Understanding Eternity

Many of us experience the fear of change at some point in our life. The fear may not be pronounced, and it may not last very long, fading away as we get used to the change that had triggered the fear.

This fear is often just fear of the unknown, as we feel uncomfortable, wary or afraid of how changed circumstances will affect us. We rarely fear what is known, as we are familiar with it, know what to expect and how to deal with it. But when faced with the unknown, such as when starting a new job or moving to a new place, we are uncertain, anxious or scared.

The idea of eternity inspires a similar fear in some people as it conjures up the image of a journey without end, to an unknown destination, through an uncharted path. One does not know what lies ahead and what one will encounter on such a journey. It is like entering a dark tunnel with no idea of what is inside and where it leads.

But anything that is eternal is cyclical. This can be seen in nature. The cycle of seasons moves eternally. But it does not cause fear as we know that winter will be followed by spring, then summer, and autumn before it is winter again.

Knowing this, we prepare for the seasons in advance, airing our woollens before the weather gets chilly and taking out our cottons at the first hint of summer. Even birds and insects are aware of the cycles of nature and they collect food, build their home and tend to their offspring accordingly.

Just as the cycle of birth, growth, decay and renewal goes on eternally, the cycle of time, too, turns without end, with the world going through different stages in a process that is repeated cyclically.

Knowing this, and recognising the fact that we are immortal souls who have played different roles in different bodies, life after life, in a cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth, tells us that we have gone through the cycle of time earlier, so it is nothing new. There is nothing to fear. In a cyclical process, change always leads to renewal; even the process of decay is just a passing phase. When we understand this, we can exercise the choice to be agents of change who create a better future for themselves and the world by thinking and doing good, instead of being the victims who are ignorant of their eternal identity and so feel helpless and fearful as they are carried along by the tides of time.

B.K. Atam Prakash is a Rajyoga teacher at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.