The Pursuit of Comfort and Its Consequences

  The Pursuit of Comfort and Its Consequences

1.  Staying Still Won’t Get You Anywhere    

   "Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." Progress requires action, not just positioning. Being on the right path is useless without moving forward.

2.  Finding Fault in Others Reflects Our Own Mindset    

   People who consistently look for flaws in others will find them. This mindset extends to nations as well, reflecting how judgment and suspicion can become self-fulfilling.

3.  Comfort as an Ideal and Its Spread    

   Comfort has evolved from a luxury to a habit, even a goal pursued for its own sake. As comfort becomes more accessible, its value increases. Those who have grown accustomed to it find discomfort unbearable. Today, comfort's status as a desirable state is driven by social trends just like any other fashion.

4.   Economic Interests Tied to Comfort   

   Massive industries are invested in sustaining and growing the demand for comfort. From furniture and heating to plumbing, these sectors thrive on people's desire for convenience and luxury. Advertising plays a significant role in perpetuating this lifestyle, ensuring comfort remains a sought-after norm.

 

5.  A Shift in Priorities Over Time   

   In the past, people who could afford to build grand houses prioritized impressiveness and beauty over comfort. They would invest in marble staircases, frescoes, and statues, valuing magnificence. In contrast, today's homeowners focus more on amenities like bathrooms, heating, and cushioned furniture, often equating these conveniences with a perfect living space.

 

6. Is Comfort Overrated ?

   While comfort is enjoyable, it may be somewhat overvalued. Despite my appreciation for it, I have lived happily in places lacking the modern comforts considered essential by many today. People from different cultural backgrounds, such as Orientals or Southern Europeans, often live without these amenities, yet manage just fine.

 

7. The Justification for Comfort

   Comfort, however, serves a purpose—especially for the mind. Mental tasks become challenging when the body is cold or in pain. In this sense, comfort can facilitate intellectual activity by minimizing physical distractions.

Embracing Loneliness as a Path to Spiritual Growth

We are never truly alone. Loneliness, while perplexing and painful, is essentially an illusion—a mask created by our surface consciousness. The loss of a "soulmate" may feel unbearable, but recognizing the immortal spirit within all beings helps to dissolve the illusion. This realization is the first step away from loneliness because, at our core, we are divine and one with everything.

 

Loneliness as a Bridge Between Two Worlds

When you feel lonely, you are standing on a bridge between two worlds: one of lack and the other of abundance. This sense of lack creates a vacuum that can only be filled by adopting a conscious and mindful approach. In this way, loneliness offers an ideal starting point for a spiritual life. The Mother once said, "Those who feel lonely in the world are ready for union with the Divine." Thus, the emptiness we feel serves as a call to seek something deeper and more fulfilling.

 

Aloneness as an Opportunity

Aloneness is often seen as something to be avoided, but it can also be viewed as an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth. Many people use their alone time to seek distractions—drinking, overeating, engaging in social media, or watching TV—to fill the void. These distractions are often mistaken for company, anything to escape the silence that feels so unbearable. Yet, sacrificing these external comforts can reveal profound insights about ourselves.

The Conditioning of Seeking Company

The yearning for company begins at birth, and over time, we become deeply embedded in social conditioning. This conditioning can make us perceive aloneness as a sign of inadequacy, leading to feelings of inferiority. Overcoming this "herd mentality" requires stepping away from societal norms and resisting the urge to use external props to alleviate discomfort. Isolation often breeds self-pity, a form of misguided self-love that sets conditions on how we give and receive affection. True growth happens when we disengage from the noise and connect with our Inner Friend, allowing us to expand and evolve.

The Spiritual Path: Detachment and Inner Strength

Integral Yoga teaches that every challenge is an opportunity for growth. It encourages us to let go of expectations and attachments, which only deepen our sense of loneliness. True fulfillment comes from within; the surface consciousness cannot process or resolve the experience of aloneness. By focusing on our inner life, we move closer to our "true home" and find solace that no external relationship can provide.

Outer and Inner Loneliness

Loneliness manifests in two forms: outer and inner. Outer loneliness involves building temporary solutions to keep life from falling apart, resulting in makeshift reactions that the ego can barely manage. Often, it takes a significant life event to shift this state of awareness. Inner loneliness is more profound, often triggered by grief, loss, or intense longing. It creates a deep ache that no human connection can heal.

 

  The Remedy: Union with the Divine

Sri Aurobindo offers a remedy for inner loneliness: "The inner loneliness can only be cured by the inner experience of union with the Divine; no human association can fill the void." This suggests that feelings of deep aloneness are signs that one is ready for a transformative spiritual journey. Embrace this state as an invitation to elevate your life and seek a higher connection. It is time to make your life divine.

IF HE EXIST

 I drive joy there was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting 7 precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting 7 minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste 7 minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 7minutes joy that I derive 4m.-

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW :7thheave moment of the in  second test  w.sundar  got 7 wk in an inngs , satner got7  wk in an inngs epl  summrville no7 scored a goal