Sai Inspires - 1st January 2006 from Prashanti Nilayam

[Guest guest]

bizarre, as they did on 1st January, 2000, marking the beginning of a not only a

new year but a new century and a new millennium as well. But is the New Year

really all that new for there to be so much merry making? As Swami has asked

during many of His New Year Discourses, what is the big deal about the New

Year? Every day is new, and indeed every second is new. What then is the

purpose of having so many celebrations? The real question is: Are we on the

way to becoming a new person, that is to say, with less of the undesirable

qualities humans these days are so full of? Is there less of unwanted desire,

anger, greed, and so on? Indeed, if at all one wants to do something worthwhile

on New

Year’s Day, it should be to conduct a critical self audit. About a decade

ago, it was the month of May and a Summer Course was on in Brindavan. It so

happened that a Youth Group came from America and Swami most graciously allowed

the American Youth to attend the Summer Course. One day, they were further

blessed to present a cultural program in the evening. That program had many

entertaining items that included a spectacular display of jugglery. Towards the

end of the program, the youth presented a skit.

The skit is all about a group of young people who, as they say, hang out

together. New Year was approaching and ideas were being tossed around about

having a great party. One young man, however, remained silent and somewhat

detached. His buddies asked him, “Hey, why are you silent? What’s the matter?”

At first the young man shrugged off the question by mumbling, “Oh it is

nothing; it is something personal”. But when pressed he eventually said,

“Listen, I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of a party.” “Why not?” “You

are asking me why not? I will tell you. You and I can party but what about poor

people in old homes?” “What about them?” “There they are all alone, with no one

to care for them. While

others have wild parties, they stare at the wall, wondering when their misery is

going to be over. I cannot bear the thought of us having a good time while these

poor old people are so lonely and unhappy.” “OK, they are lonely and unhappy.

That is their fate. What can we do about that?” “Something can be done, if we

have the inclination.” “Like what?” “Like we all go there and cheer up the old

folks.” “You mean we don’t party and instead entertain these old people?”

“Exactly.” “But if we do that, what happens to our having a good time?”

“Listen, what is meant by having a good time? It means feeling happy, does it

not? Do you know you can feel happy making others happy?” “We can?” “You bet!”

The youth

gang then decide to scrap their idea of a wild New Year party and instead plan

on a surprise entertainment program for old folk in the old age home. The

program is staged; the old people are immensely happy and shed tears of joy.

The youth are filled with Ananda and they too shed tears of joy. In the end the

youth realise that what they did was a better way greeting the New Year. In

the famous film Gone with the Wind, there is a scene in which the heroine

Scarlett O’Hara walks to a huge colonial mansion at the entrance of which hangs

a board with the words: Time is the stuff life is made of. Indeed and that

precisely is why Swami often tells us that time waste is life

waste. What is the meaning of time waste? It does not mean being lazy as many

might think. Yes we must certainly not be lazy but if one is busy doing things

that go against basic human nature, then that surely is time waste. For

example, one might be busy in business but if the business is harmful to

Society [like running a gambling casino for example] then no matter how busy

one is, one is actually wasting time. Krishna puts it tersely and very nicely

in the Gita with the telling phrase: inaction in action.

justify"> Just look at Swami; He never wastes a single minute; and He is always

doing something for others and rarely for Himself. One might say, “We are not

Swami and we have plenty of personal responsibility.” Agreed, but how much time

do we really spare for others? May be we cannot go out and do Seva the way many

do. But, while commuting to and from work on the subway say, do we spend even

one minute praying for harmony and peace? God has given us the supreme gift

of life so that we may sanctify every minute of

it. We might call it a tall order but truly speaking how many minutes during the

entire year do we give to God? Instead of partying or making irrelevant

resolutions, we might use the beginning of the New Year to do an honest

self-audit and correct ourselves accordingly. Once again we wish you a very

Happy New Year. Jai Sai Ram With Love and Regards, "Heart2Heart" RadioSai

e-Journal Team, In Sai Service. To see the

complete schedule of today's RadioSai programmes, Visit us at

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