For millennia, humans have dreamed of flying. First kites, then balloons, gliders, and finally powered aircraft helped us realise this dream. But physical flight is not the only kind of flying. One can fly high mentally as well, when one is full of zeal and enthusiasm. Being able to fly from one corner of the world to another may be a marvel of science, but one can be down in the dumps even while sitting in a plane thousands of feet up in the air. Being in a flying state of mind, however, works wonders.
Zeal and enthusiasm are the wings that help us fly high, with our feet firmly on the ground. No matter what kind of task we are doing, when there is enthusiasm, it seems easy and is accomplished without difficulty. These two qualities bring energy, lightness, and positivity, all of which boost interpersonal relationships, teamwork, and our personal sense of well-being.
All of us have these two wings, but we sometimes get tired while flying. A circumstance, or person, feels like an obstacle, and while we are sometimes able to overcome it with love, at other times we come down. Doubt, fear, attachment, or any of the other vices brings us down from our elevated state of mind, and instead of flying we get caught in a variety of issues.
Just as enthusiasm uplifts us, the vices weigh us down with unnecessary or negative thoughts. What seemed easy and enjoyable earlier begins to feel tedious, and we make excuses for not doing what needs to be done.
Things on the ground appear tiny when seen from an aircraft flying above, and similarly the issues that drag us down seem insignificant when the quality of our thoughts is high, but they become magnified when we are feeling low. Just as someone who is ailing and weak finds it difficult to lift even a glass of water, whereas those who are strong can easily lift even two buckets, we start seeing small things as big.
To always fly high, it is important to keep the mind strong and happy, and the intellect clear of wasteful thinking. The best way to do that is to have a positive attitude and regularly exercise the mind by practising meditation. When we turn our attention inward and examine our thoughts and feelings, we begin to recognise where they are coming from. Gradually we gain greater control over our thinking. To raise the quality of our thoughts and be able to ‘fly’, we can then connect to a source of power from where we can draw the peace, love, and strength that give us the ‘lift’ to take off and fly. The best source of such power is the Almighty. Remembering Him, with His qualities of mercy, benevolence, and selfless love fills us with the same so that we start becoming a little like Him. Gradually we find that we are also living ‘up there’, though not quite as high as Him, but with an elevated vision and attitude that makes us more peaceful, kind, and generous.
B.K. Usha is a Rajyoga teacher at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Abu Road, Rajasthan.