Do your duty, the fruits will come

Raj Kiran..... RIP

I want to talk about faith.... not the religious kind. I'm referring to that sort of faith that drives us, that gives us hope that tomorrow will be a better day, that actually makes it possible for us to go about our lives without thoughts of the morbid and of death. Faith keeps us grounded, faith keeps us sane, faith is the basis of human life - it's a belief in the aphorism "I will overcome", that the world shall live in peace one day.

Yet, faith, does not include ignorance; admittedly, one must ACCEPT reality; I highlight the word "accept" here because I feel that it has a very strong connotation - to be able to examine a given situation, let it sink-in/understand it's bearings (correct usage?), possbily learn from it, but not be overwhelmed by it in any way. So when there is a death in the family, or of someone who is close to you, what gives you the courage to carry on? Faith. Life goes on. Instead of turning into a fatalist, you must accept such situations, take control of your life and start "living in the moment". Abhinav may call the latter bullshitting, but it is true, and possible as well. For me, "living in the moment" means many things actually - it entails being without any worry of the future, being happy at the current moment in time, being without the emotions of jealousy, hatred, anger etc. (these, I feel, are emotions that make one undermine the value of life), being thankful for what you have and being ready to ACCEPT what may lie in the future. So, you may plan out the future, but if it doesn't work out in that fashion, do not waste time on self-pity or melancholy, learn from the mishap, accept it and plan ahead.

I really feel that this is the key:

"karmany evâdhikâras te
mâ phalesu kadâcanamâ
karma-phala-hetur bhûr
mâ te sango 'stv akarmani"

"No matter what conditions you encounter in life, your right is only to the works--not to the fruits thereof. You should not be impelled to act for selfish reasons, nor should you be attached to inaction."
-Bhagavad Gita 2.47

Anish, thank you for sharing this experience.... it has driven me to think on various levels... some of which I've tried to share here.