Even the sharpest minds cannot remember everything. Indeed at times, we just want to forget things. Memory is elusive. We regularly try to recall a forgotten someone or something, with a great effort to keep someone in mind. When young, we work to build our memory. When we are old, it’s a challenge to keep our memory. Our memory, which keeps us stable and connected to people and the world at large, provides us with the ability to manage our life over the long haul.
Having been involved in an accident, imagine waking up in a hospital bed. There is a group of people surrounding you. They are all smiling because you are awake, appearing well. Not recognizing any one of them in the room, you watch them. The joy on their faces is lost as you ask the question – who are you? Confusion sets in for everybody. Stability for you and your family is now in question.
Why this sorrow, you may well ask? It is because your family, who knows you more than you know yourself, cannot get over the fact that you don’t feel any connection with them. After all, you have a whole history of involvement with these people, sharing many a joy and sorrow. Their desire to connect is more than yours, because they remember you. Memory loss is real; it can be brought on by physical or emotional trauma.
Now imagine, you are born into this human life with a memory loss. You have no memory of your beloved One – God! God looks at you with the greatest desire to connect with you, for He knows you way better than you know yourself. I can imagine God being frustrated, because He wants to be in your life just like your family. Although this memory loss is planned by God, our first goal in life is to re-discover Him.
Before this discovery takes place, life needs to span out. We may well have more down-days than up- days. We may not be able to figure out who we are and what we are doing here. The very fortunate few will meet someone special, who can help them discover God. This someone special is the Satguru, who enables us to remember God.
This is the moment when the amnesic family member is so full of joy, for his memory has been restored. The family cannot wait to continue their relationship that they have always shared with the individual. God, similarly, is full of joy, as you truly become fully awake! The fact that you now remember God, your life begins to have meaning.
But why is God so happy? This is because each and every relationship God has with someone is of the utmost importance. He has so much to give, but more importantly, He gives us a way of life that only produces peace and love.
So after having discovered God, we must always continue to remember Him. We must do this when we get up in the morning, throughout the enfolding day, and when we lay down to sleep. Just as a loving family member is always in our thoughts, God too should always be remembered. As subtle as God is, the Satguru helps us not only to find Him, but also leads us on to the path of righteousness.
God says – remember me, for remembering God is an invaluable gift that the Satguru introduces to us. Accepting the Satguru is tantamount to accepting the Godly life. And living as God is accepting eternal life embodied in peace, love and harmony. This is why God says – remember me – and why we must remember.
– Daniel Slebodnik – Washington D.C.
