This morning on the Tube to my work placement, I was eyedropping (you eavesdrop with your ears, and eyedrop with your eyes – let’s get in dictionaries by 2010 – yes we can!) on the magazine of the girl next to me. The article was decorated with pink swirls and a beautiful stylised sunrise, and a sentence from the article had been enlarged near the top: ‘You have to have faith that if you put enough energy into the getting the life that you want, everything will turn out alright.’ I didn’t read the rest of the article. The print was too small, and I suspected if I moved any closer, the next unexpected jolt would find my face firmly planted in her lap. It got me thinking though. The author seemed to be promoting radical optimism as the answer to life’s problems.
It’s not the first time I’ve heard it – from the fairly popular new-age film ‘The Secret’ to countless self help ‘gurus’, there are countless people preaching positive thinking as a the ultimate path to success. Perhaps in times such as these, with the world’s economic situation getting ever more grim and political trouble ever rumbling in the distance, it’s tempting to think that a sunny outlook holds the key to happiness. Of course I’m not denying that there’s truth in it, but I do wonder how helpful this kind of optimism is in the long run.
Being brought up with the teachings of bhakti yoga, I’ve learned that ultimately everything in the world will eventually disappoint, unless it is centred around Krishna. Hearing this, people often cry pessimism, but I don’t think it is. Seeing the world for what it is – warts and all, is realism. Anticipating difficulty; assuming that life entails struggle; understanding the futility of the search for material happiness – all of these things empower us and help to bring us to a state of equilibrium. It’s this state that is favoured by those seeking lasting happiness, for only when we can keep our heads clear above the choppy waves of life, can we see the horizon.
Perhaps if the 25% of the London workforce that called in sick today knew this, they might not have felt so down upon waking to the grey skies and rain. Maybe that’s too much to ask. The English weather can probably get to anyone in time. I wonder what people will feel tomorrow, as Obama formally begins his presidency? I suspect that for every cheering supporter, there is a pessimist who feels that America can never hope to improve, whatever the presidential promises. I think it’s best to be realistic. It’s a wonderful thing that America is getting a new president, and I’m sure the whole world will feel the effects. But regardless of how many times he calls for change, some things never will. As taught in the Bhagavad Gita, this world is a place of suffering – our position here is as fish out of water, and the discomfort we feel will continue to rise until we return to the place we belong – with Krishna.
Perhaps the easiest way to invoke Krishna’s presence into our lives is to chant his names. Tonight at the Church of the Holy City in Washington DC, my friends from As Kindred Spirits, along with other well known kirtaniyas, are holding a kirtan festival to bring auspiciousness to the inauguration tomorrow. All the tickets are sold out, but you can still watch ‘Chant for Change’ in a live webcast tonight.
Chant loud enough for everyone to hear, dance until your feet hurt and come closer to a happiness that transcends all else. Happy Monday.
