I want to share an interesting theme which is an important learning here at Oneness Uni. That topic is the feeling of constant dissatisfaction or discontent which no matter how hard we try, we cannot escape from. Let me ask, are you 100% completely satisfied in your life? My guess is no. It seems that no matter how much we achieve, how successful we are, how much money we earn, how many nice things we have it is never enough to satisfy us! My question is why?!
There’s no denying that it’s human nature to strive towards greater and greater things. We can’t help but look at what others have and wish that it was us. Once we get what we long for we will be happy, right? Wrong. If we succeed we may be content for a short while, but what next? Even before we achieve what we set out for, we are scanning further ahead to the next best thing. So caught up in the idea of more more more that we barely have time to stop and appreciate what we do have. Spending time away from the Western World has made me far more aware of how much time is wasted on insignificant meaningless things.
That’s not to say that countries such as India are immune to such ways. I was in a hurry to find some face scrub at the supermarket the other day, I saw a familiar brand and brought it. After a few days I looked at the bottle and what I read shocked me, White Complete Anti-Tan Fairness Scrub! It’s no secret that in India fairness is associated with beauty, I’ve heard stories of young girls praying to the Hindi Gods to become pale. Meanwhile in the West people are visiting sun beds, applying fake tan and scorching themselves in the sun in order to become brown. Neither is happy with what they have and each is aspiring to what the other has… What a messed up world we live in! How much time, money and energy goes into feeding this void of dissatisfaction which can never be completely filled.
One of the main reasons I came on this trip was because of my dissatisfaction with my current situation. My job was no longer fulfilling, my career was stagnant, even my weekends were unsatisfying. My routine had become the same old and I felt restless. For me, the solution is always travel. It’s what makes me feel alive and free! Which is all good and well while I’m on the road having adventures and exciting new experiences each day… Sooner or later we need to face reality. In 5 weeks I will be back to Perth where everything is exactly the same, except I’m jobless and my bank account and bucket list have diminished!
Travel may be my way of coping with life’s discontent, what’s yours? Each of us have our own vice which makes us feel happy and satisfied for a little while. How long does it last? And who are you hurting in the process? Sometimes we are so wrapped up in our need for satisfaction that we do so at the cost of another’s happiness. The plain truth is this that this long sought after satisfaction can only ever be short lived. Even after we have attained our hearts desires we are unable to feel a sense of achievement, we will always want something more. Already I’m dreaming of my next trip! When will it end? During the last 3 weeks I have learned the importance of gratitude, the art of being grateful for every little thing. It’s so empowering to stop for a minute, be in the now and express gratitude for all the great things in life. Before too long it’s clear what really matters and how blessed we all are!
SPIRITofSAMMY 