Take the right turn

We all imbibe certain values that become a part of who we are. These are collectively referred to as ‘sanskar’ in the Indian tradition. Remaining true to these set of principles entails that we never compromise on them, thereby retaining our integrity and spiritual wholeness

 

Long ago, when we were newly married, my husband, a defence officer,  told me to never accept anything from anyone as that would make him obligated to them and this could even be seen as accepting a bribe. This is something I completely understood as I too shared the same values. In fact, I knew everyone in his family was extremely honest. His late father had many financial issues but never succumbed to taking bribes or doing anything dishonest. He was well-known for his honesty though he did have opportunities to yield to corruption and dishonesty. I respected this quality of unconditional honesty in his family, and this, indeed, was one of the reasons for our bonding.

Another instance which comes to mind is that of an auto driver who refused to take extra money from me on a particularly rainy day in Mumbai. He refused saying he would not be able to sleep at night peacefully if he took even a rupee in excess of what his metre showed. This was something his father, also an auto driver, had taught him when he began working.

This incident has always stayed with me as a classic case of money not superseding the importance of values. This auto driver was brought up with the right values and never abandoned his principles for earning some extra money. For this reason, he always remained peaceful despite material struggles, which I am sure he must have had.

Unfortunately, the reality today is that many people discard values too quickly for minor appeasements, and this becomes stressful for us as we have not remained true to ourselves, thus affecting our mental health. The World Health Organisation defines mental health as a combination of social, mental, and emotional well-being. How can we remain completely healthy when we know we have done something that does not make us feel good? Mental health is deeply related to goodness and peace. It is a known truth propounded by seers from time immemorial and is now accepted by psychologists and scientists too.

 

The big picture

Whenever we abandon values in our journey of life, we are bound to become unhappy in one way or another and thus lose our peace of mind.

We all are born with a conscience that is an inbuilt checker of what is right and what is wrong. But just having it is not enough; we have to listen to it to be aligned with the Divine. It’s very easy to ignore it and stray away from the path of righteousness—good thoughts, good words, and good deeds.

Our values are a part of the larger picture in life, which we need to keep before us. Remaining completely true to them may require some sacrifices, minor and major, but it is worth it in the long run. For like the auto driver I mentioned earlier, this is the only way we can sleep peacefully at night.