Once, a man who had to cross a river to reach his destination located on top of a mountain, not knowing how to swim was waiting for someone to help him cross the river.
Then came a man with a boat and offered to row him to the other side so that he can climb up the hill.
While being rowed, the man felt a rush of gratitude towards the boat that was helping him cross the river.
He was so much in love with the boat that he paid the boatman the price and purchased the boat for himself.
Not knowing where to leave what he owns, he decided to carry the boat all the way up to his destination.
Ready with the boat tied to his back, the man started climbing.
Within a few meters of the walk, he started feeling the weight of his boat slowing him down and making his journey uncomfortable.
He tried changing ways of carrying it and none helped him from feeling the pain and burden.
Finally, he decides to let go of the boat and continues his journey. That decision to ‘let go’ the boat made his journey so comfortable and fast and he hardly felt any pain in climbing the mountain.
“Mind was the Helper and Mind is the Bar” – Sri Aurobindo
The man is none other than each and every one of us and the boat is all the burdens that we carry with us as our inseparable relations and belongings.
We all have the habit of clinging to our relations and belongings that we come across on our journey of life.
There might be many relations and belongings in our life that seemingly remains as a part and parcel of our life that we hardly notice the same to be a hurdle in the passage of life.
The same relations and belongings that were once a chisel and shaped your life might be at a certain moment become a bar or hurdle on the path of life.
Unknowingly we carry the burden with us and blame the journey of life to be difficult and useless.
It is wise to let go and feel the joy of letting go of such relations and belongings that were indeed helpful once and may not be seemingly the same at the present.
Many of us find ourselves stuck in the crossroads of life not knowing what to do and where to start.
The very first thing I suggest is to look around your life carefully and let go of that was once helpful but retaining it might be a burden and hurdle because they might be knowingly or unknowingly the reasons for suffering and pain.
Start with clearing things in your house that you have collected as yours and keep just what you really need.
Then, clear your Facebook and other social media profiles with unnecessary contacts.
Too many unnecessary social contacts might result in pain in the journey of life. Clear your thoughts next.
Avoid thinking of all that can stop you from growing towards perfection or beauty or happiness.