Today people in Germany celebrate the day of Santa Claus. Every child gets a little present or some sweets, fruits and nuts. This is how we started our morning, watching Sophie and Konstantin unpack their presents. It was beautiful to see how they smiled and were happy about the presents. But soon after Ramona and I had to say goodbye and we started travelling from Bocholt to Tornesch.
I have spent a lot of time of my life travelling and recently I again heard someone in a ceremony compare life with a journey. Sitting in the train now, I am thinking a little bit about this metaphor.
Of course each journey has a starting point, which would be our birth in the journey of our lives. Then you have different stations where you stop and finally you have the point where you reach, your goal, your destination. If you look at it logically, you would have to say that this point is your death, the point where the journey ends.
My idea however is that the goal of life is not dying. This would somehow be a bitter view on your life, don’t you think? No, I believe that your aim or destiny in life is to be happy and in love. How does this fit together with the journey of life? I think it fits very well if you think of the well-known saying ‘The way is the goal’. Having spent so much of my time on the road, I can relate to this sentence very well. You need to enjoy the way, the travel and simply relax, be happy and in love.
You can travel by plane or train. You are really fast, it is uncomplicated and you can reach your goal quickly and relaxed. You are living life ‘in the fast lane’. You make big jumps on your way and they are easy and quick. Some people however even have lots of stress when they have to take a train or a flight. It could be so easy if they could just relax and lean back.
Sometimes you travel by car. It is still quick but you need to put a little bit more effort. You have to find the right directions and drive carefully around the others so that nobody gets hurt and you arrive safely. In your life, these times are times in which you have to pay more attention to your surroundings and where you need to find out where you want to go. And you know that the steering wheel is in your hands.
And sometimes you walk. You feel each step in your legs, you feel the floor beneath your feet and you are very aware of it that the world around you is moving fast while you are just walking slowly, step by step. In these times you can reflect, think about the ways that are already behind you and think about from where you will take the next train, plane or car. It may seem that it is more difficult to walk when you could go that much faster but you can also enjoy this part of your journey – just take it easy.
Everybody travels in each of these different ways at some point in life. On whatever vehicle you are on at the moment or if you are walking, you just need to remember that you have your goal with you. Our way is love and love is the way. It is our destiny. This is my deep belief and you just need to realize that you have this destiny in your hands already. Just enjoy the way!
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This is a nice one! 🙂
The way is the goal. This makes very much sense to me.
Aren’t trains wonderful? I do some of my best thinking about life on the train. and much of me harry potter reading as well. hehe. I do think that life is a journey, you never really have a home and you are always moving in some direction, however reluctantly, and the you abruptly pull to a stop. then it’s over. Stick your head out the window, run free! Enjoy.
I think your right Swami Ji. I also think that it is only an illusion that birth and death appear to be opposites.
18The way is the goal 19 even for those who don’t believe it is. Each person is trying through whatever means to find relief from suffering (even by trying to suffer more). If everyone knew what was found in true love they would find it.
My uncle tried to convince me that I wouldn’t be happy without a goal in my future but I think I’m doing just fine.
That saying refrences absolute presence. Living, knowing that past and future exist only in the mind. This presence or divine stillness is what every enlightened person, spiritual idol or not, has pointed to with different words.
Traveling in the car can be a wonderful expereince. Most of the times we are only anticipating our next destination. Even if we are sitting right next to our friend whom we have just retreived from the airport we want to get home so that we can talk to them. We could talk to them in the car! There is a meditation practice while driving that I really like to use. When you find yourself growing impatient at a red light, tell yourself “I have arrived.” You have already arrived to where you need to be. You are there. I really like this.
Great entry!
My wife is always stressed out when we take the train no matter how easy it is. It feels like things are going wrong for our trip and I am always surprised by this. I am having a great time except for worrying that she is not. It isn’t the train that makes her feel this way. It is just her. We try to point out when our stress levels are rising and then make a point to refocus our attention on the postitive. It helps us a lot.
Great Swami Ji,This is so so so very important.
If we enjoy what we are doing why would we ever want to be anywhere else than we are!? So well said Swami Ji. This is Fantastic!
People often take their goals very seriously. I remember being a child and not being able to understand this at all. I thought adults knew something I didn’t. Now as a 30 year old I recognize that I knew something that adults didn’t.
Swami Ji,I think if we all look at the fundamental reasons we have whatever goals we have we are all just trying to be happy. It is important in pursuiing this to clear away the details in the middle.
This diary entry can be taken as great advice even beyond traveling. Love can be our goal every moment; when we are with family and friends, traveling, at work, in the office, eating, having sex, on the tiolet!
Sitting in the train, thinking about how life is a journey… well right-on Swami Ji. Right-on.
The goal is in your hands! Make it!
Great point, indeed! The journey is not the means to an end… the journey itself is the end (the goal, the purpose). This is a nice reminder. People often feel that they have somewhere to be, a destination to be reached; and that wherever they are, it is not the right place. But this is the opposite of the truth. Wherever we are right now is the perfect spot for this moment; be with it. Enjoy it. You will never experience this exact moment again! Every step of the journey is a perfect piece of the puzzle– enjoy every step!