Having A Good Time...This Ner Year

[Guest guest]

2000, marking the beginning of a not only a new year but a new century and a new

millennium as well. But is the New Year really all that new for there to be so

much merry making? As Swami has asked during many of His New Year Discourses,

what is the big deal about the New Year? Every day is new, and indeed every

second is new. What then is the purpose of having so many celebrations? The

real question is: Are we on the way to becoming a new person, that is to say,

with less of the undesirable qualities humans these days are so full of? Is

there less of unwanted desire, anger, greed, and so on? Indeed, if at all one

wants to do something worthwhile on New Year’s Day, it should be to conduct a

critical

self audit. About a decade ago, it was the month of May and a Summer Course

was on in Brindavan. It so happened that a Youth Group came from America and

Swami most graciously allowed the American Youth to attend the Summer Course.

One day, they were further blessed to present a cultural program in the

evening. That program had many entertaining items that included a spectacular

display of jugglery. Towards the end of the program, the youth presented a

skit. The skit is all about a group of young people who, as they say, hang

out together. New Year was approaching and ideas were being tossed around about

having a great party. One young man, however, remained silent and somewhat

detached. His buddies asked him, “Hey, why are you silent? What’s the matter?”

At first the young man shrugged off the question by mumbling, “Oh it is

nothing; it is something personal”. But when pressed he eventually said,

“Listen, I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of a party.” “Why not?” “You

are asking me why not? I will tell you. You and I can party but what about poor

people in old homes?” “What about them?” “There they are all alone, with no one

to care for them. While others have wild parties, they stare at the wall,

wondering when their misery is going to be over. I cannot bear the thought of us

having a good time while these poor old people are so lonely and unhappy.” “OK,

they are lonely and unhappy. That is their fate. What can we do about that?”

“Something can be done, if we have the inclination.” “Like what?” “Like we all

go there and cheer up the old folks.” “You mean we don’t party and instead

entertain these old people?” “Exactly.” “But if we do that, what happens to our

having a good time?” “Listen, what is meant by having a good time? It means

feeling happy, does it not? Do you know you can feel happy making others

happy?” “We can?” “You bet!” The youth gang then decide to scrap their idea

of a wild New

Year party and instead plan on a surprise entertainment program for old folk in

the old age home. The program is staged; the old people are immensely happy and

shed tears of joy. The youth are filled with Ananda and they too shed tears of

joy. In the end the youth realise that what they did was a better way greeting

the New Year. In the famous film Gone with the Wind, there is a scene in

which the heroine Scarlett O’Hara walks to a huge colonial mansion at the

entrance of which hangs a board with the words: Time is the stuff life is made

of. Indeed and that precisely is why Swami often tells us that time waste is

life waste. What is the meaning of time waste? It does not mean being lazy

as many might think. Yes we must certainly not be lazy but if one is busy doing

things that go against basic human nature, then that surely is time waste. For

example, one might be busy in business but if the business is harmful to

Society [like running a gambling casino for example] then no matter how busy

one is, one is actually wasting time. Krishna puts it tersely and very nicely

in the Gita with the telling phrase: inaction in action. Just look at Swami;

He never wastes a single minute; and He is always doing something for others and

rarely for Himself. One might say, “We are not Swami and we have plenty of

personal responsibility.” Agreed, but how much time do we really spare for

others? May be we cannot go out and do Seva the way many do. But, while

commuting to and from work on the subway say, do we spend even one minute

praying for harmony and peace? God has given us the supreme gift of life so

that we may sanctify every minute of it. We might call it a tall order but

truly speaking how many minutes during the entire year do we give to God?

Instead of partying or making irrelevant resolutions, we might use the

beginning of the New Year to do an honest self-audit and correct ourselves

accordingly. Once again we wish you a very Happy New Year. Jai Sai Ram

With Love and Regards, "Heart2Heart" RadioSai e-Journal Team, In Sai Service.

(Sharing With Sai Love)

Ram.Chugani

Ram ChuganiKobe, Japanrgcjp

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