Why should we resist grief and pain?
Accepting pain and grief, Andaman jail, Gandhi , Hitler , Jesus and trial!
Joy and grief are the two sides of a coin!
Everyone shun pain and grief. None welcome troubles. But, irrespective of whether we like or not, pain, grief and trouble has become a part of life for every person whether he is rich or poor, powerful or weak. These travails never leave any irrespective of their fame or fortune or status in society. Many hold a wrong view that the rich and influenced are spared from the usual troubles. In fact, they have more of it but they feel ashamed to show it.
Even the most autocratic ruler has faced much resistance from the public and revolutionists. They never led a peaceful life. They may present a brave face but in their deep psyche, there are always agitations. Let us consider Hitler or Mussolini or Stalin or any other dictators of the past. Out of fear, people bent before such people and not out of love or affection. But take the case of Mahatma Gandhi and the like. People revered him for his honesty and straightforwardness. He never sought any position. He could have lived a royal life. He was not from a poor family. Yet, he willingly underwent all persecutions and imprisonment in the hands of British for demanding ‘Self Rule”. In fact, the British has occupied India by foul means and they had no authority to rule. They have annexed many countries in the name of colonization which was against democracy. They used force to achieve their aim. But Gandhi used only non-violence as his weapon against imperialistic regime. He was the most simple, unassuming person in Indian politics. He wanted only liberation from the foreign yoke. He could achieve the much coveted Independence through non-violent methods. Today, the world remembers him as one of the best personalities in the contemporary world of politicians.
People hate dictators but love leaders like Gandhi. But he too suffered untold miseries in his life and sacrificed everything for the Nation. How Hitler ended his life? He was not willing to surrender and hence he shot himself! Hence, whether one is powerful or humble, everyone had their lot of miseries in their life. It is like the two sides of a coin. We cannot have a coin of head alone. We have to accept the tail side also when we receive a coin. If you consider the head as success, you are made to accept defeat also. Hence life is a mixture of good and evil, gain and loss, success and failure. The dualities in life are inevitable and the creation itself is sustained only because of these dualities. Creation cannot happen if there are no opposite forces. Fire and water are mutually opposite. Heat and cold is mutually opposite. Male and female are poles apart. With these contradictions, the creation is sustained. Imagine a universe without any female gender. What will happen? The creation itself will become null and void.
In order to become free from the effects of dualities, one should transcend them. I will tell the fundamental philosophy of life. “What you resist persists”. Everyone resists evil but evil persists in life. Everyone shuns grief and hence grief persists in human life! Hence, the only way to come out of all this is only through acceptance and not through resistance. But is there anyone there to accept pain and trouble instead of joy and comfort?
Yes, there were many people who embraced pain and grief for the sake of Nation. They knew fully well the tortures that await them in the solitary confinements in unknown places like the infamous Andaman during freedom struggle. They sacrificed their families and fortune; they sacrificed their comforts and earned jail terms lasting for many years. They were the one who brought independence due to their sacrifice. They have never resisted arrests. They willingly underwent imprisonment. Likewise, we should train up our mind to accept pain and grief instead of resisting them. Many may ask, what is the use of accepting pain or grief? First, when you accept something willingly, half the agitation of the mind is released. Secondly, the gain is enormous. Yes, we become balanced individuals. Once we are open to pain and grief, we will neither exult during success nor cry over defeat. This is mental poise or equilibrium, one should cultivate. This is psychological as well as philosophical views of many enlightened saints and sages of the world!
Jesus never resisted the punishments imposed by the high priests by fraudulent means. Neither the king was happy to punish Jesus, He knew Jesus was innocent and the high priests conniving with the public made the King to pronounce a judgment though he washed his hands off. Now Jesus is glorified for his supreme sacrifice on the Cross and billions and billions are worshiping him as the Son of God!
Hence welcome grief and pain without resisting. They are inevitable parts of life, meant to educate the human conscious to higher planes of existence (Kingdom of God).
