Mystic Mantra: To exist or to exit?

A teacher noticed that little Raju seemed worried and withdrawn in class. “What are you worried about?” she asked. “My parents,” replied Raju, “Dad works hard to ensure that I’m well looked after, and mum does all the cleaning and cooking so that I lack nothing.” The teacher asked: “Then, why worry?” Raju replied, “I’m worried that they might escape.” With heated debates on Brexit and Lexit, many seem worried about unification or fragmentation. Viewed or voted either way, it boils down to a question of choice.

It’s hard to imagine a good story without the element of choice in it. The most common narrative strategy is to put the protagonist in a situation that tests him or her and requires a choice. In the Bible this quality of stories and of life itself is given a moral and spiritual depth, for the universe is understood as a battleground in which good and evil vie for mastery of people’s souls. The Bible’s first recorded human choice is a tragic one — resulting in Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, thereby causing the fall of the human race. Eventually, we have characters that either choose for or against God and between good and evil. Cain chooses evil, Noah chooses good. Ruth heroically chooses to remain loyal to her mother-in-law and Delilah betrays Samson.

The departing Moses famously sets “life and death, blessing and curse” before his followers and advises them to “choose life!” Similarly, his successor Joshua exhorts his people: “Choose this day whom you will serve”. Despite such exhortations, the people often choose foolishly and forsake the path of virtue and wisdom. In the Gospels, Jesus himself, as well as his claims, become the focus of implied choice. The Gospels repeatedly portray characters that either accept or reject what Jesus says about himself and the spiritual life. Some people turn away from Jesus sorrowful; others eagerly embrace his message. Both ways, we witness the momentous drama of a soul’s choice and are also faced with making similar choices.

At a mundane level, we make innumerable choices daily: when to rise or sleep, what to wear or eat, where to go and how, etc. At a professional level, we choose among alternative careers, and in relationships, we decide whom to befriend or marry. At the spiritual level, we choose our gurus, spiritual disciplines and margas for salvation. These choices are not always easy and require prayerful discernment and decision. Understandably, children like Raju assess others and make choices solely dependent on their own selfish interests. However, as adults, our mettle is tested by the choices we make. May our choices embrace more people even as we strive for the greatest good of us all.