Why we need some ‘alone’ time?

In the Bhagavad Gita it says that thinking on your own is imperative to discern truth from untruth. No matter how good our friends are, we feel confused by the different kinds of advice they give us.

Being along can give you the much needed space for repair, regenerate and reactivate. The alone time can be achieved in many ways. We can meditate but for many, this is an area that is difficult to handle. Meditation is easy for those who are used to it from a young age but for those who are trying to fit into this groove at an

adult stage, it can be tough getting your brain to follow you.

Alone time is almost as good as meditation. It can get you to that safe spot, away from the madding crowd with all the stress factors and gently lead you back to the point you’re meant to be at. And that would be the point of calm and comfort.

We all need this. At our Hindu classes for children every Sunday, we teach children that peace and comfort are important.

A Short Story about Raj

There is an interesting tale about Raj, a factory operator. The hum and thunder of whirring machines would wear him down the entire day so much so that it would continue in his head even after he got home.

Poor Raj sought several ways to get himself out of this horrible pounding sound in his head. Sometimes it would be dulled or less insistent but it would never go away. Desperate for some respite, he sought the advice of friends and relatives. All of them mentioned different kinds of advice. Some mentioned that he should get away from his job. Others mentioned that he should take a break. Raj had already depleted his holiday break with medical leave for his knee surgery.

An Interesting Piece of Advice

One friend who had recently flown in from Malaysia for a short break met him over dinner on a Sunday. Raj liked this friend as he was different from the rest. This friend had once loaned him $1000 for his knee surgery which Raj had promptly paid back within 3 months. Raj’s friend, Selvam was an entrepreneur. An IT operator by day and an online Tiktok businessman by night, Selvam had made a tidy profit in the past 2 years. Both of them had arrived from the same village in India, Srivelliputhoor and had dreams of their own.

By now, it looked like only Selvam had achieved his dream and Raj’s dream lay in the mire.

Raj sighed in despair and thought of his friend’s advice.

Selvam had been careful not to hurt Raj’s feelings but had gently urged him to switch jobs but unlike the others he had already shortlisted a job for him in Kuala Lumpur. Both Selvam and Raj had IT backgrounds but Raj had taken the first job that had come along. The machine operator job had paid well due to the side effects of the job.

Raj sighed again.

The Change

Selvam had asked him to join his new Tiktok business. It was thriving and was already making a five figure profit in the second year. Selvam was an astute businessman and he knew Raj was excellent at coding and software. The snag was to work throughout the night on sales from customers in the US. Raj decided to give it a shot. The noise in his ears was becoming deafening and he knew it was a matter of time before he was permanently affected.

Raj sent in his resignation and switched over to Kuala Lumpur to Selvam’s address. To his surprise, it was nothing like the workers’ hostel he was used to in Singapore. It was by the hills in Klang and Selvam had erected an artificial waterfall in the backyard. It was a rural place but there was plenty of land and fresh air.

Within a month of his stay, the noise in his ears disappeared and Raj actually began to look younger. The work was a bonus as he began to enjoy the creative side of advertising and marketing. Soon, the stillness in his mind brought him peace and he felt whole again. The stillness in his mind was achieved through his own choice and meditation would have brought him there. At our Sunday classes, the Gita class for teenagers teaches them about the need to meditate regularly. This is a great bonus in helping one to achieve their dreams.

Conclusion

The only change Raj did was to believe in the right advice. And he trusted himself to do well if he changed. The belief in himself was paramount and that brought him the peace he needed. It was a happy ending for him and it simply reminds us of the homily that our deepest yearnings can be realised with a simple change. A truly blessed change for Raj began many years of rewarding peace. There are many Hindu classes for children but at Holytree temple, we teach Gita classes in Singapore to suit the needs of children of the present generation. There is a generous sprinkling of truth and a dose of truth in every tale. Let us keep the truth of the Gita alive. AUM.