Mind-Game

At times, mere recognition accorded, to appreciate somebody’s words would invite enough trouble!
Quite understandable!
Like, if we nod too visibly, trying to whole-heartedly agree with someone who says, “It is so embarrassing to keep standing in a bus when there are lots of vacant seats! So I pick up an over-crowded bus to commute”, the whole audience would instantly guess, that the heavily nodding heads commonly share the malady (chronic and acute piles!), and in proportion to the oscillation of the head while nodding! (You guessed it right, I am no exception, but I also look at the ‘silver-lining’ that the extra-shutter affords the exclusive extra ‘golden-period’—we talk of that precious ‘golden period’ within which it is safe, to rush to a hospital in case of a massive heart attack—when others can’t hold long enough for their turn in a queue at a ‘public convenience’).

It is not even this sort of trouble that I looked at when I hesitated so long to write this post. People can read alone, chuckle quietly looking the monitor, in solitude and privacy. It is a deeper kind of trouble. It might turn out to be like ‘opening of the whole Pandora’s box!” It is the period of hesitation that afforded me a chance to feel a deeper appreciation to great ancient Masters, who skillfully chose very brief words to give out the essence of their experience, well assured that each would understand, only and also, according to the shock-absorber that they have, in-built inside them! And so, I would proceed to write about this instance of ‘mind-game’ that I came across, using the same technique of a ‘passing-reference’ in all humility, and effort to retain the nobility of the purpose (of retaining that mystic spice!).

About a month ago, I chanced to visit an elderly person of very familiar acquaintance. He did not wait for formal enquiries of well being to precede his urgent query. His query was thus : “Why is it that I suffer heavy wheezing, when I come back after a very brief visit just up to the toilet for urinating, whereas, when I arm myself well with inhaler, and walk up to the nearby post office, I don’t even have to use the inhaler once?” This gentleman is past 75, an asthmatic, depends quite heavily on inhalers, steroids, and such other medicines constituting a large medical kit. He has seen lots of ups and downs in life, and is well balanced emotionally. He would not engage in frivolous conversations. A very practical person. He prefers to handle his problems by himself, and hesitates to even mention it, leave alone asking for any help. He holds me in great esteem, and hence the query. I knew it was not easy to get away with guess works. It so happened that, I could at once and all so clearly was able to see the reason, but had to pause to find appropriate sequence of logic to communicate it. Though I elaborated the reply, amplifying the abstract concept, out of respect for his age, his genuine anxiety to unravel the mystic reason, etc, I now consciously choose to make a very brief mention of this concept, the reasons for which, I have mentioned in the earlier paragraph. I said, "Sir, it is mind-game. The actions needed and the brief journey up to the toilet precedes ‘virtually’ in the mind, and even concludes before the actualization. Where as, the mind affords more leisure for that short trip to post office, to precede any attempt to foreclose with those visuals about it, knowing too well the uncertainties when we step out of the house”. It is the instance of body getting pushed around too much & too fast, maybe quite unawares, which triggers the wheezing.

I had my share of experience to lean upon, before trying to attempt at a credible reply. I find ‘experienced’ cashiers run into errors of short-receipt rather than first-timers. Another instance of contrast to prove the very same concept is that when there is a shuffle of work, or a person is assigned a change of work at work place, there is an initial period of slackness in terms of out put. The knowledge may be already there, but the physical motions to execute the work, causes that unexplainable time-delay. A classic example would be the thumb rule advocated for trainees during the induction into coast guard duties “be clear about the next set of actions in your mind, when stage-3 of hypothermal condition is about to set in. During the last available 15 minutes of precious life saving swim, it is the last of thought-process prior to those 15 minutes that decides how we act, mechanically, quite unconsciously while drifting fast into physical unconsciousness (Cellular metabolic processes shuts down)”.

( I don’t mind mentioning a story about Buddha, I got from my own spiritual guide. Once Buddha was found repeating the arm motion of driving away a fly that was seated on his nose. When asked, he explained, ‘I missed the experience, so I re-enacted it again’)

I feel a great relief, having attempted to ‘electrify’ this post for the blog (we used to say, ‘penned’ the article, when we used to have manuscripts. Now, it is binary forms of zeroes and ones, so all I do is alter the circuitry, semi-manually still, using keyboard)!
Psn(19th May, 2010)