Living A Magical Life

by Nayna Chakrabarty

A strand of gray hair peeked amidst the lock of dark ones, playing hide-and-seek with my hairbrush. I was advised that I shouldn't pull it out.

This is my hair and I have the freedom to do what I want with it, I thought.

"Freedom" --what does that really mean? A breakdown from bondage that clasps its thorny vines into the flesh, oozing innocent blood and leaving behind deep scars, or is it just an expression we use to reinforce self-preservation?

When we compare our lives with our ancestors', surely there are plenty of liberties that we enjoy now, but are these instances of real independence? Let's take a deeper look within. We are tied to our jobs, families, peers, norms of society and many other intricately-woven webs. Our actions are driven by goals, competition, expectations and a continuing endless list of motivations. So the question still remains unanswered.

Freedom can be possible when we see ourselves in a different light. The illumination which is tainted by greed and desires is of no use. But the radiance from the soul developed through benevolence, sacrifices and good deeds can make a difference.

So does this mean we should stop living our current lives, renounce everything and go out to help people in need? These actions won't go far because after the initial novelty of the task dies out, we would long to go back to our accustomed lifestyle. It is the mind that has to be released like the butterfly that emerges from its cocoon and flutters endlessly wherever its heart desires.

Does this sound like an unachievable, mammoth task?

If you really want to bring about a change, you will find a way to do it under any circumstances. So find out the things that you always longed to do while growing up but never had the chance or the time to do them. The beliefs that you never acted on because you were afraid of being judged. Now could be the best time to stick out a finger and puncture a hole in the box that you live in, then widen it and slowly let yourself out. Managing this life while juggling a career, expectations from family and coping with a stress-filled lifestyle can be made simpler with positive thoughts, acts of kindness and selfless service.

At the end of a long day, when you serve your family dinner, put the children to bed and finally get time to spend in solitude, brush your hair and look closely at that gray strand of hair. It is not a problem anymore because now you know that it is a sign of wisdom.