There are three aspects of time for the ego-self (ahamkara)- past, present and future. The ego’s relation with the past is that of shoka (grief), with the present is that of moh (clinging) and with the future is that of bhay (fear). Of the three it is man’s fear of the future that gets the better of him. The nature of fear may vary. For some it maybe monetary, for some it may be their health and for some it may be the fear of dying alone. Out of this fear arises the reaction of clinging to people and hoarding the material. We stack up for a rainy day. Ironically this reaction of contingency planning eats into our present. The present is constantly utilised in preparation for future calamity, almost as if it were writ on the wall. And one fine day, you wake up to the fact that you have painted yourself in a corner by all that you had hoarded. What’s lacking is a ‘future’. Nothing much has been left of it. The grey morrow and an even greyer you stand desolate surrounded by your prized possessions. A classic case of ‘living poor and dying rich’. [related-post] But what is it that brings us to this grave sense of insecurity? While our experiences in life particularly during our formative years play a vital role in instilling the kind of fear that engulfs us, it is basically our lack of faith out of which stem our insecurities. Gandhiji has said that ‘there is nothing that wastes the body like worry and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.’ Hence it is our faith alone that allows us to live our present to the fullest. And to have faith we need to trust existence. Existence will churn out whatever it is that we have sown according to the Law of Karma. We tend to see the Law of Karma as a theory of brute retribution alone, but it is also a source of poetic justice and the giver of rewards for all the good that we have done. Hence, instead of wasting our life worrying about our future, let us use our present to create a secure future for ourselves. This needs a paradigm shift in our perception and attitude. Sharing what we have instead of hoarding it for our future use will ensure a secure future like nothing else will. It may seem foolish on the surface to share when we ourselves don’t have enough. But ‘enough’ is a myth. There’s nothing like enough’ because there is never enough. Instead of waiting to have enough give what you have, in whatever capacity you can. It takes existence a split second to create devastation (parlay) which will destroy all that you have hoarded so don’t take it upon yourself to create a secure future. Leave it to existence. Whether it’s love, good health, money- you need to trust existence. As Osho has assured-‘Don’t be afraid, this existence is not your enemy. This existence mothers you; this existence is ready to support you in every possible way. Trust and you will start feeling a new upsurge of energy in you.’ So go ahead, learn to make friends with existence and breathe in this priceless present moment. ‘Earn’ yourself a ‘secure’ future and existence will provide for you.
