Our attitude decides whether we will be happy or not, says Ajit Kumar Bishnoi
A72-year-old man was enjoying his retired life with his family. His son and grandchildren lived with him. The old man could not ask for any more. He had two grandchildren, who were very well-behaved. He used to spend a lot of time with them; he even took the responsibility of getting their homework done. This gave a lot of relief to his daughter-in-law, who could pursue her career.
Everything was going well till the old man noticed a tumour under his ear. At first, he did not grasp the significance of it, but once it grew larger, he was alarmed. He showed the tumour to his son, who immediately sought medical advice. The doctor advised biopsy, which was done. The report confirmed their worst fears: the tumour was malignant. This meant that the old man had to go through a painful operation, in which he was to lose a part of his ear. The operation was done and they all hoped that the malignancy was contained and would not cause further trouble. He was advised regular check-ups.
What went through his mind in this periodIJ He first went through absolute terror, but he soon realised that this was only adding to his misery. Therefore, he decided to do something about it, and believe it or not, he achieved serenity over a few months. How did he achieve this miraculous transformationIJ
He shifted his focus from his body to God; he wanted to know why such a misfortune has befallen him, him being a good man. He began to read scriptures and hear spiritual discourses. These activities inspired him to meditate about God, ie what God is like, why does he not reveal himself, how can we please him, what benefit will there be in doing so, why is there so much misery in the world when God is all-powerful, why does God allow itIJ Many questions arose in his mind. Why do good people sufferIJ Why do bad people thriveIJ Why does death strike even children, who are innocentIJ Why did God permit such a deadly disease to strike him, who was a God-fearing manIJ What is the way outIJ Will it be non-stop misery till deathIJ Will he be able to ever laugh or enjoy life againIJ
Soon he began to get answers that he was an indestructible soul, not this material body; the body is bound to die, whether by cancer or due to some other cause, and no one can escape death. He realised that misery is of two kinds, physical and mental. We have only partial control over the physical part; we can try to live as healthily as possible but he had no control over the cancer which appeared in his body. As regards the mental part, yes, we have some control over how we react to any situation. He began to think that he could still be healthy mentally, and for enjoyment, mental health is most important. He had seen people, who came to the hospital he was being treated in, smiling.
In other fields also, attitude is most important. If one is physically challenged, one can go on with life; life is much more than a perfect body. Our attitude decides whether we will be happy or not. What will be the quality of our lives, only we can decide. I welcome your comments.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer. He can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com