The Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it.
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He held it up for all to see and asked the students “How much do you think this glass weighs?”
’50gms!’….. ‘100gms!’ …..’125gms’ …the students answered.
“I really don’t know unless I weigh it,” said the professor, “but, my question is:
What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?”
‘Nothing’ …the students said.
‘Ok, what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?’ the professor asked.
‘Your arm would begin to ache’ said one student.
“You’re right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?”
“Your arm could go numb; you might have severe muscle stress and paralysis and have to go to hospital for sure!” … Ventured another student & all the students laughed.
“Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” Asked the
professor.
‘No’.. Was the answer.
“Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle stress?”
The students were puzzled.
“What should I do now to come out of pain?” asked professor again.
“Put the glass down!” said one of the students “Exactly!” said the professor.
Life’s problems are something like this.
Hold it for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK.
Think of them for a long time and they begin to ache.
Hold it even longer and they begin to paralyze you.
In life, many of us hold on to just so many of things… We hold on to insults, grudges, traumas, fights, criticisms and what not. While it is necessary to think things through and have a problem solving approach, is it really necessary to keep it alive and kicking all the time by consistently focusing on it? Is it helpful to hold on to all your pain? Taking your attention and your energy off your problems can be immensely therapeutic. While it helps you de-stress and relax your tired frantic mind, the process of incubation can also lead to significant new insights actually enabling you to solve the problem in a better way than before.
So while you will inadvertently hold and be held in conflicts and problems every now and then, what’s more important is that you remember to PUT THEM DOWN. Holding on will not help. It will make you tired, irritable, anxious and ineffective. Can u really do anything about the glass or the water in it as long as you’re holding it, just holding it? Instead try putting it down, just for today and see the difference it makes in your ability to do something about it the next day. Give yourself a time-out for today, and check if the world falls apart or things go really wrong without your constant worry. Maybe it’s safe to put things down, maybe it’s okay. Meditation and being mindful are the simplest most practical ways of putting things down, at least for those few minutes. Try it today.
