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Peace, basic to human life

CHENNAI DEC.10 . Human beings are preoccupied most of the time with their security in worldly life. When survival is taken care of, then other problems crop up. Most people start life on the survival route and end up with other problems. Then they pursue interests that they think will give them joy. Education, successful career and family are the common currencies of joy. But one must pause to consider what is the joy that all are seeking through such pursuits. Joy, misery, peace, anxiety, ecstasy— every human experience is a chemistry. It becomes obvious that to be peaceful or joyful is not the end of life but the very beginning. It is not enlightenment. Being peaceful is the very basic necessity of life; otherwise one cannot even enjoy a meal. Today, large populations do not have any peace of mind, which has resulted in so much talk about peace as the ultimate human destiny.

In the last two centuries there has been tremendous progress materially that today man commands immense comfort. On the other hand, in spite of all these advances in technology, human life has become busier though it should have become relatively free to pursue higher human possibilities. Apparently, the boons of technology have been wasted because man is still struggling for the sake of his security all days of the year. The reason for this paradox is that there has not been a parallel inner growth. All human engagements are undertaken as pursuits of joy but they have been counterproductive.

In his lecture, Sri Jaggi Vasudev said Yoga was giving life a total overhaul— understanding how the inner mind mechanisms work. Enlightenment is indescribable and every human being can become enlightened. But from the moment of birth, till the end of life, the vast majority of people get involved with worldly preoccupations forgetting the inner Self. Man misses the most essential dimension of his personality. Yoga is the technique of raising oneself above the physical, mental (senses) and intellectual levels with which one engages in the world.

Human life must therefore be lived by choice and not out of compulsion. In nature evolution is unconscious up to the level of human beings. Man is vested with freedom and so he has to consciously open up to the higher dimension of his personality. Freedom becomes a torture when life is compulsive. It is possible to direct the course of one's further evolution by exercising one's choice consciously.

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