There are a lot of times that we have to do something, maybe something even urgent but we find that we are not in a mood for it. Yes, there can be psychological reasons for it. There can be physiological reasons like ill health, fever or emotional reasons. Sometimes ideological reasons can be there. The fact is that one has committed to do something which needs to get done and the time is near for it to be done. So, what does one do? One can heal oneself psychologically, look at the issue philosophically, wait until we are in better health. All that is fine.
But there may not be enough time for all these things. Then, what does one do? The same thing that a soldier does on the battlefield. A bullet has just struck his friend, his buddy who is bleeding to death. There is no time to grieve. There is no time to even lend him a helping hand. Because the enemy is charging, he has to keep firing, ready to kill or be killed? He is lucky if the firing stops. It may come down to knife and bayonet cold steel. So, what does he do? He puts all his emotions, his psychological reasoning, his philosophical reasoning, ideological conflicts aside and just does what has to be done.
So, if a soldier can do it in a life and death situation, I'm sure all of us can keep aside our moods and just do what has to be done. This seems a very simple solution. It is. It is a use of will. After that one may still want to look into the psychological issues, health issues. All that can be taken care of afterwards. But right now, what is required is to do what has to be done and to use the will which makes a human being a human being. There is a spiritual quality to it when one can keep aside all these issues irrespective of how one is feeling. You are rising above yourself.
The writer is the founder of Aarsha Vidya Foundation. You can write to him at aarshavidyaf@gmail.com
