Why the Rush?

The truly wise ones, are never in a rush to do their work - they work slowly, silently, like the seed that sprouts into life. Read more to learn how to achieve this

"When you live life in a rush, you are like a runaway train, which is moving heedlessly on its tracks. The difference between the runaway train of life and our passenger trains is that the latter knows its destinations, and stops at scheduled stations, whereas most of us simply don’t know where we are headed"

We seem to be in a hurry all the time! It is not only when we are on our feet that we are hurrying; when we are seated, at rest, our minds are rushing somewhere or the other. We may be waiting in an outer office, waiting for an appointment with a doctor, waiting for an interview call - but we are hurrying, rushing in our thoughts. This mental rush, this mental hurry is one of the main causes of tension. Day in and day out we work, and we rush through life like automatic machines. In this process, we lose our energy – mental, physical, as well as spiritual. You may well ask me: work done well energises us; how can we lose energy by doing work?

Today, even the simplest work has become a source of stress; even routine tasks like commuting to work, dropping children at school, paying bills and taxes, shopping for groceries, dealing with clients, and entertaining unexpected visitors - once considered relaxing, have become stressful now!

Let me explain what I mean; 20 to 30 years ago, fellow commuters on local buses became friends; mothers/ grandparents who walked children to school would often take leisurely strolls in the park after seeing the children in school safely; shopping was also a source of catching up with the neighbours, chatting with the friendly neighbourhood grocer and spending a relaxed hour or two. As for unexpected visitors, they were a source of joy and excitement! Now, everything, well, almost everything has become added cause for stress. There are tensions, which go with the kind of lifestyle we have adopted.

Work or play, studying or meeting people, earning a livelihood, or participating in group activities, nothing is truly enjoyable anymore! Teachers say that when routine class tests are announced, students groan! Professionals who have worked hard to reach their high positions, don’t enjoy their success; they are just stressed over meeting deadlines and achieving targets.

May I tell you, I cannot help thinking that this is primarily because we have become obsessed with making money! Our secondary concerns are our social status, our acquisitions and possessions, and what ‘others’ think about us. Thus we are reduced to what Kabir described as grains caught between the two constantly moving surfaces of the grinding stones, crushed by our own actions and feelings!

Chalti Chakki Dekh Kar, Diya Kabira Roye Dui Paatan Ke Beech Mein, Sabit Bacha Na Koye

When you live life in a rush, you are like a runaway train, which is moving heedlessly on its tracks. The difference between the runaway train of life and our passenger trains is that the latter knows its destinations, and stops at scheduled stations, whereas most of us simply don’t know where we are headed!

“We have to work for a living,” people tell me. “We are working to feed and clothe and house our families! We know what we want and our attention is focused on meeting our goals in life. It is not fair to say we are like runaway trains!” Granted, we have to earn our livelihood; we have to work, in order to live. But we must also be aware that life is larger than livelihood! We work to live; we earn money to live comfortably; we don’t live to earn money!

“The truly wise ones, are never in a rush to do their work,” says the poet, Subramaniya Bharati. “They work slowly, silently, like the seed that sprouts into life.”

Isn’t that an amazing image – the seed that sprouts into new life? You cannot put it on Fast–Forward mode; nor can you put it in slow motion. When you hurry, you cannot keep your mind calm and focused.

Modern lifestyle, culture and work force us to hurry, hurry, all the time! Of course, we need to be quick and efficient in all that we do – but hurry is wasteful!