Hunter becomes the Hunted

Just when you think everything is ok, something happens. I can feel myself get startled and skip a beat. My mind racing through all kinds of horrible possibilities and am just staring at the wall with so many questions racing through my head.

Why do good people suffer in this world? What did I do to deserve this? I just want to love and be loved — why do I have to fight for survival every day? I was just fine — why did they have to do this? — why did they have to say this?

Living in a world full of triggers is not easy. There is a reason why the ancient yoga texts describe in Sanskrit this world as padam padam hi vipadam. There is danger at every step.

If we look at the planet as a whole, this week we experienced wildfires, polar vortex followed by a snowstorm and floods simultaneously in different corners of the globe. Yet when I look into my heart there is a deep conviction that “today I will work hard and tomorrow I will get everything I want”. Everyone I love will always be around to love me back. I might say I know better but deep down my actions are driven by these convictions.

What we call hopefulness and positivity, is it truly positivity or deep determination to ignore all the signs coming our way.

Mother Nature is telling us something.Our disturbed minds are telling us something.

Yet we choose to live in a haze of hopefulness, drifting from one plan to another to capture the big fish — success, happiness and love.

We are out on the hunt, the hunt for happiness. The hunt is exhilarating, a rush of adrenaline as we chase the mirage of fulfillment. It looks like am about to capture the big fish. Pleasure will be all mine; I will finally have it. Yet, the closer I get, the more the prize seems to slip from my grasp. I also fail to see that with all my sophisticated weapons and instruments, I am just hanging on by a thin rope.

One snap — slight disconnection and in a moment the hunter, becomes the hunted.

So, I have been thinking, what truly makes me happy?

Is it the hunt or the rope that holds me up?

Could I truly enjoy the pleasure of success if I didn’t have the safety and the connection with the source?

“Without the anchor of the source, even the greatest success feels empty.”

Srimad Bhagvatam, ancient yoga text prompts us on to see the fallible from the infallible by the Sanskrit words ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api …being too attached to the fallible soldiers

Give it some thought, what does your rope look like? Is it your dearly beloved? Or is it your parent or a child? Or is it the money that you are entrusting your future to?

Know your rope, because only then you will know your happiness.