My room-mate, a very dear friend, was a 'free willy' fan; and no I don't mean the movie! He argued that if Mother Nature, with her infinite intelligence, and endless possibilities, wanted it that way, She would have somehow ensured that we spend our entire lives with just one spouse/partner. If Man can design a lock that opens with its own key, surely Nature could, and would have done better. I didn't care much for social norms back then; in fact, I still feel that society's rules are far too ‘malleable’ to base a life on; I would rather have something more solid , like a 'principle', but then that's subject matter for a whole new piece!
Anyhow, I don't have enough ammunition with me to take on my friend's argument, and I don't want it to look like a case of sour grapes, so I let it go. We pass out of college, I forget about the ‘lock & key’, and only a few years later we lose contact with each other. Cut to more than 15 years later, I am sitting in an Advanced Pranic Healing class, and the teacher is discussing the relationship between 'character building' and 'spiritual growth'. The discussion comes around to adultery/ promiscuity, and how it slows down the 'spirit', and suddenly, I am reminded of my college friend and his beliefs. I am not so sure if this is enough ammunition to take on my friend again. After all, Nature could have still organized it just so… Besides, I still don't have his whereabouts.
Cut once again, to only a few weeks ago, I have the good fortune of meeting a preacher, a great orator, and a greater man of God – Pastor MC. And once again, the conversation veers to the subject of spiritual growth, and he says something that is so simply profound that it feels like a 'moment of truth' descending upon me. “We grow, because we have Free Will. This is what makes us stand apart from other living beings. We grow when we exercise our free will and choose compassion over indifference and forgiveness over foolishness. We grow when we exercise our free will and choose responsibility over selfishness, generosity over greed, long-term growth over short-term pleasures, and commitment over promiscuity.”
Well, the latest is, thanks to Facebook, I am back in touch with my college room-mate and am seriously contemplating picking up an old unfinished discussion…
Ajay Mehta is
a print designer, an Advanced Pranic Healer and a ‘spiritual’ seeker. He can be reached at ajaxmehta@gmail.com
a print designer, an Advanced Pranic Healer and a ‘spiritual’ seeker. He can be reached at ajaxmehta@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment