Living Passionately

## This is an excerpt form a letter I've written to my father. Edited so as to publish in a public blog ##

“Live passionately, with all the injuries that can happen as a result: it is worth it” -Paulo Coehlo

“ When you yourself are not ambitious, not acquisitive, not clinging to your own security – only then you can respond to a challenge and create a new world.” - J.Krishnamurthi

My father once told me that wherever we go, whatever we do, we should live every moment creatively and that it is possible to do that, if we are able to switch ourselves to a particular orbit. When he said, ‘being creative’, I assume that he didn’t mean indulging into doing creative stuff all the time, but putting ourselves into a position free from conditioning and external pressures, so that our mind is in a ready-state for being creative, any second, spontaneously. To be in that position, the most essential pre-requisite is to have a mind that is not fragmented, fully focused.

But the question is will it ever be possible to have a mind that is not fragmented, not under conflict. Even many of those whom we label as ‘creative’, in a deeper sense will be in deep conflict – with their wife, society, family. The solution to this conflict, I believe should arise from an understanding of its root cause. Discovering the answer to an old kinder garden question “what do you want to do in life?’, is the first step towards this. The moment we start doing something with our heart, the moment we start living passionately, that very moment we break-free of this inner conflict, that very moment we become immensely creative.

But we are all conditioned to be ambitious, conditioned to be achievers. The toxic brew of this achievement pressure and comparative evaluations by the society always put our inner-self in conflict. The main problem that I believe, in yielding to these pressures is that we end up being in a flow, like a dead log of wood with no sense of direction.

The fear of an insecure illusionary future pulls back most of the people from doing things they are passionate about. The purpose of their whole life, end up being - “to retire”. Many of them, never in their life, will realize the foolishness in clinging to their own security and the few who does, will be too late that they could then do nothing else but look back and regret at what they have forfeited for mere materialistic gains.

The question is, ‘is it worth keeping our life’s passion at hostage for materialistic gains like money, security and respect?’, ‘is it not foolish if we don’t respond to a call of realization that many people get only much later in their life?’.


If I had a life to live over - published in Paulo Coehlo's blog

Of course, you can’t unfry an egg, but there is no law against thinking about it.

If I had my life to live over, I would try to make more mistakes.
I would relax. I know of very few things that I would take seriously.
I would go more places. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
I would eat more ice cream and less bran.

I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary troubles.
You see, I have been one of those fellows who live prudently and sanely, hour after hour, day after day.
Oh, I have had my moments. But if I had it to do over again, I would have more of them – a lot more.

I never go anywhere without a thermometer, a gargle, a raincoat and a parachute.
If I had it to do over, I would travel lighter.

If I had my life to live over, I would pay less attention to people telling us we must learn Latin or History; otherwise we will be disgraced and ruined and flunked and failed.
I would seek out more teachers who inspire relaxation and fun.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefooted a little earlier in the spring and stay that way a little later in the fall.
I would shoot more paper wads at my teachers.
I would keep later hours.

I’d have more sweethearts.
I would go to more circuses.
I would be carefree as long as I could, or at least until I got some care- instead of having my cares in advance.

I doubt, however, that I’ll do much damage with my creed.
The opposition is too strong.
There are too many serious people trying to get everybody else to be too darned serious