By Murli Chari
Bard of the Avon William Shakespeare famously said, “We are all actors on the stage of the world”. How aptly he described our existence. In fact, nothing is real. It is our conditioned mind that creates the story around us. Once the event is over it is just a memory. All events are mere illusions. Can we hold on to the past or future? As per Hindu mythology all life is a myth. Whether our waking moments are dreams and dreams are real we cannot aver anything with certainty. All is experience and depends on our perception. Reality is neutral and all experiences change like a kaleidoscope depending upon our perceptions, ideologies, and culture. What is nectar for one may be poison for the other. At the subatomic level everything is energy. Even the solid things look solid as it is densely populated with energy. In dream we are not conscious that what we dream is just an illusion. Same way even real life is nothing but a dream. There is a famous parable about Lao Tzu when he describes a dream where he was a butterfly. He put the riddle to his disciples whether he was a man dreaming himself as a butterfly or is he a butterfly dreaming himself as a man. We human beings perceive everything because we have been conditioned to think in a particular way. As per medical research our brains and minds assume many things and adds many glues to reality. That is why the description of a particular event changes from person to person. Everyone’s reality changes as per his knowledge, experience, understanding and maturity. Many of the times we are unable to understand why people die early due to illness or accident. If we use our profound thinking it makes sense that everyone has a role and when his role is over, he leaves the earth. In that sense every one of us is an actor whose role is cut out. If we take it that way, we do not have to grieve about the demise of our beloved near and dear. In this cosmic drama some act like hero, others as comedian and some are assigned the role of a vamp or a villain. We
need not take life seriously else we end up being miserable. However, we can script our own lives and decide to be a hero. Once we accept our lives as a cosmic drama then we can enjoy the role. Most of us are so busy amassing wealth that they forget to enjoy life. In this cosmic drama we can change our costumes, masks, and roles as and when the situation demands us to do. That is the reason the parable of dreams and real life has been incorporated. There are many twists and turns in our lives. Once we consider ourselves as an actor in the cosmic drama, we do not take anything personally. All misery occurs as we take things personally and seriously. A character in a drama knows that he is only play acting and is not living a real life. Once you treat life as a cosmic drama you enjoy every moment though they may not be to your liking. No doubt, it is easier said than done but it makes a lot of sense as you take out the steam from the event. All annoyance, agony and frustration are set to naught. Even as it is you can enjoy all your comforts and luxuries if you are alive, and it will have no relevance once you leave the stage. So, we need to enjoy all our resources and share it with others. If we try to hold on that would create stress and tension to protect our wealth. This world is not our permanent residence. One is not sure whether there is any life after death. Once we accept ourselves as an actor in the cosmic drama the life becomes full of mirabilia, grand and magical. In the drama all the characters know they are only play acting. So, they know it is superficial and all the enmity friendship is superficial. We need to appreciate that life itself is a cosmic drama and everyone is only playing a temporary role. Then there is mirth, joy and bonhomie.
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