle? there is a line drawn on sand. and your task is to make it big without touching it in any form. Puzzzled??? Well, draw another line in the sand which is smaller than current line.. The designated line becomes automatically bigger .. easy solution.. isnt it? but you will get such out of box solutions only if your thoughts are not rigidly bound to thinking in same way. And how can you change this thinking?
Its in finding the the tributaries that will join your river and make it rich and great.
Now where in the world can you find such tributaries??
Well, they are all around you already.. ready and bustling to join you. Only you need to allow them to join you.. Really? Then how do we dont know them? See.. same rigid thoughts. You must be thinking, if it was so simple, all people would have mastered it already.Again the same rigid thinking pattern.
Its because you think so rigidly, you dont see what lies out of the box.
If you start looking out of the box, you will find numerous of them..Actually, they are not in specific forms.. They may be In form of a good movie, a documentary.. in form of arts. in form of books.. in form of internet..form of good movies...in form of some inspring person.. or an incident.. sayings of Grandma... the old folk song.... or any way you never imagined..
Well well, so go - find them !!! reading a book ,or go for a art concert. try painting, drawing.. try composing .. try listening music, try stitching.. try cooking.. try playing badminton.. or golf.. visit different places.. understand different cultures..read some good articles on any random subject right from micro biology to astraunaut...understand, how successful people think or how unsuccessful people think..there are so many.. did you know that there is a profession in world called FRUIT HUNTER?? and that there are 45 thousand different types of fruits in this world?.there are so many amazing things around just happening this very moment... Once you open up your minds to these tributaries.. you will find more and more .. and way to access some more.. Yes people may call you jack of all trades , master of none. But it does not matter.
Coz.. every skill, every thought, every article is making you a skilled and thoughful , out of box person :)
So, you allow these thought tributaries in your brain.. and you will find your mainstream thoughts reviving and bustling with energy just like that, breaking of that vicious cycle of repeated thought pattern...
Now next thing, you started allowing tributaries by starting to do different things. But do not limit the tributaries. Now, What do I mean by that?
Let me take an eg . Suppose you like reading books. But you will be like, you know.. I like reading only marathi literature.. or i like only fictions.. But that will be like saying .. hey only the tributaries from plains can join me,.. the tributaries from rockies.. I dont like you.. Its a grave grave mistake.
Do not.. do not at any cost limit yourself to particular things. Keep on finding and doing new things.
Sometimes you will be extremely tied up with responsibilities or work. And you may not find time to do things you started or may be those things are time consuming in hectic schedule.. Then what to do? well...Keep exploring. yes.. find out something(s) which will take less time or can fit the schedule and let the flow go on :) And guess what.. once you taste the fruits of being liberated, you will start finding your own ways and time in out of box ways ;)
They say.. sometimes we ourselves dont know what we want deep down.. and you will agree this. Sometimes you may feel, i really dont know what makes me happy.. May be exploring continually will one day perhaps let you find what you really LOVE doing.. what makes you really HAPPY..
So..nothing you do or see or read or experience is worthless.. Now you will say heyy.. but i may be dragged towards a thought cycle or thing. and i may start becoming more like it..
But See, mainstream of Nile chooses its own path.. it does not flow towards its tributaries..
Same is with your central mind.. What you read or gather will teach you. and help you find your way. Even if you feel you are stuck in something, if you continue exploring new ideas.. some day you will get out of that pattern...All in all it adds to you making you more authentic yourself..build your persona. So, if you explore and you find..wow trekking makes me happy.. Great !! Good..
Then you do it more often, master it (may be after all you will not be called jack of all trades,master of none).. But even after mastering a thing, do not limit yourself to that. Go further. find new limits.
do not stop exploring new things ..
There is so much to learnt and explored in this world.. and life is too small ..
And you know what, when you start doing .. you will find yourself liberated.. Liberated of ugly thoughts, jealousies, sadness, depressions.. negations..
One last bit. Be a child.You may say shut up. We are grown ups. already come of that way..But believe me. its not at all easy being a child.. Look at a child.. Its full of enthusiasm.. full of energy.. ready from moment it wakes up till moment it goes to sleep.. Trying to explore simplest of the things.. and learning from it.. gathering knowledge..like how ball falls.. what happens when we touch a soft toy or hot pan..Its so curious and ready to learn every single moment. And we all at some point of time were same. Same curious, same enthusiasts..Alas! could we have been like that for entire life.. I dont know, when such creative process stops.. but.. atleast we may attempt ourselves to be more like child again :)
So..I ask you now.. You want to be a river and child?