The Journey Inward

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King Jr.

A  friend of mine wrote this and the thought that instantly came to me...how true! In the end it is the silence we will remember, whether it is the silence of solidarity or that of indifference. We will remember. Memories fade...yet.

 But, this is not what I wanted to write about. 

“The longest journey of any person is the journey inward.” So says Dag Hammerskjvld. I totally agree. When one begins to think beyond the material aspect of life that we all run after, what is it that we are here really for? I would think there are bigger, deeper reasons for our existence. There is a continuity of life that goes beyond what is visible. It is the life that is felt. It is about feelings. What separates us from the rest is the way we feel. Every individual feels the way he or she wants in his or her own right. 

Before we venture out to change the world I think it is quite essential to know ourselves. Knowledge of the inner self is what I am talking about and not just how handsome or pretty, ugly or terrible one looks visually. The glow on a person’s face, the aura emerges when one is conscious of the sub-conscious and aware of the energy that emanates from deep within. Eventually, that is what really keeps us going.

The need-to-know path can be really lonely sometimes.  But, to be alone by itself can be a privilege. It brings with it an opportunity to know oneself, to mirror ones thoughts within one’s own consciousness, to wonder at the thoughts triggered by something someone said and what comes out of it. How I wish it was as easy to do it. I struggle every day. Some days I feel frustrated and angry...like I am right now.

Books here really become the best companions. I become voracious within my selective reading. Perhaps, eventually, it will egg me on to move on in my journey within myself.

I have been getting into that space within myself and realization has been coming, sometimes in spurts and sometimes in a smooth flow. Sometimes I am still like the lake and sometimes I hit sea state eight right on. Turmoil within one’s mind is not such a bad thing after all. While it brings with it an impatience of the soul, it also brings with it certain courage to keep moving towards self-actualisation. 

I am on a journey. I have always been…my outer journey now is aided by a journey within. I am inquisitive about what lies within. I sail.

So far, so good...err...I hope!

Copyright @Saanjh2010