Saturday, December 26, 2015

The Importance of Patience

It has been 4 months and change in the United States. Christmas came with some showers this year, and this was the time I wanted to escape the crowded city of Dallas to the serene suburbs of Houston, which I did within 2 days of the beginning of the winter break. It was my first trip outside Dallas in the States, and overwhelmed by the Wi-Fi and the power outlets the bus had to offer, I sat on the top deck and enjoyed the scenic view on the way to Houston. Yes, it was dark, and one cannot expect anything other than broad highways and small towns at the periphery. But the best part about it was that I could see the naked sky and the moon. Sleepless nights at the university and the apartment had robbed me of this small thing that I liked the most back at home. This brought into me a new hope for a new beginning the New Year had to bring for me.

I reached St Travis Street, the heart of Houston where my aunt and uncle and cousin welcomed me, and drove me to their home. A grand bungalow to live in, I was astonished to see just 3 people live in it. Although, such is life in the United States, and there is no harm in wanting for more. It does have a feel of home. The jokes on significant others, the pictures on the wall, the mischief of the tiny tot all brings back some memories from home.

This line just popped up in my browser’s motivational plug-in one day – a man in search of happiness will wander out in to the world, but at the end, shall return home to find the same. I feel awe at how can a wise man so accurately say what truly will happen for an action taken in life. At home, I felt I will find that grandeur and success that I wished for all my life in the States, but now the mind just wishes for the peace, calm and love that I had back there at home. The thing the wise man did not put in to this line was “money”. People go out in a hunt for money and end up wanting nothing more than what a person needs more than money. Is it the fickle nature of the human mind that makes you change your requirements in life? Or is it the battering that life gives you that makes you move back to your comfort zone?


I still admit that I am very young and cannot answer my own questions and they shall soon be answered as the time passes. The curiosity does turn into impatience, and I try to find answers to those in the Hindu scriptures, that still influences me. The Gita does teach me to continue on the path of Karma without any expectation, but does that always apply in today’s modern era? I still long for grandeur, fame, wealth and power, and feel impatient when I will get it. But, sitting in this room at this wonderful place of my aunt’s, I still miss the warmth of home. It is not that you choose any one of them. You need both. Life is a success if you look for the correct proportion of things, which I am still to discover by building up my patience. 

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