March 10

Laugh At It And Be Brave

Question: I have a vision defect which, with other problems, leads to despair and a feeling that I am only awaiting death. What can I do?

Sri Gurudev: What a pity. Why should you await death? Don’t think that seeing with the eyes is the most important thing. Do you think people who can see well are happy just because of that? In a way, you are fortunate. I tell this even to blind people. How many problems are caused by the things people see? The physical senses can be a tremendous distraction. If you have them, take care of them and use them well. If you don’t have them, don’t worry about it; just forget it. You still have your beautiful mind, your beautiful soul. Many, many people who have limited physical sight, or even no physical sight at all, do great things. You shouldn’t be discouraged.

If there is an operation that will help your condition, certainly try it. If there is no possibility of correcting it, it doesn’t matter. Accept it as what God wanted you to have. The minute you learn to accept something, it is no longer that troublesome. You can live with anything and everything. Haven’t you known of people in worse conditions living happily and usefully? The problem is in the mind. If you just accept it, it becomes very easy, very light.

If you want to feel bad, you have many hundreds of excuses; but if you want to be happy, you can be happy without any of these things. It’s useless to worry about them. After all, it’s just a body. The so-called limitations should not spoil your joy. Remind yourself: “I’m not the body. I’m not even the mind. I’m the spirit.” Laugh at it and be brave.