Ajit Kumar Bishnoi meticulously explains how our choices have an enormous bearing on our souls
As a soul, we have free will, which allows us to desire what will please us, think what we want and decide what we think is best for us. This includes choosing our activities, though sometimes there are limitations. For example, a boy wants to go out and play, whereas he should be doing his homework. He is stopped from going out. Therefore, let us accept that mostly we can choose what we like, except in some circumstances.
Beginning with the childhood, let us see what choices we have. The first choice is what we would like to eat. Mostly children have strong preferences and parents are forced to oblige. For example, all children have preferences in eating particular vegetables and fruits. It is not easy to force them. The next choice we make is in the matter of obeying our parents. All children are different. Some oblige and become highly disciplined, while some others prefer to be naughty. From here on, our choices begin to affect our future lives; disciplined children excel in life while naughty children don’t, unless they do an about-turn later in their lives.
The third choice we make is about our seriousness to study. While some children want to excel, some others are satisfied with being average. The next choice is about what to study in higher classes in one’s school. In this, parents have a large say, but good parents allow their wards to have some say in this matter. In this period, we also decide whom to become friends with. Good company is conducive to advancement in life whereas bad company degrades.
The first real choice we make is when we are away from our homes, that is, while living in hostels, etc. Again, choices we make here have a large bearing on our future.
The next choice is about dealing with the opposite sex; how far are we prepared to go in this direction. Another choice we make is about careers. Again parents have some say, at least in India, but children mostly have their say in this regard.
The next choice is regarding one’s life partner. Mostly we choose on the basis of our preferences, that is, looks, etc. The choice following that is regarding the degree of application in our chosen professions, which decides how successful we will be. The next choice concerns the extent of honesty we will practise in our lives. Honest people are able to lead quality life. Then comes the decisions about how much care we take of our parents and children. Generally, we do better in the matter of our children. Not taking good care of one’s parents is fraught with enormous risk, because our children do likewise. The last and the most important choice we make is in the matter of spiritual leaning and choosing a spiritual guru. Here the choices have enormous bearing on us as souls. Not being spiritual is waste of precious human life and choosing a wrong guru almost condemns us.
In the end, let us search our hearts to know why we make so many wrong choices, which spoil our lives. To my mind, it is either ego or softness or convenience or short-sightedness. Can we get over these weaknessesIJ I welcome your comments.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer. He can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com