One of my Facebook friends wrote. “although I don’t have any materialistic desires I still worry about grandchildren, their future, getting older, sickness and catching up with work around the house.” This was in response to my last post, “Can We Enjoy Freedom.”
This is the common situation with people everywhere. Note that most of what is mentioned as sources of worry have not happened and are unpredictable. There are things in life that we cannot avoid, such as getting older or getting sick. Worrying about them and about grand-children’s future, brings no benefit to anyone, but adds a layer of distress, even if not consciously felt. Chronic stress produces stress hormones that lead to illness and shortened lifespan.
All the problems mentioned, and others according to circumstances, are due to attachment. In Indian teachings it is called moha, and is one of the five obstacles to spiritual development. They are kaam, krodh, moha, lobha and ahamkar. Removing mohathrough detachment (vairagya) is essential to attaining peace and mental balance.
House work has no end. There is a quotation, “A woman’s work in never done.” Work has a habit of hanging around, so do what needs to be done, even if spread out over time. But doing it happily is the antidote since it is your duty as a service to God.
Worrying is a habit we have learned and we maintain it unconsciously. To deal with it effectively, we need to practice introspection, to be aware of our feelings, emotions and states of our mind. Once we are aware, and if there are undesirable states, then we need to diligently remove them, knowing that they are useless in the long run, and even injurious to our health and well-being. Look at life’s issues from the point of view of the Divine Soul that you are!
