For a long time in my life,I used to believe that the aim of life was enjoyment. I often find people admonishing me for sticking to my principles ,often mouthing big words like,"The very purpose of life is enjoyment".
"To enjoy at all costs,and by all means" seems to be the aim of so many people around me. I think it would be a good time to take a step back and actually analyze if this is indeed the case.
If you tell me the purpose of life is to be happy all the time,it would pre-suppose that life itself is programmed in such a way that you can always enjoy and there is an exponential increase in your enjoyment levels with every passing second.
But is that the case ?
To the contrary,we find that the zeal to enjoy keeps gradually decreasing with the advent of maturity and wisdom. As years pass by,we start looking around us to see if we can do something for the sake of others,even if means getting ourselves out of our comfort zones. Old men often say that since they ve grown old,it is time for some spiritual activity and that they want some peace and quiet.
If the very purpose of life is to enjoy,why is it that man and women change their views with the passing age age ?
Leave alone old people. Even youngsters feel calm when they see a calm river,a tranquil village and a cute baby playing with its toys.
Also if that "Life is for enjoyment" argument were to be true,why is it that life has so many ups and downs ? Why are so many animals and birds dying for no fault of theirs ? Why do so many families rot in poverty and die out of starvation ?
And instead of doing all we can to help such people and animals,what kind of arrogance is it to not to care a thing about the sufferings of so many humans and animals and just go out and "have fun"?
The point is not just that. To so many misguided people of my age group (I turn 23 next week),the meaning of enjoyment seems to be indulgence. Indulgence in alcohol,in dating and in innumerable activities.
I still remember an incident from my college days. When I was going on an Industrial Visit to a thermal power plant in Ennore,the driver switched on the stereo system and played popular cinema songs. Suddenly a couple of guys got up and started dancing in the bus. They then started asking other people to dance to the music. This involved pulling up people who weren't interested in dancing also. It really made me think.
Now what goes on during such times ?
You surrender your body to the stereo player. When the song changes,you start orienting your body differently. Another change of songs and a completely different orientation of your body,trying to recollect the moves that the actor/actress performed in that particular movie.
In short,you are not in control of yourself. It is understandable if you really feel the music is good and start tapping your feet or hum/sing a few lines from that song. Dance in itself meant to be a natural expression of one's moods. When you are happy,you are bound to jump up in joy. And if it was a special occasion or a festive occasion, communities used to dance to give expression to their happiness and prepare special dishes.
Now,that is partying for you.
If you are really happy and wish to dance,please do so. I will also join you (though i may not know the steps). But to go out and party just because it is a Friday ??
Seriously,What the hell ?
Ever since the big bang occurred and man started giving names to days,Fridays have been coming and going. If you are going to get drunk just coz its Friday night,which is a regular occurrence that has always been going on since the start of time,then what about sunrise and sunset ?
Practically speaking ou can do without fridays,without weekends,without even a promotion,but can you ever do without the sun and the moon ? What would happen if the sun stopped rising ? Doesn't it warrant that you celebrate it as well ?
And people actually make fun of me for doing Sandhya Vandhanam(which is mainly worship of the Sun) and suggest i join them in their friday night parties.
Now I also know that we all work hard during the weekdays and it is natural to look forward to the weekend. But please tell me what logic is it to surrender your body to s loudspeaker and a bottle of wine,when you are already worn out after working hard though out the week ? When the body is worn out it needs rest. Not further exertion. If a man is stung by a poisonous insect,do you take him to the doctor or bring a even more poisonous snake into the room ?
Thus we can easily make it out that indulgence cant be the aim of life. Then what is the aim of life ?
The aim can only be to seek God and help people who are not so happy in their lives. To neglect such down trodden people and just indulge in merry making is nothing short of arrogance and disrespect.
(To be continued.....)
