We live in a world full of science and scientific inventions. The comfort levels that our generation is enjoying, was not even in dreams of our past generations. Be it anything- housing, transportation, communication, professional work, studies- you name it, and there it is on your phone or laptop. Click few buttons and you are through. Still, people are increasingly getting restless and “bored” at the same time. There are speculations around the after effects of the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic, including the possibility of mental sickness people might suffer from.

So what are we missing in our most comfortable lives when all our desires are fulfilled with the click of buttons on our phone key pad or laptop key board ? Why do we not feel the excitement of a child who has not yet gone to school ? Why is there a feeling that we know whatever was to be known and so there is nothing more to know ?

We are no more the creation of god, instead, we are the creation of science, at least that is what we know of ourselves, and that is what we have become. Along-with all the comforts, we have developed a sense of ownership as if clicking on buttons is creating everything. When I had learnt the nuances of hardware and software programming in the beginning of 90s, I was mesmerised and full of gratitude to the almighty for exposing me to the new dimensions of technology wherein I could write codes for 100 different actions for the press of the same button on the keyboard. I had a thought during those days that a time may come when no codes would be required and people would feel themselves as visionaries for knowing simply which button to press for what service or requirement. I also used to think that humans would become limited to a mechanical life if everything is programmed and software driven, and there won’t be any surprises or excitement left for anything new coming up in life.

Those days are here, so much so that we don’t like surprises, we just want things to stay predictable, and then we complain of boredom.

In Shiv Sutras, there is a Sutra “Vismayo Yoga Bhumika”. We are missing “Vismayo” completely in our lives. We don’t have Vismay or wonder in our lives, and we have chosen the life without wonders where everything is created by us and we control everything. The way out is simple- remember that creation is the doing of the almighty, notice the nature around us, and see how everything is functioning, without we clicking any buttons. The five elements (Ether, Water, Air, Earth and Fire) are always present in one form or the other to complete the creation and its movement around us and within us. Life is happening every second around us, in the bloom of a flower, in the drop of rain, in the flight of a bird, in the thunder of the cloud, I can go on and on and on. Every single act of creation and nature fills us with Wonder, and introduces to the beautiful teaching of the Sutra I mentioned above- Preface of Yoga is Vismay.

While I am using the keyboard to type these thoughts, I am loving the thunder and rain drops out of my room window, and wondering how nature nourishes us and never falters in its duties, since the time immemorial. May the almighty keep everyone happy and aware of the nature and its doings, which brings us newer and newer wonders, may we be always grateful to the Mother Nature and the almighty who created it. Om.