Sunday, December 12, 2010

Engage

This article is about how I uncovered this mindblowing truth in those eye-opening moments of… Alright, that was bullshit. You probably knew this already. Read it anyways.

In my school days during one of those summer holidays I was compelled to join a yoga/meditation class since my teenage restlessness concerned my parents a whole lot. So, I picked this friend of mine. He was a goof up like me. "No, I'm not joining." "There is free food after every session." "But only old people go to those things." "We can make fun of them." He giggled. "Still thinking?" "It’s not my thing man." So, I used verbatim the words my mom used though I am still clueless of what she exactly meant. "Do you want to end up like your father? Look at him" He was puzzled. "What do you mean? He's alright." "What?! Look at him. You see? Just look at him." What happened next was of historical significance which led me to write this article and I'll tell you why a little later. My friend turned around and looked at his father who was doing the exact same thing what my father was doing when my mom told me those words and what million other fathers from all around the world do every single day without any sense of guilt or regret - scratching their scrotum while watching television.

So, there we were at our first yoga session. The instructor was a tall lady in her mid-fifties with a slender figure and an authoritative voice. "You both are late. Since this is your first session, it is alright. If you're late tomorrow, you cannot attend the class. Are we clear? Now, both of you go and stand somewhere, watch what others are doing and do that." Everybody out there was quietly doing some exercises. So we just went and stood there and started shaking heads and hands watching others. My friend was trying to imitate a bald guy who stood closer to him. Sooner that bald guy without saying a word just turned towards my friend and started helping him out. He was signalling everything like 'Don't talk. Keep your hands like this. No, not like that. Like this. Now, breathe.' I looked around and my eyes caught this pretty girl who was standing by the window by herself and doing some breathing exercises. So I just signalled to my friend that I cannot see the instructor from here and that I am moving to the other side by the window. So, I stood by the window right in front of that girl and signalled that ‘I joined today.’ She didn't say anything and just signalled back, 'Breathe'. With that began my journey into the world of yoga.

That day, after the exercises session was over, there was a meditation session. The instructor said, 'Here is what you're going to do. Close your eyes. And then, focus on your thoughts. But, do not begin a thought. Do not follow a thought. And do not end a thought. Clear?' First day I sincerely tried to do that. 'Oh no, there is a thought. No, no I'm not following that. How did that come in the first place? Did I begin that thought? I wonder if that’s ok. Am I following that thought right now? Damn it!' I opened my eyes and saw my friend's eyes were closed and his head was down. 'Is he sleeping already?' So, I later asked him, "How was the meditation thing?" "I'm feeling fresh now. I think it works for me, man" "Really? How did you handle the thoughts?" "I just tried to focus on my thoughts and didn't begin, follow or end a thought" "Amazing! So, do you snore when you do that?!" "Were you staring at people when they were meditating?!" We both burst into laughter. Then, we were kids but still I felt atleast I was not alone.

I’ll tell you some other time the uncut version of how I almost killed the instructor lady in one of those exercises session. Now we need to fast forward, so I can make my point and do something else with my life.

Fifteen years later…

My chick asked me one day, "Why do you always scratch there while watching television?" So, that took me through a reel of flashbacks, about those meditation sessions and everything. Now that I’m thinking about it, actually the system never stops to grind something. It keeps scratching something. There was never a moment of blankness to begin with and I don’t think we can play an outsider like that with a strange set of rules. It has been one series of thought chain since the beginning of the ability to think. Data availability began this and now there is always something to mull over with a necessity attached to it. System is always engaged.

It appears that’s what everything is all about. Engaging the mind. Everything is tied together, if you go down that path and reduce them all a little further. Music. Work. Travel. Play. Shopping. TV. Cook. Talk. Laugh. Gossip. Socializing. Religion. Hatred. Spirituality. Rational discourse. Philosophy. War. Love. Yoga. Scratching. My friend. Bald guy. Pretty girl. Instructor lady. My chick.  Just about everybody and just about everything.