Time travel

My parents wanted me to excel in everything – singing, dancing, swimming, football, and academics.  My interest in all these subjects slowly turned into hatred. I lived in constant fear that any sudden change in a situation could irritate me. Even a minor discomfort made me react as if the world were about to end. 

I often wondered why there is so much stress in this world. I decided to find the answer. Suddenly, my eyes fell on a family picture on the wall, where my grandfather and my father are enjoying my uncle’s wedding.

I kept staring at the picture, and my concentration crossed its limit. I found myself inside it. How did that happen? How would I go back? Anyway, there was no charm left in my present life. I decided to stay and enjoy the wedding.

I notice how particular my grandparents were about getting things done in a certain order. My grandmother kept correcting my parents with sharp comments. My mother used the same words while correcting me. Suddenly, I realised that stress had been passed down – from my grandparents to my parents and from my parents to me. Oh my God!  But who had started this conflict in the first place? How did it enter the human mind?

Just then, my eyes caught another picture on the wall. Gods and evil forces were fighting. Before I knew it, the picture pulled me inside again. 

I was in a place somewhere between heaven and hell.  I greeted God and asked, “If you, being God, are fighting, what should we expect from common people?”

God replied, “Evil forces do not let us live in peace. They create resistance to our work. We don’t want to fight, but they leave us no choice.”

Evil said, “We just want the same privileges as God. We are fighting for our rights.”

God responded, “Then do good work and prove your worth.”

Evil countered, “Are you out of your mind? We are not God, we are evil- made like this.” 

God said, “Then you don’t get the privileges like us. ”

Evil shoot back, “Who are you to decide?”

The fight resumed. I stepped forward and shouted, “Stop.” 

They both looked at me.

I continued, “I am just a little girl, I don’t understand all this. But I do know that this conflict has been passed down from one generation to another for so long that my parents have become both – sometimes good, sometimes evil”.

I told them my whole story. They were surprised. We decided to go to the Supreme Being to find the answers.

The place was so beautiful. There was no sun, yet there was light everywhere. 

We asked, “Oh Dear Supreme, why there are so many miseries in the world?”

There was no reply. 

We waited and waited. It felt as if many years had passed. 

While waiting, the gods said, “We live la uxurious life – Best place, best wine, best food, beautiful ladies, best clothes – yet we are not happy!”

Evil said, “Everyone fears us. Humans and Gods are no exception. We have powers, yet we are not happy.”

I said, “My parents say our ego and desires are the cause of our misery. We all try to stay humble, yet nobody on Earth is happy.” 

Suddenly, the Supreme Being uttered a single word, “Da.”

Everyone was surprised, “Just Da… what does it mean? 

I was confused.

All gods and evil said, “There must be a hidden meaning. We need to contemplate it to find the truth”.

Days passed. I don’t know what Gods and Evil understood, but I realised something. Evil and Gods are aware of what is inside them, and they are always truthful. When they are angry or full of desire, they don’t hesitate to declare their weakness. But we humans, firstly, are unaware of what is inside us, and secondly, we act opposite to it. 

Suddenly, I start questioning everything- 

• We are told not to hurt anyone, yet we are asked to fight bad people. And the definition of bad is defined as someone who does not follow our concepts or religion! 
• Take care of dogs, cats, or specific animals, yet we eat many other animals!
• We are taught that everyone is equal in the eyes of god, yet in holy books, gods are projected as superior to Goddesses!
• Scriptures tell us to live in the moment, yet we are constantly asked to perform rituals to secure a place in heaven after death! Most of the actions are driven by fear of the future. 
• There are many stories about how children should behave with parents, but nothing about how parents should treat their children.  

We are not aware of inner conflicts – Forget dealing with it. We all have more or less ego, anger, and desires, which, to me, are natural. And then it stuck me: Da means Denial.

Suddenly, I was at home.

Poem
Why does it never cross our mind—
That we live by concepts made by others?
Even the word God is born of thought.
We speak too much; it blurs the truth.
But in silence, the soul begins to grow,
What one learns -Is not heard or read before.
Who made it hard?
Not the world,
But someone very close.