Que Sera Sera…

Chicken Little is enjoying her walk in the woods, gazing at the flowers and the bees and looking at the tall shady trees, when she is hit by an acorn. She panics, imagines the worst and compounds her own problems by thinking that the sky is falling on her. She immediately starts running and seeks refuge from the King of the jungle. She meets Henny Penny,Ducky Lucky,Turkey Lurkey and Foxy Loxy along the way. She manages to pass on her fears to all of them before finally meeting the Lion who gobbles them all up.
The story of Chicken Little is a must read for children, but the moral of that story needs to be practised by adults. Children are happy by default. They are adept at living in the present moment. They don’t need to be told to lead life to the fullest. It is something that they do intuitively and instinctively. Oh! They have their fair share of fights and misunderstandings, but they have no qualms about saying sorry. They are not worried about egoistical things like impressing other people or maintaining their reputation. They accept themselves the way they are and are happy to be exactly the way they are. They also accept other people the way they are and don’t try to change them at all.
Gradually they grow up into adults and realize that things were easy when all their needs were taken care of. Now, it is time for them to take care of themselves and suddenly they are plagued by fears – both rational and irrational. And like Chicken Little and her entourage some of them spend the rest of their lives running away from their fears, yes – both rational and irrational.
But there is a big difference between animals and human beings. And as a species bestowed with intelligence, we can overcome these fears. These fears are quite real – mind you – fear of pain, death, poverty and hunger can beat the humanity out of human beings. They have the potential of turning a human being into an animal. Other fears are not quite so tangible – fears of rejection, failure, ridicule, shame, losing one’s reputation etc have the potential of changing the inherent character of human beings. Some people prefer putting on a façade in order to maintain their prestige and status in society rather than confronting the truth. That is how immensely powerful fear is…..it can completely destroy you – just like it destroyed Chicken Little.
So, as human beings, we need to use our intelligence to overcome these fears. The first step would be to acknowledge our fears to ourselves. Instead of putting on a pretence that we are capable of dealing with all the challenges that life doles out to us, let us acknowledge to ourselves first and then to our near and dear ones that we feel insecure and are scared about some things.
We are then able to confront the fears. Some fears may really be so real, that we tend to lose sleep and get nightmares at night. But most of the fears and worries are about things that may not even actually happen. By discussing things with our loved ones, we are able to come to terms with our fears and anxieties. We them realize that half of our fears were unfounded.
Seeking the counsel of a spiritually evolved person or reading the scriptures will initiate us into the art of mindfulness. The negativity of these fears simply needs to be offset by positive emotions and thinking. We just need to incorporate love, kindness and altruism into our daily lives. Prayers and meditation help us evolve into stronger and better human beings. We get the strength to come to terms with all our challenges when we believe in a higher power. We learn to live with hope and are blessed with the courage to plod on despite our struggles and fears. That is the only way to neutralize the negativity of our fears.
Karmanye Vadhika Raste, Mahaphaleshu Kadachana……..
Your task is to do your duty. You only have to do your duty. Don’t expect the fruit of your labour. Live in the present moment, enjoy the moment and learn these fine nuances from your children if need be. And let the future take care of itself.
When the future is as unpredictable as it is for every single entity on this earth………why do we spend our entire lives worrying about things that may not even happen. When He is there to guide us and to take care of us, why do we need to fear anything at all?
Que Sera Sera……..The future is not ours to see…..Que Sera Sera……..