Letting go is good for you

It is an old advice: get a good night's sleep. It's true. Too many people push themselves too hard.

A lot of up an coming, young professionals feel that if they were to work 14 hours a day plus 4 hours at the gym and pub, they will be fine.

Yes, they will be fine, if they are lucky, for about 10 years. Then in their mid-30s, normally their health will cave in because all the stresses and accumulated abuse of bodily functions will kick in.

How many times have you told yourself that you really need some good sleep and then don't? For goodness sake, don't torture yourself.

The world and all that office work can wait. Your continued good health can't - good sleep is essential for a refreshed body and a calm disposition. Look at it this way, if you are going to stay awake for 24 hours and finish your work, you are still not going to be the boss.

That's why the other guy is the boss because he can keep your awake for 24 hours while he has his beauty sleep. When you doze off, you are actually letting go. Letting go is such a simple phrase but too many people misconstrue it as "giving up".

Yes, in a way, it is giving up but it's actually giving up on the built-up stresses of a long, drawn day. Your body and mind can only take so much.

All organic lifeforms will break down when they reach critical mass. Even machines break down, and these objects created by man are not even organic, nor are they lifeforms.

Letting go means that you will continue to work at a solution but you will not lose sight of other important aspects of daily living. That means having proper meals, spending time with your family and having fun with your hobbies.

Pity the man who devotes all his waking hours for the betterment of the company he works for. Your boss may notice your unusual diligence but he may not be impressed by your stupidity.

Most organisations will prefer a diligent worker who also uses his commonsense. That means getting your priorities right. If you have to go home, then go home. If you need to rest, then rest.

What can be more simpler than that? If the only way for you to let go is to check into an intensive care unit at the hospital, then you really need some serious counselling. Too many people, in their pursuit of a healthy bank account, forget about the other more important things in life.

These are striking a balance between office and home. Just imagine that if you drop dead right now, will your company grind to a halt. Most probably not.

Yes, if you can accept this cold, hard fact, then you may not want to be a office warrior that you have imagined yourself to be. Letting go can also be applied to other facets of life.

It can be used intelligently on relationships and on problems that cannot be solved immediately. Learn to let go, as it is often said but seldom heard in its right context by the majority of people.

Take for example, if a dear one has departed under tragic circumstances, you would probably be in mourning for some time. But when the period is over, you must let go, otherwise it is going to do you more harm than that person you are grieving for.

Imagine this: for hundreds of generations mothers and fathers have worried for their children and over them, and yet when the time came, the subjects of their worries continued with their lives.

And all the worriers and worried-over eventually find their way to their graves. So where does all that "not letting go" take you - nowhere actually.

Problems are solved easier if your mind is at rest and your heart is at peace. This is not hearsay but a scientific discovery in recent years. Researchers have found out that problematic situations are often solved faster when the mind is at peace.

It is said that solutions to problems are often found at the three B's - Bedroom, Bathrub and Buses. These are the three places where most of us are most relaxed. So let to let go and let life takes it natural course. You won't regret it.

Return to the Source

I know it is unfair to ask anybody to find the source of all good being but it does exist. It is where your soul travels to after your physical form has given up its usefulness.

But those who strive to arrive at this Source will attain all there is, and all the goodness from the Source will be obtained freely without conditions.

It is said that the Source is one place where thought cannot enter. It is a place of no-thought. It is a realm where human effort cannot be exerted and it will always be a source of peace and happiness for those who embark on a quest for it.

In martial arts, in yoga, in transcendatl meditation, the objective is always to look into your inner self. Though words can be found to describe it, the Source is beyond human language. The yoga masters call it the Mother of all Kundalinis.

The Japanese identify the place as Satori and the Buddhist simply call it Zen. The rest of us mortals name it heaven. Whatever you want to call it, it exists though many will walk through this life and perhaps many other cycles of life without catching even the slightest glimmer of it.

There's no trick in entering its domain. It has nothing to do with determination or perseverance and everything to do with spirituality. Some people live their entire lives and not find it, and a few rare ones encounter it even though they may not be looking for it.

These are some of the mysteries that defy human explanation. We are all destined to enjoy perfect health. Unfortunately, that's where it ends. It is only a wish and a quest by the best of the most of us. At the Source, if you arrive there, all will be made whole.

There is no room for abnormalies and incorrectness in the presence of the Source. Once you are in the Source, all that is askewed will be rectified and corrected. Thus, perfect health is the reward of being at the Source. It's law cannot be denied. Its power cannot be resisted.

It is the only One and it is All. Once you are one with the Source, your entire physical being bows to its commands and it has only one law - Love. As they say, in the end, Love is all there is.

At the Source, there is no life or death. These are human conditions and there's no place for these conditions. You who read this may lead healthy lifestyles. You may exercise regulary and a true follower of your own religion but to attain the bliss that is associated with the Source, you need to walk on its holy grounds.

There's no prize for knowing about the Source. You just are and you are being there. Throw out all doubts, all human thoughts of unhappiness, hostility and sadness. These are baggages that cannot be checked in at the gateway of the Source.

The human heart and soul know about the Source but unless both heart and soul are one with each other, the human that is you will forever be barred from knowing the holiest of holy at the Source.

The idea is to Be Still. Be very still indeed, and know that He is God.

The one true path to illness

Why worry? Actually that's easier said than done. It's true. You have friends, wives, husbands, relatives, sons and daughters always imparting this piece of advice.

"Don't worry, it won't change anything!" Wrong! It changes things. It transforms your health. Worry makes you sick. Sick with worry, as they say.

Still, in the generations that have gone by, and for generations to come, human beings will continue to worry. Only the wisest among us, the most spiritual of us all will cease to worry, or rather they have gone up to the altar of deepest worry, stare at the idol and recognise it for what it is and what it has been all this while - absolutely nothing.

Yes, worry is sort of built-into our psyche. We worry about our retirement, we worry about what comes after retirement, we worry about our own health, we worry about our loved ones, we worry about job opportunities, we worry about whether anyone will love us, we worry about getting our next meal, we worry about keeping up with our obnoxious neighbours, we worry about the state of the world, we worry about the next terrorist attack, etc.

Heck, we worry just for the sake of worrying. Is that normal? Yes and no. Yes, because everybody worries at one time or another in the course of his natural life. No, because if worrying is carried on to the extreme, it can be a health hazard.

My recommended antidote for neutralising worry is to find another habit that makes you forget your worry. For example, if you are worried about your child's education, then do something about it.

If your son is not doing well in school, find out why he's not doing well. If he says he's just not interested in studies, then try your best to convince him about the long term benefits of a good education.

If he is a totally "useful case" as far as education is concerned, then ask him what he would like to do. Absolutely nobody dislikes everything. There must be something a person likes. I once told my children, "if you like to be a hawker, then be the best hawker in town. Make me proud.

The most important thing is be happy at what you do." Worry comes in a million forms, and they are all debilitating after a while. Worry takes the shortest route to illness. Not everybody knows that.

Those who do usually don't fall sick. They know better. Have you ever come across someone who says "why worry, just go ahead and enjoy life." I know it's irritating to hear that from such a joyful person when you feel like crawling into bed and sleep your blues away.

I have met people like that before. These people inspire me. I am glad I come across people like that. Life should always be like that - fast route to happiness and joy. Nowadays, when friends or strangers come up and ask me: "How's life with you?" My immediate response is "Better than ever!"

They are usually taken aback by such a reply. They can't believe that I can be so cheerful. I tell you what, the next time you think life has handed you a raw deal, just think of those places that presently face disaster or horrendous conditions and you are not there.

For example, Darfur, Kandahar, Beirut, in the middle of the Gobi Desert, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where currently Hurricane Gordon is forming and in the refugee camps all over the world.

You could be in anywhere of these very sad places but you are not. So the conclusion is you are indeed a lucky person. Thank God for that. So what's your worry?

You should actually be down on your knees right now and kiss the ground. Go home and hug your children, kiss your wife and take them all out for a great meal. Life is good. You are not dead yet.

Chances are tomorrow you will wake up alive and are given a second chance at being a better person. So what's your worry again?