BEING MYSELF

BEING MYSELF 

To be happy and joyful is your birthright. Why do you want to compromise with that? The purpose of your life is to be happy and joyful. If you look around you, you will find people trying their best to impress, learn, earn, shine, be popular and be sought after. All these endeavours boil down to the infinite search for HAPPINESS (JOY), a state of well-being that encompasses living a good life, with a sense of meaning and deep satisfaction as a person. Self can be translated to “Myself” or “Yourself” or “Themselves” or “Ourselves.” This process of translation is slow and tedious. Every one of us is more aware of ourselves (real self) than others know about us. There are some realities that we know of ourselves but really don’t want others to know about it. But there are some external pointers that tell something of who we are. I shall point out some in the pages to come.

My ethnic origin: My tribe, language, culture, custom, temperament, legends, myths and ideologies may be included here. This is a reality through which I am recognized by others. This is my socio-ethnic identity to a certain extent.

My religion: Although atheists are the second largest group of people in the world, we know that many others do adhere to some form of religious belief. If I have accepted any religion, I need to stick to it, observe, learn, preserve and propagate in my own little way. If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. The study conducted by Inzlicht and colleagues (2009) found that stronger religious zeal and greater belief in God were associated with decreased reactivity of the brain’s error detection center (anterior cingulate cortex or ACC) and fewer wrong answers. Since the ACC is also implicated in anxiety and self-regulation, the authors concluded that having a strong religious belief acts as a buffer against anxiety and minimizes the experience of error by decreasing ACC activation, thereby reducing the reaction to error. Organized religion plays a role in organizing our lives too.

My religious conviction: This is the feeling of being sure that what you believe or say is true. My religious convictions influence my Moral Strength (Character) every day, every moment, on every occasion and everywhere. This conviction propels me to research, rethink, reevaluate, respect others and refine my life. This helps me to know my true being.

Death is my surest companion: We are here on this spinning planet to pursue our dreams of studies, work, relationship, companionship, family, publish a book, be a motivational speaker and many more. Our human lives are very short—a little more than a cosmic blink. Death is going to be a tremendously valuable companion forever. It’s a constant reminder never to take our lives for granted. It’s here to teach us to fully embrace and appreciate each present moment. I suspect the attachment to the temporary things stems from doubt about the continuity of life after death.

Real me: For all of us, this world is not our real home. We are just passing by to learn and earn something. Real connection is back at home. Your present place of stay and your status is an extension of you. So build yourself, build others too, before the cold hands of death snatches you unawares. Let’s connect ourselves  to our REAL SELVES. This is the BEING I am writing about. Know what you are doing and do it as if it is the last time. Make choices and don’t leave things to chance. You are precious and the only one edition of your kind. Connect yourself with those around you. “At the centre of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want,” said Lao Tzu. Life is an open book. Each moment, each thought, every single good or bad deed and little lovely spiritual experiences—all have their marks on this book called “life.” As human beings, we live with the HOPE OF FUTURE POSSIBILITIES amidst the present minimum.