People talk about the inner and outer as two different worlds, without realising that this division is fictitious. But what is inner and what is outer? The inner and outer do not exist in reality, it is simply they are perceived as two separate entities by the mind. The air that is inside the house is the same air that is outside — the breath that comes in is the same breath that goes out — life is a united whole. This illusory distinction of inner and outer has prevented people from living life instead they go on postponing their relaxation till their retirement, and as a result live their entire lives in tension. Therefore, when a star basketball player, just 24 years old and at the peak of his career, finds time for meditation and self-inquiry it causes comment.
This is about Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Usually people forget about themselves when they are trying to figure out the world around them, and they forget to take time to focus on themselves. But his inner journey started before he even played basketball, and has been going on for a long time — he himself acknowledges that it is never-ending — and while on this journey he came across Osho’s book called Courage. In a recent interview with Rohan Nadkarni, Irving said of the book, “The biggest takeaway was living life on my terms,” He goes on, “being comfortable being uncomfortable. That saying goes so many miles for me in my life.
There was a block in my life that I had, and that block was called fear. It was the fear of what other people thought. It was the fear of failing. It was the fear of going through life and not being as educated as I wanted to be. Once I got over that block, and accepting fear itself, and looking it in the face and said I’m going to kick you’re a*s, then everything else started to open up. I started being more comfortable with myself.” And has this “finding himself” made Irving withdraw from his game? Nope! The man is an NBA champion and gold-medal-winning point guard, known for his slick handles and clutch shooting. On the court, Irving helped Cleveland win its first championship in franchise history this past June with an epic NBA Finals performance.
This just proves that when someone is trying to find himself, he can do so both in the inner world and in the outer world too. When you are deeply rooted in your inner core you draw energy from the centre, because you drop fears and phobias that weaken your resolve — you are no longer driven by your emotions but you ride them; you enjoy playing the game rather than dying to be a winner. To find our inner selves, and at the same time to be comfortable in our day-to-day lives, takes courage: Osho puts it this way, “Courage is not the absence of fear, it is rather the total presence of fear with the courage to face it.”
