Most people want life to flow forwards and feel that they are getting somewhere or progressing. Yet so many feel that they are shackled by things that happened in the past. Time moves on but we stay stuck in the past. We cannot let go of the past.
There are two attributes that are responsible for this and they are closely connected. The first is ego; either the arrogant form of ego, where I am always right, or the disheartened type of ego, where we compare ourselves to others and compete with others. The other is the attachments we form, which become bondages and then it is almost impossible to move forward. The ego takes support from the external world and bases self-respect and happiness on how much respect is given by others. If that respect is withdrawn or disappears for whatever reason, then we may start the blame game to try to bolster our self-esteem.
In relationships, we want happiness and security for a sense of belonging. Relationships at the beginning are full of light and joy because we accept the other as they are. However, once we start imposing conditions on a relationship, happiness disappears because not everyone will conform to the way we think. Then we lose our self-respect. That is when relationships break down. We then move on to another one and the whole things starts all over again, because we are basing our sense of self-worth on another person or external situations.
The root of the problem is being unaware of who we really are. We identify with the body, in body consciousness, and fail to understand that we are the spiritual being, the soul, within the body. The soul is intrinsically full of peace, love, and happiness, but to connect with that we have to let go of the past and the other situations that we are attached to. When I am able to see the abundant spiritual resources at my disposal, then I can begin to let go and move on. What unites us all is that we are all the same, beings of spiritual energy, beings of light, and it is this experience that enables us to let go. We can then be free from expectations and have full acceptance of our situation, our strengths, and our weaknesses. Then we can let go of external supports and realise that we were never created, and we will never be destroyed. In this way, we stop living in the past and live in the moment.
Even so, we have a duty of care to look after all things and maintain relationships of benevolence. So, as we shift our awareness, it has such a powerful impact on everything around us. In this way, we contribute to a better world. We cease telling others how to live their lives, but remain happy, light, and easy, with no thoughts of the past and no expectations of the future.
We need to spend significant time with the self in the awareness of being a spiritual being of light. Each day we can remind the self of our identity, filling the self with powerful and positive thoughts, which emanate vibrations of peace and benevolent energy to all around us.
Parmjit Basra has over 35 years in management and is based at the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre, Leicester, UK.