Spirituality says we should keep in mind only those things that give us positive energy and clear the overflow of negative information that deplete our energy. We delete old files in our computer to create space for new ones and if we don’t do it the system immediately tells us that the disc has no space and some unimportant files are required to be deleted. Likewise we store floods of negative information in our mind and find no space for new thoughts that we create to remain peaceful, loving and happy. We should watch the existing situations to do away with the negative information to make way for useful thoughts which are positive and God-ward. We also get negative energy from people, who hurt us with their utterances, but we have no control over them, and so it will be worthwhile not to take cognizance of what they say. We can believe that this was to happen, so let it be. We know that they are wrong in their behaviour, but if we retaliate the position will worsen - we shall send them negative energy and the same energy will come back to us to be credited to our karmic account on the debit side.
Here I want to take up the case of a problematic senior guy who sits in the gatherings of senior citizens in the evening. He feels offended when somebody calls him Buddha (an old guy), and walks out of the gathering. All people sitting there are of the same age group, either few years less or a little more than their counterparts. The guy often shows dominance over his face feeling regal, thinking others to be his caretakers who must bow before their Excellency. He has become accustomed to this type of attitude which could be due to something disturbing within him and his embarrassing acts could be due to that. Sometimes he tries to be funny and controlling at the same time. He always castes a sarcastic eye getting pleasure and making others feel disgusted with his wise-cracking. Members want him to develop cordial relations with others, but he is making others to laugh at him with his malicious tantrums that result in misery and sorrow. The members tell each other to behave, fearing the guy may not get infuriated, and suffer with the increase of his blood pressure. They are very careful not to get involved in the police case, if he might see him at death’s door, feeling frustrated.
He makes the atmosphere quite disturbing and members show their inability to find the solution of this problem of his walking out from the gathering on one pretext or the other is a daily affair. His lingering presence among them has become irritating rather than feel-enjoyable for them. The spiritual solution says that we are responsible for ourselves and have full control on our thoughts and actions. We have the right to negate the negative energy being passed on to us, and this is only possible if we think about self and not react to his outbursts to let calm prevail within us. Talking about others is useless, but he involves others to waste their time and energy. Some members are of the view that they can change his stubborn attitude with polite words and positive attitude. Though he behaves untoward all the time, but this is not a class act worth emulating both for the unusual man and the other members. In his absence the members address him as a ‘Walkout man’ who never spares a cruel glance while interfering in the ongoing discussion, and appears indignant in spite of the efforts of others to calm him down.
He wants to overrule others with his fragile courage; his annoyance doesn’t fade, and it has become customary with him to create such ugly scenes. He robs the pleasure of other members who show them in the park to while away their time in the company of other friends. The oldies discuss about politicians, spirituality, local politics to streamline the system for the welfare of their country, but their discussion is of no consequence because it lacks accomplishment. Seniors talk of corruption and other maladies in society due to their squeezing by rising prices and rampant indiscipline due to rapes, kidnapping and killings. The troublesome man walks out only on that particular day and shows his presence the other day. On occasions he becomes so hot that he starts shivering, letting others feel frightened for his life. There is also a risk of miscreants to label him as lunatic and they start throwing pebbles on him, if he is left alone. The man in question seems to be suffering with convulsions, which could be due to the storage of negative information in his mind, and if he doesn’t untangle the knot which is likely to become stiff the chances for his feeling easy are remote.
Colleagues guide him on occasions but he is not prepared to laugh it away. Even if some persons, who enjoy on his behalf, pass out the negative information to him and others, is again unproductive because it drains out their positive energy. The members in his absence discuss not to enter into any controversy, thinking the troublesome man is a member of their group, but he is always on the lookout to create a situation downplaying others. How long other members will bear his irrational behaviour to let him feel cool by playing dumb, thinking not to underplay his sustained feelings. The spiritual solution that comes to our mind is to bring a change in our attitude to bring him round. It will not taint our karmic account if we struggle to keep him calm, sensing the day is not far off when he would shed his negative attitude. He has been alerted not to allow his self-worth to diminish, and try to enjoy life which is very short. If someone says something nasty or does something dirty to him, he should let these remarks go unnoticed and never take them to heart, which is the only viable solution.
We want him to live long and look to the interest of his near and dear ones, and it is only possible if he finds him in a stable situation. Already one of our dear colleagues, who were ninety two, left us within a month and nobody expected him to leave so soon. He was a jolly fellow, who entertained us with Urdu verses, and the other people applauded him, and prayed for him to complete a century which was only eight years away.
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