Less luggage more comfort

A few days back I posted a story in my FB page about the elephants who believed they could not break their ties and were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants most of us too get stuck in life not able to move on. Just because we do not let go. Be it resentments, anger, grudge, pain, suffering, desires……….. ,these baggages have the ability to drain us out and make us weak mentally. “Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head” says Ann Landers. Forgiveness and letting go is an art. An art practiced by strong people. According to Gandhiji, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

If we have to experience the highest happiness and highest potential in life, we must let go of our emotional baggage. Just like a bird which has to leave the branch of a tree to soar high. Just imagine the amount of courage that bird requires to venture into that initial flight.

Now comes the question—“ how does one let go?” I came across A to Z of “letting go” in http://zenhabits.net/zen-attachment/ which I would like to share. Though it speaks about letting go of attachments, these are applicable to any baggage that we carry since these baggage are “attachments” after all. Due to lack of space I would enumerate the brief list which speaks volumes for themselves. You can refer to the page for more detailed prescriptions.

Accept the moment for what it is.
Believe now is enough.
Call yourself out.
Define yourself in fluid terms.
Enjoy now fully.
Friend yourself.
Go it alone sometimes.
Hold lightly.
Interact with lots of people.
Justify less
Know you can’t change the past.
Love instead of fearing.
Make now count.
Narrate calmly.
Open your mind.
Practice letting things be.
Question your attachment.
Release the need to know.
Serve your purpose now.
Teach others.
Understand that pain is unavoidable.
Vocalize your feelings.
Write it down.
Xie Xie. It means thank you in Chinese. Fully embrace your happy moments—love with abandon; be so passionate it’s contagious.
Yield to peace.
Zen your now. Experience, appreciate, enjoy, and let go to welcome another experience.

This is the recipe for experiencing the joy that life is. Here’s a beautiful quote from an unknown source, which sums it up all. “Remember this - not letting go of old stuff is the same as driving through life with a flat tyre on our cars; not stopping to change it; hoping that it will fix itself; pretending that the ride is smooth; knowing that it isn't; until one day it gets so loud and bumpy that we are forced to stop and take a look, and actually get help!”

Life is very kind and compassionate that it would surely not want us to have a bumpy ride. After all isn’t “less baggage more comfort”?