Major advancements in technology have brought about fundamental changes in our daily lives. To a great extent, technology has made life so much easier, so much more convenient for all, that it is now extremely difficult to imagine a world devoid of such conveniences. However, just as normally is the case with everything else, a fair share of disadvantages has also been attributed to such advancements over time.
Although with the advent of the internet and social media, it may no longer feel that we are distant from our loved ones, research shows that the exact same social media can also impact one’s mental and physical health1 adversely. Without a doubt, it is clearly understood that such technological progress was originally intended to bridge the gap that paradigms like globalization had brought about. It was to enable real-time and cost-effective communication and collaboration. However, as family, friends and social media influencers make use of these platforms with the intent of celebrating and sharing their key achievements with their well-wishers and loved ones, such practices bring increasing tendencies of superiority and inferiority complexes.
Gradually, people’s definition of a perfect life changes, as exposure to such content increases. People have now begun considering attractive looks, expensive gifts, luxurious homes, regular overseas trips and so on as essential ingredients to an ideal life. Our thinking is reinforced by those validating likes and shares that are received for such attainments, which lay the groundworks for a never-ending rat race. It is perceived mistakenly that a perfect life is found in the fulfilment of all desires. The foremost of these desires is to be valued by others, just as is sometimes illusively portrayed on various online networks. It would appear most people do not have their own, personalised definition of a perfect life. Rather, it seems to be subsumed by what others think a perfect life should be.
Everyone should be free to form their own opinion as to what a perfect life is, rather than being influenced by social media celebrities or the need to live upto social desirability trends. However, if we are to be influenced, why not spend some time dwelling on the teachings of great saints, seers and sages, who have been defining a way to live beautifully, over the ages. They have always presented their perspective to the world and could be considered the original social media influencers! History has been a witness to the fact that those who have sincerely followed the teachings of such divine personalities and messengers of Truth have themselves become beacons of light. Such personalities have not left any stones unturned in sharing their experiences with the world on how to live a perfect life. Just like posts that may never be erased from the world wide web, the messages of these saintly beings are etched in scriptural writings, that will stand the test of time. Why not become a follower to them?
Such saints, since time immemorial, have reminded us of the temporary nature of the material world in which we seek comfort, joy, and validation. His Holiness Shahenshah Baba Avtar Singh Ji, the second in the lineage of the Sant Nirankari Mentors, states in the Avtar Bani:
Illusion, in its every guise,
Luring although it may be
Take it as gospel from me
It’s nothing but transitory
Lust for all your comforts
Is a fleeting shadow, a lie
The very minute it wanes,
You’ll ever moan and cry!
All you see is nothing but
A futile and passing show
The blind fool – is dazzled,
And deceived by its glow!
If one’s fond of the fickle,
In the end you will repent
You’ll be – empty-handed,
Without one dime or cent
In being fond of the Saint
Total bliss, one embraces,
You bond with Him, Avtar
If indeed, Saint so graces!
– Avtar Bani 51
As repetitive as it may sound, history has been witness to the fall of great empires. The above verse however, in no way forbids us from acquiring material possessions. What Baba Avtar Singh Ji is emphasizing is that we should not be too deeply attached to them. They are mistakenly perceived as essential ingredients to a happy life. When we attach ourselves excessively to something that is temporary, its absence leads to sorrow, and life begins to seem incomplete and imperfect. But, it is worth asking, how can something that is subject to change be associated with perfection? His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji, the fourth Spiritual Mentor of the Mission, would often state in his divine discourses that the deeper the attachment, the deeper the sorrow.
Thus, according to the spiritually adept, a perfect life is not that which comprises all of life’s comforts and conveniences, but one that recognizes the temporal nature of the material world, accepts it, and rises above it. A perfect life is that which gives precedence to the Omni-present, the never-changing supreme Entity that people call God. Those who have lived by these principles – be they royal or rank and file – fully grasp the art of living. What we need to do is to keep drawing from their wisdom to be able to live a perfect life in the true sense.
Sohan Motwani, Manilla, Phillipines
