Designs of the Heart

‘Live with richness in every moment’ – it’s a beautiful line, was my first thought. Later a feeling crept in, that as we look back, it is only moments that we remember and not days. ‘In the process of savouring the fresh nectar of life, you might get stung but it’s worth the trouble’ was another line that I read. All around we see people complaining about and avoiding what they must do. Little do they realize that their resourcefulness is activated when they embrace the challenges? A moment becomes rich when it is filled with passion, innovation and creativity. Many such moments put together will unleash a new stream of creative energy.

Just because we have a moment that causes frustration, we cannot let anger, envy or disillusionment overtake our feelings. The choice of our feelings need not be dictated by the world. Instead, we can base it on the beauty that is inside us. We have to be different in a good way and live true to our highest values. Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands during moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge.’ Sometimes the results won’t be as intended but every action makes us stronger and more capable. Though there may not seem to be any direct or immediate rewards, we need to do our best. When we are truly making a difference, our time is never wasted. Most choices that we make will involve some degree of compromise because many times the perfect option may not be available.

Every moment we keep interpreting the world and tell ourselves what it means and what to do about it. These expectations might create certain obstacles in our effort to reach a notch higher. At the same time they also put us in the right frame of mind and open our eyes to opportunities we never would have otherwise seen. Deepek Chopra said, ‘We need to receive with open arms what happens to us because if we fight and resist it, then we are generating a lot of turbulence in our minds’.

It is a choice of accepting what is happening to see the positive side and choosing a peaceful state of mind. Or we can fight against it and be miserable while struggling against the universe. Acceptance is a hard choice that only we can make at any given situation in our life. We face problems when we do not cultivate the ability to truly accept whatever comes and embrace it. It is not easy to embrace the challenges brought in at different moments of life because all along we keep wishing that those things should not have happened. If we start cultivating acceptance in our life, we tend to view things from a different perspective.    

Acceptance is difficult because we are not ready to give. We have often heard the more you give, the greater will be the blessings. The first meaning taken out is a monetary one and only later do we think of other things like compassion, sharing our capabilities, talents, clothes, food, reaching out to those in need, it could also be forgiving others. Our lord is continuously blessing us with numerous gifts and with the help of these we are able to move on ahead in life. Little do we realize and fathom the magnanimity of this act of our Lord. We will be able to give more only when we reassure ourselves that this blessing is a treasure that is overflowing abundantly throughout our lives.

Acceptance can be of various events and conditions in the world. As individuals we need to accept our own thoughts, feelings and personal histories. Personal values are chosen by us based on what we stand for or believe in and we also find it most appropriate to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Self acceptance is to love ourselves with all our defects and weaknesses and being happy with who we are at present. Sometimes we find it difficult to accept differences in other people. Children and teenagers too try to be accepted among their friends. It acts as a protective shield.

In this changing world, we never know what is going to happen next. The true beginning of acceptance is to believe that everything happens for a reason and better things will always follow. Nothing is permanent, everything changes and of course a lot of things can happen that will transform who we are and have an impact on our life.