Are you busy?

Are you busy?

This question is being constantly asked to us! A very gentle attempt to get our attention, to be able to ‘communicate’ (meaningfully, of course!) to us.
Just that we happen to listen to it not quite often!
Take a look at the situations when this question is put to us (and usual responses).
When,
1. In a normal day-to-day situation asked by…..
The boss -- No Sir/Madam, please tell me what I can do for you?
A VIP asks us -- Oh! Sir, you embarrass me… it is always an honour to be of any help...
Beauty queen/ Prince Charming -- Never too busy for you!
Nagging spouse – (No reply warranted until the question repeats atleast thrice / aloud!)
Friend -- Depends! (on what?... Well, mutual benefit scheme’s conditionalities!)
Customer -- No sir/madam, please tell me… (wait, the next word you utter will decide!)
Etc….

2. The same question in a bit subtle way….
A gentle breeze --
(a)Oh! Thanks, no fan or AC can ever match this! (when sweating profusely!).
(b) …… (when otherwise busy)
Menacingly approaching vehicle threatening head long collision –
(a) Brake, Horn, Yell, etc (Get the hell out of its way, and fast!)
(b) ……… (if turning to talk to the pillion rider, staring at a provoking poster)
Etc…

3. The same question (this time in the subtlest way, and now, is why it is “constantly”)

Nature (manifest) --
(a) Great! I shall return again to you very soon! (When on a brief holiday!)
(b) Oh! Dull, boring… (Etc) … (when unemployed, but survival take care of)
Life (personified)
(a) …… (busy stuck in body, mind , situation etc!!!)
(b) Death ( personified) … Please, not yet, allow me little more time, lots of unfinished…!


Well,…. It is not about whether we bother to respond to this question each and every time, or not. Situations keep changing, so also our attitude, capability & priorities, and so accordingly our responses.

It is about our levels of preparedness to meet, experience and enjoy life as it happens around us, till we ‘Rest In Peace’! It calls for that razor-sharp and ever enhancing levels of alertness, coupled with deepest possible states of relaxation, simultaneously maintained, that decides the quality of our life. Performance, achievement, etc happen exponentially upgrading, but we would soon discover, that they just happen to be side-benefits, a sheer consequence, as inevitable as the negative consequence of ‘absenting’ from that preparedness! The essence of this discovery, the experience of this discovery, when put into words, perhaps might look like this: “Oh! Most of the time, I had been just re-acting to situations that happen to me! It is now that I happen to be really living, acting according to the situation, whichever way ‘Life’ happens to me! Even inaction, silence, stillness is very dynamic in experience!”

Psn ( 13-07-2008)