Radio Ruhaniyat: September 02, 2017

How much are we willing to give to others? Are we selfish or selfless? Hi, this is Preet Sahi bringing another dose of spirituality, on this episode of Radio Ruhaniyat.

A family of turtles went on a picnic. They packed food and set out to a place they had selected behind the hills. When they reached the spot, they unpacked their picnic basket and realized that they had forgotten to bring salt. Food without salt, of course, is tasteless.
They had a meeting to decide who should go back and get the salt. After a lot of discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen, as he was faster than the others. The youngest objected on the ground that before he could come back, the others might finish eating the snacks. But they assured him they would wait for him to come back with salt.

A whole week passed by, but the youngest turtle did not turn up. So the rest of the family decided to open the basket and eat the snacks. As soon as they opened the snack basket, the little turtle jumped out of the bushes and screamed; Look, I knew you would not wait till I came back. This whole week I have been hiding in these bushes to make sure you would not eat without me. Now my suspicion has been confirmed, and I am not going to get the salt.

Some of us are exactly like the suspicious turtle: we waste our own time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. Instead of doing the right thing ourselves, we wait for others to act in ways we expect them to. We waste our time waiting for others to live according to our expectations.

Always HOPE, but never expect! Expectations are the single most reason for unhappiness in life. We all have expectations! We are either looking for something from our family and friends or from God. But the fact of the matter is that we are always on the look out to receive....Giving to others is usually not on our list. When WE don't give, we are not meeting the expectations of others and this world becomes a cycle of unhappiness. We all have expectations from everyone and no body's expectations are met a 100%. Expectations usually result in disappointments; which leads to unhappiness. It's always better to expect less and if you receive more than you expected, happiness follows through. Happiness lies in contentment and satisfaction. Unless we endure this factor, we can’t be happy. The happiness in our life depends on the quality of our thoughts.

We will be better off if we live life with the mind frame that we only have duties, not rights. The world today operates with the focus on their rights, no one understands their duties towards each other. Cross oceans for others. Love people with no conditions attached, without wondering if they are worth it or not.

If we ever have expectations, they should only be from our own self. We always need to aim high and elevate our level of expectations from our own self. At the end of the day, it's all about being happy with who you are and taking charge that the key to your happiness lies in your hands, not others.

I'd like to share another story by David Freeman from Australia:
A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture. I can't tell you how many countless hours that I have spent cleaning. I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect - 'in case someone came over.' Then I realized one day that no one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!
Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the condition of my home. They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven't quite figured this out as yet, please heed this advice.

Life is short, so enjoy it! Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake a cake or plant a seed, or even ponder the difference between wants and needs? Dust if you must, but there's not much time, with rivers to swim and mountains to climb, music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead. Dust if you must, but the worlds out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow & a shower of rain. This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. And when you go - and go you must, you, yourself will make more dust! It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived ... and remember; a layer of dust protects the wood beneath it.

-Until next time, this is Preet Sahi reminding you to Stay Spiritual!

Radio Ruhaniyat is inspired by thoughts and views from members of the Sant Nirankari Mission, along with Inspirational & Motivational speeches, posts, articles & stories. The Foundation of this program and the message being conveyed is inspired from www.nirankari.org