Spirituality in Daily Life - Dr. Kavita A Sharma

Part II

Common Obstacles

We can only act from the truth of the spirit by transforming our own consciousness and consequently our mode of functioning. Whether in the family or in the work place, there are certain obstacles that are a common experience to all of us in our day-to-day life. We often think that we are not able to succeed because of our particular circumstances and hence give in to them leading limited and unhappy lives. We may then become bitter or unyieldingly rigid making it impossible for others to interact joyfully with us. Or we may become perpetual reminders of the sacrifices we have made for the members of our family filling them up with feelings of guilt and thereby demanding (often unspoken) perpetual obeisance and service from them. When they are unable to give in to our unreasonable demands we blame them for being uncaring and ungrateful.

Then, our interpersonal relationships make us unhappy. We react sharply to criticism. At other times, unexpected hurdles seem to block our way. We fall short of resources. Moreover, there are our own insecurities, fears, anxieties and apprehensions, complexes that we have to deal with. Usually we do not acknowledge that we have these and that we may ourselves may be responsible for our own failures. It is always someone else or something else we feel that has come in the way and let us down. We blame Life itself for being unjust and unkind and curse the Divine for making our lives miserable. All this and much more leaves us dissatisfied, frustrated and unhappy.

The question is how do we cope, as we cannot run away from the business of life. Running away is, in any case, no answer. As the Mother says: "To run away from difficulties in order to conquer them is not a solution. It is very attractive."¹ It is especially attractive to "those who seek the spiritual life, there is something which says "Oh! To sit down under a tree, all alone, to remain in meditation, not to have the temptation to speak or act how fine it must be!" It is because there is a very strong formation in this direction, but it is very illusory."²

1. Meditation, compiled by Vijay from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Society, 1972, rpt. 2000, p.25.
2. Ibid., pp. 25-26.

 © "The Awakening Ray" (May/June 2003) published by the Gnostic Centre, H-401, Sam Vihar Apartments, Sangam Marg, New Delhi 110 022. Reprinted with permission. Part I of this article appeared in Splendour August 2004 issue.

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