BOTH HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS ARE MISERABLE

The household which is filled with abundance - that household suffers anxiety.
One whose household has little, wanders around searching for more. He alone
is happy and at peace, who is liberated from both conditions (sggs 1019).
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The Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib ( SGGS) indicates that both haves and have-nots suffer anxiety in the world. These are the opposite extremes - the far ends of the scale of affluence and need. In between are the vast majority, neither rich nor poor, who do not seem to be happy in life either. In other words, both extreme conditions - having not enough and having too much - and in between make us suffer. The only difference seem to be that the affluent people (haves) suffer in their air-conditioned homes, behind electronic security gates. While the have-nots suffer in their huts. Those in between of the scale are also miserable, searching for more just as haves and have-nots.

Even though both haves and have-nots are unsatisfied in their life, still they wander around searching for more. That is to say, have-nots may not admire the people with overabundance (material stuff); but they certainly want to have what they have, and those who already have stuff in excess want even more. Thus, the majority of us battle for the anxiety-free life, hoping to find it in acquiring more and more stuff! After observing this condition of the people in this world, Baabaa Nanak declared:

Obviously, materialism is not the solution. If it was, then we all should feel blessed, contended and happy; because this very age we live in is called Kali-Yuga - the age of materialism! But we all (haves, have-nots, and those in between) in the world are unhappy, burning in the fire of desires. If one desire is fulfilled, it gives rise to many more. Unfulfilled desires give rise to anger. This vicious cycle continues.

Clearly, as indicated in the SGGS, it's the unchecked desire that makes people suffer, not the absence or overabundance of stuff. Accordingly, we are reminded by the SGGS that no amount of achievements or possessions can give us real satisfaction. Nonetheless, we are looking for Peace, Bliss or Happiness in material stuff, external situations and places, which are incapable of delivering it to us.

Then what is the solution? Or, how can one transcend the dependency on material stuff and external conditions that, as indicated in the SGGS, are fleeting thereby undependable? As declared in the Gurbani, the real solution is in living the spiritual life (the Gurmukh lifestyle). For only spiritual life can set us free from all conditions and dependency. The SGGS states, "ਦੁਹੂ ਬਿਵਸਥਾ ਤੇ ਜੋ ਮੁਕਤਾ ਸੋਈ ਸੁਹੇਲਾ ਭਾਲੀਐ" (Duhoo bivasataa te jo mukataa soee suhelaa bhaaleeai: He alone is Happy and at Peace, who is liberated from both conditions", sggs 1019).

To truly live spiritually and attain true spiritual experience, the SGGS indicates that we must develop Divine Virtues or positive qualities such as truthfulness, selflessness, Sevaa, love, compassion, contentment, wisdom, patience, humility, and so on. Simply put, living a spiritual life essentially means leading a normal life with a spiritual attitude. Thus, spirituality is to bring about a shift in our perception by conditioning the mind to adapt to any circumstances and situations (ups and downs of life) and to find Happiness within, independent of external happenings around us.

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org


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Updated on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 9:16 AM (PST)

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