Enjoy everything without getting attached

Many of us mistakenly believe that we need to endlessly desire happiness. Desires emanate as waves on an ocean. They keep on coming endlessly. As the legendary Gautam Buddha, most of our problems, sufferings, and misery emanate from desires and lust. Enjoying per se is not bad but getting attached is the problem. Desires keep on perennially coming and it never quenches our thirst. When one desire is fulfilled, many more come and build their nests in our minds. Desires keep us on the treadmill creating stress and frustration. We go to any length, even resorting to heinous and unethical means. Most of the crimes, violence, and macabre killings emanate from desires. Desiring the good of all is great but to satisfy one’s lust is fraught with danger. Desires make us narcissists and keep us on the tenterhooks all the time. They alienate us from near and dear ones. We are so much possessed with the desires that we are in the grip of its strong grip. All the intractable problems have their roots in desires rather than lust. We can enjoy everything in life as it comes without getting fettered by our desires. Life is meant to be enjoyed. However, desires keep us tied and tethered to the villainous mood. We can enjoy life without becoming addicted. In enjoyment we are very much relaxed as we are not hedonistic. Pleasure-seeking makes us oblivious to the needs of others and we trample upon others. Desires are insatiable. On the other, hand, enjoyment gives true happiness and we are impervious to their malefic effect. Advertisements are ubiquitous prodding us to crave more and more. We are made to feel inferior if we do not buy a certain commodity. Billions upon billions of dollars are spent on advertisements luring each one of us to acquire the trendy products. This makes the products beyond the reach of millions upon millions. This syndrome makes people resort to unscrupulous and

unethical means to somehow acquire the niche product. The enjoyment of simple things may not require us to spend anything. The rat race is on and every one of us is dragged involuntarily into it. No doubt, some desires are desirable but to get caught in the quagmire is hara-kiri. It's time we keep away from endless and unquenchable desires. It’s a myth that we need loads of money to enjoy life. We need to stop falling prey to the chicanery and shenanigans of the vested interests. Each one of us can decide how far to go and where to stop. With the ubiquitous plastic money, we all end up being bankrupt. Easy availability of loans and social media we are on a spending binge. These cravings hardly give lasting joy. We all need to be aware not to get ambushed by these illusory things. We need to be discerning in distinguishing between desires which are sensual and enjoyments that are subtle and refined. We have to blend both desires and enjoyments. A life sans desires may be prosaic but there is a caveat that we should not carry it like an albatross. Enjoyments on the other hand are sublime and close to divinity. Human history is replete with examples of many lives besmirched due to obsessive desires. Many a war have been fought due to desires abounding with lust. No doubt, it is very difficult to keep at bay our desires but we have to be balanced. We must make sure that our desires do not become our weakness marring our lives. As per the Indian mythological epic Ramayana Ravana who was a great scholar and devout met his nemesis as he coveted the wife of another person. As friendly advice, I would request each one of us to be balanced in keeping our desires sublime and not be the cause for our downfall. Let not the admonitions of the wise sages keep our desires in control lest they ruin our lives. Quenching our thirst for desires is ominous and pernicious if they are limitless. We must make sure that we do not endanger our and others' lives for the sake of satiating our desires.