Dear Sir,
While going through a rather miserable phase in life, I occasionally read your articles. Through my limited reading, I retrieved myself from the belief that alcohol was the only source of happiness in life. The reason for this was your assertion that the body is crucial for performing intellectual tasks. Soon I was introduced to philosophy through your writings and talks, and went in search of spiritually enlightened gurus. I followed your path here too and visited the Narayana Gurukulam in Ooty where I met Swami Vyasa Prasad and had several conversations with him. I followed this up with simple yoga practices and an introduction to the roots of Indian philosophy. I spent several days listening to others speak about its glories.
Last September I joined Hyderabad University to do my Masters in Philosophy. The classrooms did not offer me what I was seeking and so I barely attended classes. I was gripped by the thought that I was wasting my days unproductively, and felt I had made a wrong decision in pursuing my Masters. I am bogged down by the thought that I have lost myself. I seem to be reverting to my old habits. I do not want to remain idle, nor will the world around me or my family allow that. I think I keep making these wrong decisions because of that. Once when I met you, you said that reading and writing are two skills that can flourish only with intense practice and advised me to keep doing that. Today I feel that I am stuck with a badly made decision.
I hope you will offer me some advice. I don’t normally pay heed to the words of those around me. Not out of arrogance, but because I find their words unacceptable. But I would like to hear from you. You are the first person I have looked up to with hope. Thank you.
K
Dear K,
If you are turning back to alcohol, please realize that the reason for that is not your college’s system of teaching, or your family/relatives. Everyone who turns to alcohol usually comes up with such excuses. This is because they do not realize that the fault lies with them.
The fault does not lie in your mind or thoughts. It is in your body. The body will not easily give up any of its habits. It remembers everything and constantly keeps going back to it. All habits including tea and coffee are like that. And among habits, the ones that are associated with the brain, such as drinking and smoking, tend to pull you in even deeper, because the brain is the most intricate organ in our body.
The brain will crave intoxication and manufacture every reason to get it. All your thoughts are created by your body, and all you have to do is battle mercilessly with those thoughts. Consider your brain as two parts. One is the part created by your thoughts and knowledge. The other is the one that functions per its own cravings. The former must win over the latter. You must initiate that battle and carry it on every single day. Wake up every morning with that thought and you must win that battle.
Education today, except in rare cases, is neither motivating nor something that is absolutely captivating. Its very nature is merely to train you in gradual steps to give you a broadened experience in a certain field. The certificate this education gives you is a mark of eligibility. Whatever your field of study, only you will know your eligibility and that may come to be accepted in an intellectual field. However, a certification of institutionalized education is a mark of being objectively accepted by the world. And we get educated for the sake of that acceptance. So, do continue with your education. That mark is very important.
But that requires only 10% of your brain. The problem arises from the rest of your brain that remains idle. Feed it. In the current scenario, reading and writing alone will not serve the purpose, because both are activities that promote solitude. Your immediate need is to immerse yourself in activities you can do in the company of other people. Whatever you may choose to do, join some organization and spend a major share of your time being involved in those activities.
Someone facing a similar situation joined ISKCON (Hare Rama Hare Krishna) and he recovered in a few months. This happened because, in this organization there are events everyday and plenty of opportunities for service. You can choose any similar organization. That is the need of the day. Self-reflection and reading can always come later, once you have successfully emerged beyond this ennui and regressive thoughts.
Best wishes
Jeyamohan
